The top five Bond henchmen / henchwomen
Red Grant: I get a kick out of watching you, the great James Bond, find out what a bloody fool he’s been making of himself. We’re pros, Mr. Bond.
If rogues galleries were a bank, James Bond’s would be in Switzerland and made of marble. It would be full of megalomaniacs, mad scientists, and disillusioned former allies of the British Government. These villains often have one key henchman or henchwoman serving them, who provide Bond one of the biggest obstacles to completing his mission. Here are Eye on Bond’s picks for top five Bond Henchmen and Henchwomen.
Red Grant
Red Grant wasn’t just a meathead. His ruthlessness was backed up with cunning in a way that later Bond henchmen would often miss. He was able to tail Bond, kill KGB agents, and ensure that every step of SPECTRE’s plan went smoothly.
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He also has deep professionalism. Red Grant is watching Bond during the whole mission, without being noticed. During the shootout at the Gypsy camp, he actually saves Bond’s life. (At this point SPECTRE still needed him).
Red Grant kills Bond’s contact in Belgrade, and takes his place. He then uses explaining their “travel plans” as a pretext to cold cock Bond on the back of the neck!
If Bond wasn’t able to use Grant’s greed to coax him into opening a booby-trapped suitcase, 007 would be dead. The fight between them is still a franchise highlight. Red Grant set a very high bar for future henchmen.
Fiona Volpe
Fiona represented a completely different archetype of antagonist, but no less deadly. Fiona’s combination of sexuality, guile, and ruthlessness made her one of Spectre’s best and most memorable assets.
First of all, it’s her affair with pilot Francois Derval that allows SPECTRE to kill him, replace him, and hijack two nuclear bombs. It’s her that punishes Count Lippe for choosing such a greedy double to replace Derval. She even rubs it in James Bond’s face that his vaunted sexual ability was not enough to stop her from kidnapping him to kill him.
Indeed, the only mistake she made was the route she chose to take Bond out on. A traffic jam and an overly friendly partier allowed Bond to escape, and turn the tables on her. Otherwise she would have been the woman who killed 007.
Jaws
Some of the thugs Bond faces are brutes who try to overwhelm him physically. Some are efficient killers who try to kill him with skill. Others are seductresses who use a combination of womanaly wiles and deception. Finally, some thugs are a combination of these traits.
I’ve written previously about why Jaws was the best henchman of the Roger Moore era. All of the reasons I’ve previously stated are also why he was the best of the post Red Grant physical threats.
Xenia Onatopp
Xenia is a seductress who enjoys fighting in hand to hand combat. What makes her more special than Mayday (and later, Miranda Frost), is her favourite method of killing people. She seduces men, and then uses her muscular legs to constrict them to death. To an even greater degree than James Bond, sex and death are directly connected facets of her life.
One thing that helps make both her and Jaws memorable, is getting to encounter James Bond more then once. They flirt via car racing, then via playing baccarat. She tries to kill him when he’s trying to find Janus (an encounter that Bond only barely survives). During their final encounter, she ambushes Bond after a plane crash. It’s only Natalya’s assistance that allows Bond to kill her.
Patrice
Patrice is the kind of henchman who has custom depleted uranium bullets made for him! He’s skilled enough that he’s able to eliminate an MI6 agent in Turkey, and steal the sensitive hard drive he was carrying. The opening chase scene where Bond tries to catch him in Skyfall is one of the best of the series.
Their second encounter was also memorable. Patrice is in Shanghai to assassinate someone for Silva. Patrice is able to kill his target before Bond assaults him, and in the ensuing fight Patrice is able to more than hold his own considering he was surprised.
Dishonourable Mentions
When I wrote this piece, there were 24 Bond movies. There will be a 25th soon. Narrowing it down to just 5 henchmen/women meant that I had to leave some very good thugs out. So I’d like to also give an honorable shout out to Oddjob (Goldfinger), Dario (Licence to Kill), Mollaka (Casino Royale), and Mr.Hinks (Spectre).
Are there any particular favourite Bond henchmen of yours? Feel free to sound out in the comments section.