Perhaps James Bond’s biggest nemesis is the cunning Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The classic villain first appeared in From Russia with Love as a voice, and showed up again in the following films as more and more of his mystery unraveled. Due to a rights issue, the series could not use him for more than forty years, only regaining the ability to do so with 2015’s Spectre.
As a celebration of the deliciously evil antagonist, the following list will highlight the ten worst things he has done throughout the films, both to Bond and to the whole world. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last audiences see of the iconic personality.
Icing Kronsteen
From Russia With Love proves that the enigmatic figure doesn’t joke around. When Kronsteen and Rosa Klebb’s attempt to foil Bond’s mission and put him in an early grave fails, he has the former iced to show displeasure with their shortcomings.
It may seem counter-productive to the organization to ax somebody in such a way for one measly slip up, but it makes for an intense dramatic moment in the spy film. SPECTRE sure has one heck of a severance package.
Holding The World Ransom
Blofeld’s scheme in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service involves attractive brainwashed women, of course, because it is a James Bond movie. The girls were lured to his lair with a promise of being cured of allergies, but were instead unknowingly involved in a plot to destroy the world’s agriculture.
Blofeld’s reason for doing this was to hold the world ransom in a bid to receive immunity for his crimes. It was a plan so crazy it may have worked, if it wasn’t for Bond getting in the way.
Torturing Bond In Spectre
In Spectre, Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld has a personal bone to pick with Bond because of some hyperbolic daddy issues. Instead of going straight for the kill, he opts to torture him for a bit. It’s convenient for the secret agent, as it gives him time to devise an escape plan, but the method of inducing pain is particularly cruel.
Blofeld straps Bond to a chair designed to drill little holes into his skull meant to deactivate certain parts of his brain. Fortunately, Bond only undergoes the torture for a short time before escaping.
Trying To Spark A War
The first time audiences see the dastardly fellow is in You Only Live Twice. His scheme in this isn’t personal; he is instead hired by a nation to facilitate a war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Given that the film takes place in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War, this wasn’t a hard thing to do. Thanks to Bond’s expert skills in the field and mastery of espionage, Blofeld’s plan is foiled.
Killing His Father
Blofeld has always been the petty jealous type, even since childhood. Spectre tweaked his backstory to include him knowing Bond since childhood. His father took care of him after his parents passed away, and this fueled jealousy within the young Blofeld.
Eventually, he took his own father’s life and made it look like an accident. The twist, revealed about two thirds into the movie, is ridiculous and detrimental to the story, but it doesn’t make what he did any less evil.
Showing Madeleine Swann Her Father’s Death
Spectre finally sees Mr. White bite the dust after more than ten years of roles in the films. As much as Bond would have liked to do the deed himself, the criminal puts a bullet in his own head right in front of the main character.
The event was caught on film, and Blofeld uses it to torment his guests later on. Blofeld shows the footage to Madeleine Swann, Mr. White’s daughter, to upset her and get a rise out of Bond.
Killing M
Another twist during Spectre is the revelation that Blofeld was behind the scenes since Casino Royale, still trying to hurt Bond in the worst ways possible without killing him. This means he had a hand in putting M, mentor to James, six feet under.
While he didn’t pull the trigger, he did set the whole thing up. It’s unclear if De Silva, Skyfall’s antagonist, directly knew about Blofeld and SPECTRE, or if the shadowy organization simply enabled him to enact his vengeance against M.
Making Vesper Lynd Betray Bond
Blofeld also had a hand in Vesper Lynd’s demise. The villain claims to be behind her betrayal and eventual death in Daniel Craig’s first outing as the iconic British spy.
A part of Quantum’s plan was forcing women in the spy field to betray their employers and country through blackmail. Vesper followed through, betraying her duties in the movie in an attempt to save Bond.
Killing Tracy Bond
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service still holds the distinction of being the only time Bond gets hitched. The marriage, sadly, was extremely short lived. After driving away from their guests, Blofeld drives by as one of his cohorts shoots at the car, fatally wounding his new wife.
It’s a brutal turn to what could have been a happier ending. It’s hard to say what was more tragic, though: Bond losing his wife or following up that incredible movie with the sorely disappointing (in some fans’ view) Diamonds are Forever.
Human Trafficking
SPECTRE takes on a slightly different form in the 2015 movie. They’re made up of the richest, most powerful, and most malicious humans on the planet. One of the business ventures mentioned during their conference in the first half of the movie is human trafficking, perhaps the most heinous crime there is.
Mr. White even mentions it as one of the reasons he turned his back on the organization. Some people may be evil beyond belief, but they still have their own standards and limits. Apparently, Blofeld has no boundaries when it comes to the extent of his evil endeavors.
Next: 5 Reasons We’re Excited For No Time To Die (And 5 Things We’re Worried About)
