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However the rest are top tier for me minus Stromberg.
Which reminds me, are the Spangs the only major Fleming villains that the films have not yet used?
Brilliant villain, well written and a tremendous nemesis for Bond!
This feathered member tries his hardest to just state the nominees. Occasionally some bias may slip through. ;)
Aside from Mr Sanguinetti, yes.
«This is not a vote for the actor or actress and their performance. It's for the character as it's written. You may consider their plot, how they antagonize Bond, how evil are they.»
Although I can see how people can say that he could have come straight from Fleming's pages, even if he was written in the novels, he would have been an outlier (like Scaramanga) I think.
So it's the man who maimed Bond's best friend and killed his wife or the man who killed M? Given Sanchez was originally supposed to be a Chinese warlord and his being more complex than a drug dealer or Miami Vice villain as some think of him, I will go with Silva as my choice.
His influence and presence are felt long before he's onscreen. His introduction is maybe my favorite of any main Bond villain, he takes part in the action, is not in the film too much and actually accomplishes his goal of killing M.
* Karl Stromberg: Larger than life but never comes to it. Great concept but many aspects of the character (webbed hands, etc.) aren't stressed as well as they should be. Needed more fanaticism.
* Elliot Carver: Enjoyably broad caricature of an amoral press baron, but the character is all surface.
* Electra King: The outlines and attributes for a great character are there, but they never coalesce into one. Perhaps even more perversity was needed?
* Alec Trevelyan: Starts out as a dark mirror of Bond, but his motivation for betraying Britain has always felt contrived to me. And then he turns into a standard evil-mastermind-in-a-big-lair Bond villain. A rogue Bond wouldn't go that route (because Bond isn't personally ambitious).
* Silva: Best villain of the Craig era (so far). Convincing motivation and even a Flemingian physical deformity and classic monologue. Plus many touches of perversity. But his ability to stay a thousand steps ahead of everybody shows what Skyfall borrowed from the Dark Knight's Joker.
* Franz Sanchez: Gets my vote. If Fleming lived long enough to create a drug lord...
Sanchez is also the only one of these villains who seems like a rounded character and convincingly human one. He even has a tragic flaw, his value for loyalty. Bond wins by exploiting Sanchez's twisted sense of honor. One of the few Bond villains who perishes because of his personal contradictions.
I would also quite like to live Sanchez's life, unlike the rest.
But considering the criteria stated I'm with those who consider the top "original" villain:
Franz Sanchez.
I like the way Electra turns and plays vulnerable and then becomes ruthless. I like that by the end of the film you really dislike her. For some reason I am cheering for Sanchez and feel sad for his downfall. I don't even have hate for him when Leiter gets maimed. Not sure if that's the character or the script that leaves me feeling with this towards him.
006 could have won this for me, tough choice.
It's between Silva and Sanchez for me too. Silva is a fantastic baddie and he has wonderful lines and I actually rather like his relationship with Bond: he's M's old favourite and Bond is her new one so he thinks they kind of share a bond. I can't shake the idea that it's the performance making it great in some part though.
So I'll have to go with Sanchez too, if we're talking on the script. He's actually a baddie given depth, we even start to feel a glimmer of sympathy a little for him the more we get to know him: he's that rare Bond villain who actually treats people well (those that are loyal to him anyway). I do think LTK has a much better script and story than it is an actual good movie, and he's part of that.
Now that you mention it... Greene is a pretty interestingly conceived villain ;)
However the one villain I really think should have made the list is Zorin. His back story, twistedness, fame and fortune, side scheme with the cheating with horses, his pure cynicism and evil... it all screams Fleming to me.
The only villainous character from the Craig years that I really like is Mr White.
Please continue the voting! :)