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My counterpoint to that would be that Dr. No and Largo were also working under SPECTRE, yet they were considered the main villains in their respective films. Bond didn't go after Blofeld directly until YOLT.
EDITED. I had my perspective wrong re your post, Kerim. ;;)
Anyway ... I always think of Rosa as a henchwoman - but Blofeld is not in the film. But Rosa gives orders to Grant (so I guess yes, cementing him as a henchman). Grant and Klebb are both equally strong for me. However, the matter of her giving him orders is pretty clear. Today, I am listing both as henchman and henchwoman just from sheer habit ... but am considering that at least Rosa belongs in the main villain category.
I know this has been discussed elsewhere (Klebb/Grant, what category are they?), but I could not find it today.
So here is our current list of
Bond Henchmen and Henchwomen
Dent
OddJob
Grant
Klebb
Fiona
Irma
Tee Hee
Nic Nac
Necros
Jaws
Locque
Gobinda
May Day
Dario
Xenia
Stamper
Renard
Zao
Miranda
Patrice
~Are we missing anyone? I am frankly stumped at coming up with a henchman for QOS. Yusef?
~ What about Casino Royale? Any strong enough to be henchman, not just goon?
~ What about Diamonds are Forever? Wint and Kidd?
~ LALD - Rosie, too?
~ TSWLM - Naomi, too?
~ DAD's Miranda definitely fits henchwoman, don't you think?
~ What about Octopussy? Is Gobinda just a goon? Am I forgetting another henchman in that film? Probably. Please let me know. :)>-
I want to firm up our list in the next several hours and then start discussion about these evil characters. >:) The great, the pretty good, the meh, and the stinkers ...
The Knife throwing twins would qualify as Henchmen
What about Gereral Orlov and General Ouronov as well?
Listed May Day what about Scarpine and Karl Mortner?
Vargas?
A few more toadd to the list before the discussion begins...
Wint and Kidd are definitely Henchpeople.
Rosie, no. Naomi, yes. Miranda, oh my yes.
Vargas does not drink, Vargas does not smoke. What do you do, Vargas? Vargas henches...
For QoS: It's all about Elvis.
Vargas
Knife throwing twins (Mishka? Grishka? I'll look up their names)
Wint and Kidd
Dr. Kaufman
Henry Gupta
Elvis
Naomi
Gereral Orlov
General Ouronov
Gobinda (I didn't see any opinions, so I'm adding him)
Yusef (I think he qualifies: any dissenters?)
I cannot for the life of me remember Scarpine - what do others think of him as a henchman? Yes or no? :-/
edit: I misread your mention of Naomi, @Beatles; I just added her.
Hope to firm up the list before I head to work in about 3 1/2 hours. Thanks!
So I want to clarify that I'd like our discussion to be about the more solid, definite henchmen/henchwomen: ones that we on this forum, especially those of us who participate in this Originals thread, think about henchman/henchwomen. I like our list so far.
Also: What about Dimitrios in CR? He qualifies more as a henchman, don't you think?
Would Gen. Medrano count? Was he acting for Greene? I feel that he does not count as he acted on his own interests mostly, just worked in partnership with Greene for himself. He was evil, but not a henchman in my opinion. But if I missed something in that view, please enlighten me.
So what say our merry little band here?
Adding: Brandt, Samedi, and Kriegler?
Whisper ... I am unsure if he did quite enough to cross that blurry line from goon to henchman.
Opinions, please! :-c
Did not do enough in the film perhaps ...
But I'll throw him out for discussion, too: Chang for henchman, anyone?
:D
For our thread, I would prefer to not add the lesser characters, trying to stick to more solid henchmen/henchwomen - the more major ones to discuss, dissect, praise, ridicule, etc.
For example, I think the list can get too crowded for a fun discussion. Here is a selection from the internet of the baddies in A View to A Kill:
A View to a Kill
May Day (Grace Jones)—Changes sides; dies when bomb detonates
Scarpine (Patrick Bauchau)—Dies when blimp explodes
Dr. Carl Mortner (Willoughby Gray)—Dies when blimp explodes
Jenny Flex (Alison Doody)—Drowns
Pan Ho (Papillon Soo Soo)—Drowns
Bob Conley (Manning Redwood)—Drowns
W.G. Howe (Daniel Benzali)—Shot by Zorin
I'm only completely comfortable including May Day and Dr. Mortner in our discussion, but I am asking for opinioins about Scarpine. The others I think don't merit our particular list this time.
Whisper, Naomi does not have enough screentime to qualify, IMO
Howe was not a villain and should not be included. the rest of the AVTAK gallery of Rogues, by all means, YES.
Bond Henchmen and Henchwomen:
Dr. Kaufman
Dr. Mortner
Prof. Dent
OddJob
Grant
Klebb
Fiona
Irma
Tee Hee
Nic Nac
Necros
Jaws
Locque
Gobinda
May Day
Dario
Xenia
Stamper
Renard
Zao
Miranda
Dimitrios
Patrice
Vargas
Knife throwing twins (Mischka & Grischka)
Wint and Kidd
Henry Gupta
Elvis
Naomi
Gereral Orlov
General Ouronov
Gobinda
Yusef
Brandt
Baron Samedi
Kriegler
Chang
That is enough to be carrying on with, for now, I think. You may add to the list if you insist; I don't want to quibble over semantics of henchman vs. goon. Let's just begin our discussion. :)
So what shall we discuss about these dastardly cohorts?
Here are some suggestions:
~ The most dangerous and serious (rank them, top 3 or 5, or just chat about them)
~ The silliest/stupidest/least useful (rank or just chat)
~ The most memorable (for whatever reasons)
~ The ones you consider genuinely iconic
~ Your very favorite henchman/henchwoman scene
Thanks! Gotta dash ...
Red Grant a real menacing and physically equal to Bond. a true protagonist. Quiet, blond and a killer.
Odd Job the henchman who all subsequent henchmen try to measure up to.
Fiona Volpe seductive, beautiful and dangerous. The first real true femme fatale in the Bond stable.
Dario this baby faced killer with his creepy smile would freeze water. Not physically imposing as other henchmen but he was not one I would want to meet in a dark alley.
Tee Hee a big and imposing physical specimen. His appearance in the seventh film was the first since Odd Job who presented us with a physically imposing bad ass. Of course we were treated to others later but the rogues in YOLT, and TB and all films after GF pale in comparison.
@4EverBonded, lest we forget Guenther and Irma Bunt from OHMSS. Add them to the list as well.
This was very difficult, but I narrowed it down to my six hardcore faves, and in order, no less:
Xenia Onatopp - In my mind they perfected the henchperson here. Beauty, brains (well, enough at any rate), uniquely physically dangerous, and Dario-level twisted.
Necros- What makes him great for me is that he isn't physically imposing-looking and that makes him all the more deadly. He's got mad fighting/combat skills, and what seems like a strange sense of fun doing different accents whilst deceiving & killing folk.
Red Grant- What might have been just a serviceable meat & potatoes henchman with some interestingly sinister lines was given iconic life by Robert Shaw. 'Nuff said.
Helga Brandt- Now, some might pick Fiona instead, but in thinking on it, Karen Dor just has the edge for me. While not quite as stunningly attractive as Luciana, Karen was able to (whether by script or acting ability) deliver a more truly deliciously devilish 60's henchwoman IMHO.
General Orlov- Another case where whilst the writing was good, the actor put it over the top with a winning performance. Orlov lives on in so many real life crazies...
Doktor Kaufman- Stop screaming in my ear, ja? Okay, it vas a small role, but OH so memorable. I don't know vat to say. :P
My least fave is Elvis.
What a loser. I just want to tell him to blow up his pants.
Wait- that actually happened... :))
Necros is the only "Red Grant copy" that truly works. So him and Red Grant make my list of favorites.
Then there's Oddjob, TeeHee, and Jaws for other favorites of mine.
I don't see Orlov as the henchman, rather a second villain.
Henchman.
:-q
Bond Henchmen and Henchwomen:
Dr. Kaufman
Dr. Mortner
Prof. Dent
OddJob
Grant
Klebb
Fiona
Irma
Guenther
Tee Hee
Nic Nac
Necros
Jaws
Locque
Gobinda
May Day
Dario
Xenia
Stamper
Renard
Zao
Miranda
Patrice
Vargas
Knife throwing twins (Mischka & Grischka)
Wint and Kidd
Henry Gupta
Elvis
Naomi
Gereral Orlov
General Ouronov
Gobinda
Yusef
Brandt
Baron Samedi
Kriegler
Chang
White
That is enough to be carrying on with, for now, I think. You may add to the list if you insist; I don't want to quibble over semantics of henchman vs. goon. Let's just begin our discussion. :)
So what shall we discuss about these dastardly cohorts?
Here are some suggestions:
~ The most dangerous and serious (rank them, top 3 or 5, or just chat about them)
~ The silliest/stupidest/least useful (rank or just chat)
~ The most memorable (for whatever reasons)
~ The ones you consider genuinely iconic
~ Your very favorite henchman/henchwoman scenes (serious or silly - your favorites)
Or truly anything else you'd like to say about henchmen/henchwomen in Bond films.
This morning, I am going to start by listing my personal favorites:
My Favorite Henchmen/Henchwomen: B-)
Red Grant - serious, a great adversary for Bond, and fit the tone of the whole film
Rosa Klebb - probably better categoried as main villain yet still a henchwoman for the offscreen Blofeld; just pure festering evil in this toad-like woman! So well played. Yeccch!
Jaws - I enjoyed him very much in TSWLM; frightening at first, with a twist of subtle humor but not OTT yet.
Dr. Kaufman - superbly played, a true psycho, deadpan and deadly; a memorable performance indeed
Wint and Kidd - sickos and funny in a strangely different Bond film, first to really show campy humor
Xenia Onatopp - she was extravagantly played, and fun, and sadistic; never boring
Prof. Dent … a true Henchman, the first of his breed
OddJob …the definitive henchman, the henchman others can only strive to equal. Top Ten material by any measure!
Grant …one of the great early henchmen, another Top Ten Performer.
Klebb …evil as they come, but not truly a henchperson. She’s one of the film’s main co-conspirators.
Fiona …the first of the great Femme Fatales and Top Ten in her own right.
Irma …by my definition (feel free to adopt your own), a henchman doesn’t make any decisions, they just implement the orders given by others. Irma is as much of a toad as Klebb, but she’s ever so much henchier…Besides, she killed Tracy and that’s got to count for something!
Tee Hee … not one of the great henchmen, but certainly a memorable one.
Nic Nac …he may be small but he never forgets, and we’ll never forget him. Top Ten, Boss, Top Ten!!!
Necros …one of the great Aryan henchmen. He, Grant, Stamper and Kriegler should form their own secret society of Blonde Bondhaters! He fits in the ranks of the Top Ten, if only for that great fight with he & Bond hanging from the net in the cargo bay door!
Jaws …in TSWLM, every bit the equal of Oddjob. In MR, almost as lame as Elvis. Still, he’s a Top Ten Toothgrinder all the way!
Locque … One of my favorites. Maybe it’s just those wacky glasses, or maybe it’s his particular death…on second thought, I think it’s the way he grabbed the suitcase full of money when Melina’s crossbow bolt took out Gonzales. Top ten, barely edging out…
Gobinda … Another sentimental favorite. I like my henchmen to be exotic and he certainly fills the bill!
May Day …. Tough to define. Certainly scary, not exactly attractive enough to qualify as a Femme Fatale in my book…but clearly a memorable character and as hench as they come.
Dario … High marks for a memorable lowlife. I’d almost nominate him for top honors…but I just don’t want to reward that sort of behavior!
Xenia … one of the best of the Femme Fatales and a clear Top Ten entry. Just don’t give her a congratulatory hug!
Stamper … A little too generic but a fine henchman in his own right.
Renard …I don’t see him as a henchman. Another indicted co-conspirator in my eyes.
Zao…The diamonds in his face are a nice touch, but the who gene swapping thing just doesn’t work for me.
Miranda … A fine Femme Fatale, but I just can’t warm up for this ice princess…heh!
Patrice…I wish he’d been given a little dialogue, something to define him by, other than “that guy in Skyfall before Silva shows up.” He could have been a much more memorable character...
Vargas … sorry, I already used my best line describing him in nominating him for this discussion! A fine second tier henchman, get the point?
Mischka & Grischka …They’re good enough, but can’t hardly hold a candle to…
Wint and Kidd … If I nominate them for Top Ten, can I count them as just one entry? Done and Done!
Henry Gupta…In my bid to clear out the excess entries, I hereby declare that Gupta is not really a henchman & I shouldn’t have nominated him as such. He’s a Science Guy. Lots of villains need a good science guy to make their plans succeed, and they’re a different breed from a true henchman. Sorry, Henry! Too bad your card tricks got cut from the film…
Elvis… Yes, he’s the lamest henchman ever…and that’s the entire point of his existence!
Naomi … A Femme Fatale of the first order.
Gereral Orlov and
General Ouronov…Not exactly henchmen either. Call them military madmen and send them to Moscow in the diplomatic bag!
Yusef … Not really memorable enough to even make the second tier.
Brandt … A wanna be Fionna. She did have a healthy chest, though…
Baron Samedi … Doesn’t really qualify as a henchman to me, although he certainly was a memorable character. I almost see him as the supernatural entity he was attempting to portray…or maybe it’s just that maniacal laugh of his, perched at the front of that train rushing into the night at the close of LALD.
Kriegler …sorry, the sight of him heaving that motorcycle at Bond in impotent rage makes poor Eric a figure of humor to me.
Chang …should have tried to do a better job of it, then we’d never have seen the return of Jaws…and the world of Bond would be a much more sensible place.
Professor Kaufman… He could shoot you from Shtuttgart & make the Top Ten. I wish we’d seen a lot more of him, but the few minutes we get with the Herr Professor are just brilliant!
Professor Mortner…Another Science Guy. Not a hench.