10 Best James Bond Villain Deaths
2. Elektra King (The World Is Not Enough)
Bond killing a female character onscreen is a real rarity. Killing a woman whom he has actually bedded is even rarer; the death of Elektra King is the only occasion in the series in which this undeniably occurs.
Sophie Marceau's Elektra is an excellent character- a highly effective combination of Bond villain and Bond girl that's unlikely to be surpassed. Portrayed initially as a damaged and vulnerable young woman whom Bond must protect, then begins a romantic relationship with, and seems to develop genuine feelings for, King turns the plot of the film upside down as she reveals herself to be the true mastermind behind Renard's scheme, betraying both Bond and M. Late in the film, after Bond is freed from Elektras torture chair by the dying Zukovsky the agent overpowers his captor and pursues her up Istanbul's Maiden's Tower, stopping to free M from her prison on the way. Confronting Elektra in her chamber her orders her to call off Renard's mission, threatening her at gunpoint. Whether she genuinely believes it or whether simply attempting to persuade him, Elektra assures him that he couldn't kill her; You'd miss me she claims, alluding to their romantic involvement. After a tense silence she defies Bond and abruptly shouts to Renard to proceed, only for her former lover to immediately fire a single shot. I never miss comes the terse retort, betraying the slightest hint of emotion. It's one of the few deaths in the series that leaves Bond visibly saddened. As he leans over Elektra's lifeless body it's clear that the act has affected him internally- that there's been a conflict of his personal and professional interests. You can see it written on M's face too as she reaches the top of the stairs. Certainly no other villain's death in the series had elicited anything approaching loss or grief before. Some people have argued that the execution would have been more effective had M performed it, since it is she who has suffered most by Elektra's betrayal. I wouldn't argue particularly for or against this. Personally I find it just a little bit distracting however that Bond and M are sporting matching colour schemes. Unfortunately the dramatic effectiveness of this scene and the tonal shift of the film (perhaps even the series) that accompanies it are undone somewhat through the return to norm at the film's conclusion: the obligatory romantic encounter this time with the vapid and far less memorable Christmas Jones, whose only purpose ultimately is to remain alive for this moment and to have an amusing name about which Brosnan could deliver one of his trademark quips. Were this film to have been made now during the more serious and self-conscious Craig years it'd be a safe bet that the character would either be absent or radically altered. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7J48gT_z_A Speaking of Craig....