10 Hyped Movie Villains Who Turned Out To Be Just Henchmen

With an eye that wept blood and a cold, steely gaze, Le Chiffre was most people's first introduction to actor Mads Mikkelsen - and what an introduction it was. The character is one of the greatest Bond villains ever, his ability to intimidate without saying a single word proving much scarier than the monologuing, moustache-twirling villains so often found in the series.

But the most interesting thing about Le Chiffre was that, underneath his hardened exterior, he was extremely vulnerable. Why? He was in a lot of debt. He'd lost a lot of money that was entrusted to him by some very powerful people, forcing him to set up a poker game at the Casino Royale in order to win it back.

The character is essentially on the run throughout the entire movie, and was in a position where he had to win a lot of money to pay off some very powerful, very dangerous people.

Unfortunately for him, he loses the poker game, and is later shot in the head by Mr White, who represents an organization that would later be revealed as Quantum. Turns out Mr White didn't appreciate Le Chiffre losing all that money, and since he could no longer be trusted, chose to terminate him.

Le Chiffre wasn't a "henchman" in the traditional sense, but he was always at the mercy of those people whose money he'd lost, and Mr White was constantly breathing down his neck. And, in future sequels, we learned that Quantum/Spectre had been the real enemy all along.