10 Leading Film Characters That Didn’t Really Go Anywhere
3. Ernst Stavro Blofeld - SPECTRE (2015)
Saying that Christoph Waltz’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld is an oddity is an understatement. Unlike many of the original - and classic - iteration of the character from the original James Bond films, he just does not carry the same sense of menace associated with the role.
Waltz’s Blofeld is quite insane, but he is little more than that. Whilst it is fine to expect a character such as Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva from SkyFall (2012) to be completely off his rocker, Blofeld is meant to operate under a more refined form of madness. His padded cell style of insanity makes it quite difficult to appreciate why none of his business-driven lieutenants have not simply forced him out of SPECTRE so that they can run the show themselves.
Whereas Blofeld in the original franchise served as a genuinely sinister presence at the peak of his powers, Waltz’s rendition of the villain seems to be going through some sort of breakdown by comparison, blaming all of his problems on Double-0 Seven (Daniel Craig) for convenience. Even if Waltz’s character had to go down this path, it is a shame that a new villain was not created for him, rather than shoehorning him into the position of the widely-feared SPECTRE leader.
It can only be hoped that Waltz will redeem his Blofeld in No Time to Die (2020), as his considerable acting talents have so far been wasted playing this odd usurper!