Every James Bond Main Villain Ranked Worst To Best

With so many franchises failing over the years, it's miraculous that James Bond has maintained its reputation as among the most consistent movie series ever. After half a century, the masses never seem to tire of the legendary secret agent with a licence to kill. So, what makes 007 so special?

The answer is simple - each film has so much to offer. In all 25 official movies, there are fantastic car chases, great lines, palpable chemistry, sensational action sequences, awesome gadgets, and legendary theme songs.

But the one thing that really makes Bond stand out is the villains. And we're not just talking about iconic henchmen like Oddjob or Jaws. We mean the lead antagonist. Dr No. Goldfinger. Blofeld. These guys aren't just great baddies - over the years, they have become archetypes in evil, helping to shape many other evildoers, not just in the Bond franchise but in all cinema.

Now, no one is going to argue that all of these scoundrels turned out well. (Especially if you've seen Quantum of Solace.) But there is one thing many movies fanatics debate about - who was the greatest Bond villain of all time?

With respected thespian, Toby Stephens, playing the antagonist in Bond's 20th outing, Die Another Day, you'd assume he'd deliver one of the most memorable performances in the series.

And he does, but not for the right reasons. Although there's nothing wrong with Stephens' performance, his character is appallingly written. In Die Another Day, he plays North Korean Colonel, Tan-Sun, who faked his death and then used gene therapy to change Caucasian to create the persona of a British billionaire industrialist, Gustav Graves. Not only is that preposterous, but it also doesn't make sense. In only one year, Tan-Sun recovered from his transformation, got knighted by the Queen, obtained a billion dollars, and became a world-renowned philanthropist.

With a backstory that stupid, no amount of acting talent could make the viewer take Graves seriously.