Every James Bond Villain Ranked Worst To Best

Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is the most unconventional main Bond villain of all time.

He dies at the end of the second act, he doesn't actually kill anyone throughout the film and his plan is simply to recover his money and pay off his debts to Quantum. He might sound like a bore, but he's actually completely great.

A quieter, more realistic villain was exactly what this grittier version of the franchise needed (especially after how ludicrous some of the Brosnan villains were) and besides, Le Chiffre is still an incredibly effective bad guy.

Mads Mikkelsen's menacing performance makes him a very sinister character and he is also responsible for the film's legendary torture scene. Even prior to that, he challenges Bond psychologically in the film's tripwire-tense poker scene thanks to his high intellect and makes for a formidable opponent for the young, inexperienced secret agent in his first mission.

Despite being such a low-key villain in many ways, Le Chiffre was still absolutely captivating and a huge improvement on the forgettable book version of the character. He also has the best physical defect a Bond villain's ever had - he weeps blood due to haemolacria - so there's that too.