Every James Bond Villain Ranked Worst To Best
2. Auric Goldfinger - Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) is incredibly iconic and most subsequent Bond villains imitated him to some degree, but it's a testament to just how great a villain he is that the character still holds up so well to this day.
As evil megalomaniacs go, Goldfinger is perfection. He's an evil, insane and fiendishly entertaining bad guy whose wacky murder methods and complete madness are extremely fun to watch, but he also packs one hell of a punch as an intimidating antagonist.
He's a ruthless, unpredictable and vile psychopath who kills people loyal to him and seems to enjoy it, making him a completely repulsive, sinister character who will make your skin crawl. Better still, his scheme (to detonate a nuke near Fort Knox and irradiate all its gold, making it worthless and increasing the value of his own gold) is ridiculous, but in a way that toes the line enough for his plans to be believable, making it that much scarier.
Factor in the many iconic scenes the character is involved in ("No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!") and Gert Frobe's deliciously entertaining performance and you've got the gold standard of Bond villainy.
What could possibly be better?