Every Main James Bond Villain Ranked Worst To Best

11. Emilio Largo (Thunderball, 1965)

Largo is first introduced to us intimidating a traffic cop. Who is this stone-cold rogue who doesn’t play by the rules? Why, it’s SPECTRE Number Two, second only to Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the chain of command!

Blofeld proceeds to execute a thieving subordinate and Largo never even bats an eye, and he only has one so it’d be pretty easy to tell if he did. Largo is clearly held in high esteem by Blofeld, and it’s not hard to see why. Largo’s scheme is praised by the SPECTRE head as their most ambitious yet.

Largo’s ice cold demeanour and menacing eye patch are staples of formidable, capable Bond villains with visual eccentricities. Nonetheless, Bond frequently manages to get the better of him, whether with witty jibes or demonstrations of skill. Arguably, it’s henchwoman Fiona Volpe who places Bond in more danger. For these reasons Largo doesn’t rank higher, but remains a worthy foe.

Best Moment: Largo isn’t afraid of any dirty work, accompanying a team of goons underwater to recover a stolen atomic bomb during a meticulously planned operation that he himself organised. His murder of the would be blackmailer that had tried to hold SPECTRE ransom is one of the more frightening moments of the series.

Worst Moment: Largo runs a tight ship of control but is unable to do anything about the goofy sped-up footage of his battle with Bond aboard the Disco Volante that many will associate with him. Worthy of a glove slap for editor Peter Hunt who had normally served the 007 series so well.