Every Main James Bond Villain Ranked Worst To Best

5. Dr. Julius No (Dr. No, 1962)

The Granddaddy of Bond antagonism, the original main villain, set the bar for all who followed to try and match, but few succeeded. Consider all of the usual characteristics of the typical Bond villain: sophisticated, wealthy, charming, yet dangerous, ambitious, with a striking visual quirk, an axe to grind and a thirst for power.

Dr. No had it all, and he did it first. Yet he also possessed one quality that no other villain has quite managed to match: the film slowly builds up his sinister reputation, refusing to show him on screen until the moment is right and he’s been fully established as a terrifying force.

When Bond finally encounters Dr. No face to face, metallic hands and all, the danger that he's in feels truly earned. We along with 007 understand the gravity of his situation, knowing all too well that the civility which Dr. No seems to be demonstrating is teetering on the brink of death and destruction.

Just as the film for which he's named introduced us to the world of 007, Dr. No introduced us to the extravagant, to the grandeur, to the high fantasy of Bond villainy.

Best Moment: Wining and dining Bond and Honey Ryder in order to assess the type of man he’s dealing with, it doesn’t take long for Dr. No to decide he's hosting an enemy who can’t be turned. “Unfortunately I misjudged you, you are nothing but a stupid policeman… whose luck has run out.”

Worst Moment: If they were aiming for a creepy-in-all-the-wrong reasons way of introducing Dr. No’s shiny metal hands, having him sneak into 007’s bedroom in the dead of night and slowly lift Bond’s bedsheets while he sleeps is one way to do it.