Ranking EVERY James Bond Henchman From Worst To Best

Since Doctor Julius No’s duplicitous scientist aide is arguably the main henchman of the first James Bond film, he has a deal of work to do in beginning to establish some tropes which will continue throughout the series.

Firstly, he underlines the threat of the main villain, and indeed Dent is reduced to a trembling wreck when forced to relay his failures to the (at that point) unseen Dr No, a man who’s clearly bad news.

The second is sheer perseverance; as Dent learns to his dismay, 007 is a difficult chap to kill. When Bond manages to evade the blundering first attempt of the Three Blind Mice, Dent is forced to try a wide range of killing methods, from poisonous spiders to gunmen in cars and the expected competence of his female underling.

Finally, it’s a justified death, and in that Dent blessedly provides 007 with one of his coolest moments. When he’s tricked into unknowingly emptying his chamber into a hidden pillow, Dent is left at Bond’s mercy. After he attempts to shoot Bond with his useless gun, then, 007 takes pleasure in revealing that Dent has had his six, before coldly executing him. For giving us that scene alone, Professor Dent is fondly remembered.