Ranking EVERY James Bond Henchman From Worst To Best
4. Fiona Volpe (Thunderball, 1965)
By and large, Thunderball's henchmen are mostly lacklustre compared to those who came before. Thank heavens, then, for Fiona Volpe.
The deadly red-haired assassin has such a commanding presence that she doesn’t even feel like a “henchman” (or henchwoman in this case), but more like the main villain in her own right. She arguably makes far more of an impression than Emilio Largo himself - even though he's billed as Bond's primary foe in Thunderball.
Though not seen explicitly receiving orders from her SPECTRE higher-ups, Volpe is well-entrenched in the organisation's most important and diabolical plans. After expertly getting the first phase of their plot to hold the world at ransom with nuclear weapons off the ground, Volpe intercepts 007 in Nassau.
The two engage in a steamy tryst, but it's all a game to both of them. She's using him just as much as he's using her as the pair attempt to find out just what the other knows. When she springs her trap, Volpe turns Bond into a wounded animal, fleeing and hiding in a busy carnival crowd from his deadly pursuers.
Successfully putting Connery's otherwise immortal Bond in grave danger, leaving him bloodied and running for his life, is something that few henchmen can boast. In every respect, Volpe proves herself a worthy match for 007.