James Bond Villains Who Survived, Ranked

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James Bond

Since his cinematic debut in 1962's Dr. No, British spy James Bond has been one of the silver screen's most iconic heroes. In the time since, the legendary secret agent has been at the center of 24 more movies, with six actors playing the role over the years. Along the way, Bond has faced off against famous foes like Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), many of whom meet a violent end.

But while most of Bond's villains over the years have been swiftly dispatched, a few have managed to survive their encounters with 007. Some of these survivors are some of the most memorable James Bond villains of all time, while others are completely forgettable adversaries. This is every James Bond villain who survived, ranked based on how memorable they are. A special shout-out to minor characters like Miss Taro, Whisper, Guy Haines, and Wayne Newton's Professor Joe.

7 General Georgi Koskov

Played by Jeroen Krabbé in 'The Living Daylights' (1987)

General Georgi Koskov, played by Jeroen Krabbé, holds up a folded note as he speaks in 'The Living Daylights'.

In The Living Daylights, the first film in the franchise to star Timothy Dalton as Bond, 007 takes on two villains; arms dealer Brad Whitaker (Joe Don Baker) and Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé), a Soviet general who initially acts as an ally to Bond before revealing his true, villainous intentions. While Bond is able to take care of Whitaker with a little help from a bomb and a bust, he never gets the chance to kill Koskov, a rarity among primary Bond antagonists.

Admittedly, Koskov's status as a surviving villain is debatable at best. Upon arresting him, General Leonid Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies) dictates that Koskov is to be sent back to Moscow "in a diplomatic bag", heavily implying, though not confirming, his execution. Whether he survives or not though, General Koskov is a truly forgettable villain, with Krabbé's performance lacking the menace of some of Bond's best foes.

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Release Date July 31, 1987

Director John Glen

Cast Timothy Dalton , Maryam d'Abo , Jeroen Krabbé , Joe Don Baker , John Rhys-Davies , Art Malik , Andreas Wisniewski , Thomas Wheatley , Desmond Llewelyn , Robert Brown , Geoffrey Keen , Walter Gotell , Caroline Bliss , John Terry , Virginia Hey , John Bowe , Julie T. Wallace , Belle Avery , Catherine Rabett , Dulice Liecier , Nadim Sawalha , Alan Talbot , Carl Rigg

Runtime 130 minutes

Character(s) James Bond , Kara Milovy , General Georgi Koskov , Brad Whitaker , General Leonid Pushkin , Kamran Shah , Necros , Saunders , Q , M , Minister of Defence , General Anatol Gogol , Miss Moneypenny , Felix Leiter , Rubavitch , Col. Feyador , Rosika Miklos , Linda , Liz , Ava , Tangier Chief of Security , Koskov's KGB Minder , Imposter

6 Bambi and Thumper

Played by Lola Larson and Trina Parks in 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971)

Thumper, played by Trina Parks, and Bambi, played by Lola Larson, prepare for a fight in 'Diamonds Are Forever'.

Bambi (Lola Larson) and Thumper (Trina Parks) are two acrobatic guards whom Sir Sean Connery's interpretation of James Bond has to overcome in Diamonds Are Forever. During their very brief fight, the bizarrely-named duo tenderize 007 using a variety of over-the-top flips and kicks, before finally combining their strength to toss the stunned agent into a pool, where they attempt to drown him.

Somehow, Bond ends up turning the tables, overpowering his attackers and holding their heads beneath the water instead. Just as they're seemingly about to breathe their last watery breaths, Felix Leiter (Norman Burton) bursts in with more men from MI6, prompting Bond to allow his allies to apprehend his would-be-assailants. It's an overall uneventful fight, and Bambi and Thumper, while conceptually interesting, fail to make much of an impact. They rank above General Koskov simply because they are definitely alive at the end of their encounter with Bond, but aside from that, they are completely forgettable antagonistic figures.

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Diamonds Are Forever

Release Date December 17, 1971

Director Guy Hamilton

Cast Sean Connery , Jill St. John , Charles Gray , Jimmy Dean , Bruce Cabot

Runtime 120 Minutes

Writers Richard Maibaum , Tom Mankiewicz , Ian Fleming

5 Baron Samedi

Played by Geoffrey Holder in 'Live and Let Die' (1973)

Baron Samedi, played by Geoffrey Holder, smiles in 'Live and Let Die'.

1973's Live and Let Die takes Bond, played for the first time by Sir Roger Moore, to America and the Caribbean, pitting him up against Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), a Caribbean dictator who also distributes drugs in the United States under the alias Mr. Big. Kananga receives an especially gruesome death at the hands of Bond, but the same can not be said for Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder), one of the most resilient henchmen in the series' history.

In a unique twist for a Bond villain, Baron Samedi appears to have genuine supernatural powers. He is presented as a voodoo priest who plays mind games with Bond, even seemingly swapping places with a perfect inanimate replica of himself the first time the secret agent fires a shot at him. When he reappears, it seems as if Baron Samedi is killed again when he is pushed into a coffin full of snakes, but he is revealed to have survived when he is seen laughing on the front of a train at the end of the film. He was never seen again, but Baron Samedi's powers made him an intimidating villain who stands out when compared to the series' other, perhaps more iconic, henchmen.

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Live and Let Die

Release Date June 27, 1973

Director Guy Hamilton

Cast Roger Moore , Yaphet Kotto , Jane Seymour , Clifton James , Julius Harris , Geoffrey Holder

Runtime 121 minutes

Writers Tom Mankiewicz , Ian Fleming

4 Nick Nack

Played by Hervé Villechaize in 'The Man with the Golden Gun' (1974)

Nick Nack, played by Hervé Villechaize, prepares to throw two bottles of alcohol in 'The Man with the Golden Gun'.

Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize) is the right-hand man of Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), the main antagonist of 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun. While playing a relatively small role in the plot, Nick Nack is especially memorable because of just how devoted he is to his boss. Throughout the film, the henchman is seen assisting Scaramanga with various tasks and duties, from cooking meals to luring Bond (Moore) into traps, but his most memorable moment comes near the end of the film, when he attempts to avenge Scaramanga.

Just as Bond is about to share an intimate moment with Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland), Nick Nack appears in the ceiling, falling and attacking the couple with a knife before making his way to their bar, where he hurls bottles of wine at them. Eventually, Bond is able to defeat the persistent henchman by trapping him inside a suitcase. In some ways, this scene hasn't exactly aged well, but it's a perfect encapsulation of the campy charm of the Roger Moore era, making Nick Nack a memorable surviving henchman.

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The Man with the Golden Gun

Release Date December 20, 1974

Director Guy Hamilton

Cast Roger Moore , Christopher Lee , Britt Ekland , Maud Adams , Hervé Villechaize , Clifton James , Richard Loo , Soon-Tek Oh , Marc Lawrence , Bernard Lee , Lois Maxwell , Marne Maitland , Desmond Llewelyn , James Cossins , Charlie Chan Yiu-Lam , Carmen du Sautoy , Gerald James , Michael Osborne , Michael Fleming

Runtime 125 Minutes

Character(s) James Bond , Francisco Scaramanga , Mary Goodnight , Andrea Anders , Nick Nack , Sheriff J.W. Pepper , Hai Fat , Lieutenant Hip , Rodney , M , Miss Moneypenny , Lazar , Q , Colthorpe , Chula , Saida , Frazier , Naval Officer , Communications Officer

Writers Richard Maibaum , Tom Mankiewicz , Ian Fleming

3 Irma Bunt

Played by Ilse Steppat in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969)

Irma Bunt, played by Ilse Steppat, looks surprised in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat) appears as Ernst Stavro Blofeld's (Telly Savalas) henchwoman in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the one and only Bond film starring George Lazenby as 007. Throughout the film, she attempts to ensure that Blofeld, intent on spreading an incredibly dangerous virus if his demands are not met, is successful in his schemes, even going so far as to directly pursue Bond and his companion, Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), on a thrilling car chase down icy roads.

But what makes Irma Bunt especially memorable is that she is responsible for one of the Bond franchise's more emotional moments. After foiling Blofeld's plans, Bond and Tracy get married, but their life together is tragically cut short when, while sharing a tender moment on the side of the road, Blofeld drives by, allowing Bunt the opportunity to abruptly shoot Tracy. It's one of the few moments in the entire series where audiences get to see Bond have a genuine emotional response to someone's death, displaying the character's sensitive side in a way that few films do. The fact that Irma Bunt's actions are what cause this makes her an extremely memorable survivor in Bond's vast collection of antagonists.

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On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Release Date December 19, 1969

Director Peter R. Hunt

Cast George Lazenby , Diana Rigg , Telly Savalas , Gabriele Ferzetti , Ilse Steppat , Angela Scoular

Runtime 142 minutes

Writers Simon Raven , Richard Maibaum , Ian Fleming

2 Pussy Galore

Played by Honor Blackman in 'Goldfinger' (1964)

Pussy Galore, played by Honor Blackman, looks ahead in 'Goldfinger'.

Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) from 1964's Goldfinger is a prominent example of a Bond girl who, while initially a villain, is eventually charmed into switching sides by the persuasive superspy. However, unlike a great number of Bond's (Connery) female companions over the years, not only does Pussy Galore survive, but she plays a significant role in the villain's plan, heading "Pussy Galore's Flying Circus", a squadron of female pilots working for Goldfinger.

Despite resisting Bond's charms for far longer than most eventual defectors in her position, Pussy Galore does join 007's side as she continues to encounter him throughout the film. From that point on, she takes on a more heroic role than most Bond girls do, playing a central part in foiling Goldfinger's plot, while making a strong impression on audiences thanks to Blackman's performance. Ultimately, she ends up on Bond's side, but the fact that she remains a villain for so long, while also playing such a major role in preventing the primary antagonist from succeeding, solidifies Pussy Galore as one of the best surviving villains, and one of the best Bond girls in the entire franchise.

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Release Date September 20, 1964

Director Guy Hamilton

Cast Sean Connery , Honor Blackman , Gert Fröbe , Shirley Eaton , Tania Mallet , Harold Sakata

Runtime 110 Minutes

Writers Richard Maibaum , Paul Dehn , Ian Fleming

1 Jaws

Played by Richard Kiel in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' (1977) and 'Moonraker' (1979)

Jaws, played by Richard Kiel, smiles while in a cable car in 'Moonraker'.

Richard Kiel's Jaws is one of the few Bond henchmen to appear in multiple films in the franchise. Initially serving as henchman to Karl Stromberg (Curt Jürgens) in The Spy Who Loved Me before later allying with Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) in Moonraker, Jaws is notable for his tenacity and durability, surviving a number of situations that would kill most of Bond's adversaries. He's also extremely intimidating, baring incredibly strong metal teeth, while completely dwarfing Moore's Bond in all of their fight scenes.

In addition to being exceedingly visually distinct, Jaws is one of the few henchmen to, oddly, get a character arc. During Moonraker, Jaws finds love, and eventually even teams up with 007 in order to prevent Drax's success. This unexpected team-up is yet another characteristic that makes Jaws a standout among the various henchmen Bond has faced off against over the years. At the end of Moonraker, he and his love interest, Dolly (Blanche Ravalec), are confirmed to have survived the destruction of Drax's space station, making him by far the most memorable villain to survive their encounters with Bond.