The James Bond Warehouse

Section: Villains

Name: Largo, Emilio (Celi, Adolfo)

Plot:
Hijacks two British nuclear 'devices', and demands 100? million in uncut diamonds or he will destroy a British or American city.

Background:
Largo is S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s #2. He keeps a front as a European philanthropist and a wealthy, if mysterious, man about town on the island of Nassau. Largo is one of many high level S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agents with a large degree of autonomy and significant independent operational planning.

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

How Killed:
Harpooned by Domino during the climactic battle. Had this been later in the series, the harpoon would have come from one of Moore's excellent puns.

Comments:
Largo is, like everything in Thunderball, a follow on to Goldfinger in many ways. Largo is more cruel than Goldfinger, but prone to similar blunders. He is conspicuous, foolishly keeps Domino around, and seems to have a creepy obsession with sharks that approaches fetishism.

In those respects, his creepiness and cruelty (see his torture of Domino) make him a more villainous opponent for Bond, as does his athleticism. He does repeatedly trap Bond in devious situations, unlike Goldfinger.

Largo is a classic example of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. in its hay day. Unfortunately, he is not a man that could have saved the organization.

Verdict:
3.5/4.0

Name: Vargas (Lock, Phillip)

Plot:
Largo's goon, he shadows Bond and Domino, and generally assists Largo in his misdeeds.

Background:
"Of course. Vargas does not drink... Does not smoke... Does not make love. What do you do, Vargas?"

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (by way of Largo)

How Killed:
Harpooned in the gut by 007. A whale of a story, if he had lived to tell it. Unfortunately, it was his life that got away.

Comments:
Vargas is an uninspired henchman. In a sense, he serves his purpose well, as he does not distract from the story, like so many other minor characters in this film. In a sense, the fact that he is forgettable lends plausibility to the film. Real henchmen would be more like Vargas than Jaws, but since Largo's speech hints that he should be so much more, it is hard to consider him anything but slightly below average.

Verdict:
2.0/4.0

Name: Lippe, Count (Doleman, Guy)

Plot:
To Arrange the identity theft and murder of Major Deval.

Background:
?

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

How Killed:
For almost jeopardizing the entire operation by tipping Bond off at the health spa, Fiona kills him on the road by firing a rocket at his car from her motorcycle.

Comments:
No Comment.

Verdict:
N/A /4.0

Name: Blofeld, Ernst Stavro [Faceless Blofeld - Thunderball] (Dawson, Anthony)

Plot:
The. same as Largo's. Blofeld simply approves the plan and issues the ultimatum to the British government.

Background:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. # 1, at this point Blofeld seems to play the role of CEO of his crime syndicate, not a single megalomaniac. He coordinates and approves operations and metes out justice to those who cross the organization.

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (self employed)

How Killed:
Survives.

Comments:
The second and final appearance of the 'faceless' Blofeld, his return is a welcome sight.

The faceless Blofeld has changed since his last appearance, but he is no less sinister. In 'Russia' he was cold and calculating, detached from his foes, and in control of a small circle of co-conspirators. By 'Thunderball,' his circle has grown; he is now leading a criminal board of directors. In Russia, Klebb and Kronsteen see Blofeld's face; it is only the audience and Bond who are in the dark. Now, Blofeld has grown distrustful of his own staff -- his face no longer hidden by the camera but by a metal screen.

Clearly, in the interim either Blofeld has grown paranoid or the quality of his staff has decreased drastically. It seems to be a combination of the two, as Blofeld has to execute one of his subordinates for embezzling.

That said, despite the brevity of his appearance, Blofeld grows as a character, and ratchets up the rising conflict between himself and 007 across the first story arc of the series.

This incarnation of Blofeld is another solid nemesis who cannot be forgotten, only hampered by his lack of screen time.

Verdict:
3.5/4.0

Name: Volpe, Fiona (Paluzzi, Luciana)

Plot:
To pose as Major Deval's social secretary/lover in preparation for his murder and identify theft; to execute Count Lippe after he gets careless at the health spa and risks the entire operation; to kill Bond.

Background:
A high-ranking executioner/seductress for S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

How Killed:
In an attempt to murder Bond, one of Largo's goons kill her instead. Douche chill. Now who's going to execute them for their carelessness?

Comments:
Not only is she the film's best villain, she's also (tied) for its best Bond girl. The ultimate integration of Bond girl and Bond villain.

Whether she's wearing a dress, a blouse, a towel (and if only she wore just sandals), she's one of the sexiest Bond girls, not to mention one of the sexiest girls period. And unlike Pussy, she's not just body; in fact, her face, topped with flowing, fiery red hair, may be her sexiest attribute of all -- well, almost.

Her character is virtually as vexing. She's the first truly evil, sociopathic Bond girl, but unlike later attempts, Paluzzi approaches the role brimming with life and passion. The depth of her evil is symbolized by her immunity to Bond's charms -- the first and best of what's a rare occurrence for the franchise. She may not turn to the side of right and virtue, but she still has sex with him. No nymphomaniac, she clearly relishes being treated like a wild animal, especially by Bond. She may not love him, but she loves being made love to by him, almost as much as she wants to kill him. But despite her evil, she's not mad; she wants to kill Bond without attracting unnecessary attention, unlike Largo.

Her independenece vis-?-vis Bond also comes in handy against Largo. While she doesn't play Elektra to his Renard by any means, neither does she let him control her as he controls Domino. Never has so much strength and evil been so sexy and feminine. A bad Bond girl was never this good -- or as much fun.

Verdict:
4.0/4.0

Name: Palazzi, Angelo (Stassino, Paul)

Plot:
To steal Major Deval's identity; to kill Deval; to carry out the key S.P.E.C.T.R.E. operation of the movie: stealing the nuclear weapons and delivering them to Largo.

Background:
Hired by S.P.E.C.T.R.E., he underwent extensive plastic surgery and training in order to steal Derval's identity. The lynchpin in the plot, he demands more money at the last minute.

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

How Killed:
Largo cuts his air supply while he is trapped in the submerged British bomber, leaving his corpse for the sharks.

Comments:
No comment.

Verdict:
N/A /4.0

Name: Bouvar, Jacques (Simmons, Bob)

Plot:
To fake his own death, perhaps giving MI6 the inspiration for 'You Only Live Twice.'

Background:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. # 6 and some sort of colonel. Murdered two of 007's colleagues.

Employer:
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

How Killed:
Suspecting that the grieving "widow" at Bouvar's funeral was Bouvar himself because "she" opened the car door by herself, Bond punches the "widow" at her residence, revealing "her" true identity. After a fight, Bond gets to live out the wish he had expressed at the funeral -- killing Bouvar himself -- by choking him a fireplace poker.

Comments:
No comment.

Verdict:
N/A /4.0

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