When it comes to movies about espionage, there are always two sides battling each other in a race to victory. The heroic spy is doing what is best for their country or the world at large, even at the risk of life and limb. Then there is the one that the spy must defeat, sometimes in the form of an entire country or organization, and sometimes in the form of a single villainous person. Regardless, the stakes are usually set fairly high, and the spies (with the audience sitting on the edge of their seats) usually have quite an exhaustive adventure before they can face the leaders.
No matter the storyline, however, there is one inescapable truth: without a memorable and truly terrible villain, there would be no point to the movie. The best villains have a variety of aspects that hold them apart from their evil peers. They need to be intelligent, cunning, and most importantly, memorable. They need to haunt the heroes and viewers alike with their criminal acts, shock and impress with the little amount of screen time the bad guys are dealt. It is not so much what they do or say, but how they go about it. Here are the best villains from spy films, ranked.
8 Poppy Adams - Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
There are not a lot of strong women in spy movies, and that includes villains, as their main roles are either romantic or lesser in some way. Poppy Adams from Kingsman: The Golden Circle, however, is the sole leader and owner of the biggest crime organization in the world. She is an intelligent, yet sadistic woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to get herself on the map. Her efforts to legalize drugs, so she could become a legitimate businesswoman failed in the end, but she succeeded in becoming one of the best villains in the spy movie genre.
7 Auric Goldfinger - Goldfinger (1964)
A character that is parodied as much as Auric Goldfinger from the film Goldfinger deserves a high rank in the spy villain class, even though his crime spree was fairly tame, as far as most of the villains on this list go. His main crime is his smuggling of gold, which is what catches the attention of Britain and gets 007 on his case. However, he is also sadistic and cruel, executing entire groups as he deems fit. He isn't above dirty tactics and will do anything to carry out his goals.
6 Richmond Valentine - Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
A philanthropist who develops a god complex, Richmond Valentine believes that the best way to cure global warming is to kill off a majority of the human race. He selects a chosen few, mostly those of scientific and societal value, to join him in a bunker so that they can survive the slaughter of mankind he implanted. Though he claims to abhor violence and blood in Kingsman: The Secret Service, he is not afraid of instructing others to do it for him or to do it via a computer screen.
5
Raoul Silva - Skyfall (2012)
Perhaps one of the best James Bond movies to date, Skyfall had an amazing villain in the agent-turned-villain Raoul Silva. He is perhaps one of the Bond franchise's most layered villains, who ultimately achieves his goals, though he loses his life in the process. His story is tragic and serves as a reminder to the audience and to Bond himself that the consequences of espionage are often lethal, to the mind as well as the flesh. His cold, calculating moves and mental deterioration leave a chilling memory in audiences everywhere.
4 Le Chiffre - Casino Royale (2006)
If someone is looking for some realistic spy movies, Casino Royale is not one for them, as with most of the James Bond franchise. However, as far as villains go, Le Chiffre is perhaps one of the most memorable. From weeping blood to his brutal torture of Bond, the mathematical genius is a force to be reckoned with. His determination to keep his clients from killing him is felt from the very first moment, and he is nearly successful in his endeavors.
3 Ernst Stavro Blofeld - You Only Live Twice (1967)
One of the most notable figures in the Bond story, Blofeld is central to many of the Bond plots. He is central in three of the films, the first being in You Only Live Twice. He is a supervillain who always seems one step ahead of the hero. His crimes are outmatched only by his cunning getaways, and he is quick to dispose of those that disappoint him. He remains one of the only villains in the franchise to keep ahead of Bond throughout multiple movies.
2 Owen Davian - Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Heartless and violent, Davian from Mission Impossible III also possesses a cold calm that is chilling to the audience's core. He is sadistic and unnecessarily cruel, reveling in the pain he causes. His main crimes involve his illegal weapon-trading business, but he is also known for planting tiny bombs in the skulls of hostages and enemies alike. He is responsible for killing several people close to Ethan Hunt, the main protagonist, in his vendetta against the IMF. Exceptionally skilled and intelligent, he is a deadly foe on many levels.
1 Solomon Lane - Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
The best villain to ever come from the myriad of spy films goes to Solomon Lane, the only recurring antagonist in the Mission Impossible series. He is highly intelligent, a skilled master of various forms of fighting and espionage, and has the gifted mind of a tactician. He is usually a quiet, calm individual who is known for his terrorism and twisted acts. He is perhaps one of the most frightening spy villains to appear on screen, and his name will surely be remembered for years to come.