If we define a “James-Bond-Style Villain” as someone who;
[ul]
[li]Has access to a means of intimidating and/or extorting governments, world bodies (the U.N., for example), banks and/or finanical institutions, etc. OR who purports to have access to such a means and does so as a means of intimidating and/or extorting.[/li][li]As examples, such means could include military weapons, potentially devastating technology, and chemical/biological agents.[/li][li]Acts on his own. IOW, is not a member of a government or extra-governmental body (or IS such a member but is doing his business without mandate from the body of which he’s a member); nor is he acting by commanding, or because he is commanded by, a government’s military.[/li][li]Attempts to extort money or gain power through his means.[/li][/ul]
If this is how we define our terms, then has there ever been such a person in recent, say post WWII, history?
I think we should also specify that the villain has to attempt to extort on a somewhat large scale. Someone simply taking a hostage, or hijacking a plane, in exchange for ransom or whatever, doesn’t cut it.
Hussein is obviously a member of a government. Bin Laden does not act on his own, he is one part of a large global movement. I assume Bill Gates was tongue-in-cheek.
The resources needed for those kinds of activities are only available to governments (well, if Bill Gates went nuts he could probably pull it off, or a couple of oil-rich Middle-East princes).
If there had been someone like that since WWII you would have heard of him.
I wouldn’t think this is a disqualifier from being a Bond villian. See SPECTRE.
I would agree that Obl is a good choice. Also, maybe A.Q. Khan, who led a global network of nuclear proliferation. And there you go - on preview, spoke- beat me to it.
Do zany accoutrements count toward Bond villain status? Because I’ve always felt that living in a giant tent and having an elite corps of sexy female bodyguards qualified Gaddafi as the most Bond villainesque of contemporary dictators.
My topic was a bit more narrowly focused: O.B.L. isn’t a scientist by any stretch
(he is probably mad tho) but otherwise he fits the Bond villiain trope.
I was going to say that Hussen still qualified because I don’t believe he was acting on a mandate from the people when he used artillery on them, but upon re-reading the OP, I saw the bit about not being a military leader, so he doesn’t really qualify as a villain, I guess.
What about large corporate entities that threaten/intimidate/replace governments?
United Fruit, IT & T, Hearst and some other corporations have wielded such power that they were able to topple third-world governments, especially Latin American ones, and/or heavily influence the actions of the U.S.
This may not fit in well with the OP since the examples are often pre-WWII, and these corporations often used the military power and technology of governments to achieve their aims, rather than going it on their own. Seems like it’s easier to say “Hey, it’d be a good idea for the government to fight him” rather than to build up your own private army and secret weapons to fight him.