Between the lengthy car chases to mind-blowing stunts, the James Bond franchise manages to sprinkle in plenty of unforgettable action sequences in each new installment. A good number of the action scenes involve the use of weapons but there are those that simply require the characters to fight it out to death.
Since the chief antagonists often prefer to not get their hands dirty and let the henchmen throw all the punches, Bond has gotten to face off against enforcers numerous times. Through these fights, it's become clear who chose the best career and who should have opted for something that didn't involve so much violence.
Tee Hee Johnson - Live And Let Die (1973)
While Baron Samedi is Dr. Kananga's most memorable henchman due to his implied supernatural powers, it is Tee Hee who spices up the action scenes in Live And Let Die. His work is easier because he has a mechanical arm, which replaced the one appendage that was bitten off by a crocodile.
It's always refreshing when the henchman gets the last fight with the hero instead of the primary antagonist and such is the case with Tee Hee. The henchman comes off as very intelligent when confronting Bond as instead of approaching blindly, he cuts off power to Bond's cabin first and also locks up his lover so that she doesn't interfere. Unfortunately, he ranks lower because he is unable to do anything without the arm. Once Bond cuts the wires, Tee Hee becomes powerless, enabling Agent 007 to throw him out.
Red Grant - From Russia With Love (1963)
Undoubtedly one of the best ever SPECTRE , Grant takes orders from Rosa Klebb and Blofeld, who task him with assassinating Bond as revenge for the death of Dr. No. The enforcer tails Agent 007 for a while before their eventual showdown.
Grant demonstrates that weapons are only but a luxury to him when he engages in fisticuff with Bond on the Orient Express. The train is a common battleground for Bond and his adversaries but the fight in From Russia With Love tops others in of their brutality. Grant is such a worthy opponent that Bond can hardly breathe after he finally garrotes the assassin.
Oddjob - Goldfinger (1964)
Best known for his razor-rimmed throwing hat, Oddjob is a loyal servant to the bullion dealer, Auric Goldfinger. And when Bond threatens to sabotage the activities at Fort Nox, Oddjob takes it very personally.
Oddjob's fighting prowess is best illustrated when he and Bond go at each other during the movie's finale. Initially thought of as a disadvantage, the henchman's stature proves beneficial in dodging Bond's attacks. In fact, Bond struggles so much that he resorts to throwing gold bricks at the man.
Stamper - Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Stamper serves as the head of security to evil media mogul Elliot Carver. When Agent 007 kills both his mentor, Dr, Kaufman, and his boss, Carver, an angry Stamper makes it his mission to make the spy pay.
Stamper is so good that Bond actually doesn't get to defeat him in a one-on-one fight. He demonstrates his strength and ruthlessness by brutalizing Bond during the final minutes. When facing tougher opponents, Bond has always been forced to improvise and he only manages to win by tying the henchman's leg on a missile and fleeing. It's undoubtedly one of the fights James Bond should have lost.
Xenia Onatopp - GoldenEye (1995)
Employed by the Janus crime syndicate, the assassin Xenia Onatopp (one of Bond's best female characters) is said to receive sexual satisfaction through killing. She soon crosses paths with Bond, leading to a love-hate relationship between the two that verges on the murderous.
Xenia's past as a martial artist and military pilot means she can easily defend herself. However, it's her thigh-strangling ability not only makes her a great fighter but also one of the main iconic characters in the Bond franchise. Renowned for crushing the rib cages and heads of opponents with her thighs, she effortlessly subjects many men to such a fate. Even the slippery Bond almost succumbs to Xenia's thighs and is only saved by Natalya.
Primo - No Time To Die (2021)
Primo is one of the few Bond henchmen that get to switch sides in a single film. In No Time to Die, he starts out as a soldier for the incarcerated SPECTRE leader Blofeld before changing allegiances to Safin, who has a better and more lucrative method to take over the world.
Primo's brutal duel with Bond inside Safin's island base during the movie's finale is one that fans will for a long time. There's hardly a doubt that in a fair fight, the henchman would have emerged victorious. However, Bond is never ashamed of using shortcuts and so he races to victory by blowing up Primo's assured victory. It's an acceptable win because by doing so, Agent 007 creates one of the movie's most memorable scenes.
May Day - A View To Kill (1985)
Bond and the villain Max Zorin are pretty dull in A View To Kill, one of the worst of the Roger Moore 007 movies, but the genetically enhanced May Day saves the day thanks to her superior fighting skills. She also gets to fall for Bond's romantic charms, but only because she allows it.
As one of the breeding experiments of the Nazi eugenicist, Dr. Hans Glaub, May Day has superhuman strength, which makes it impossible for even the most skilled of opponents to overpower her. She is shown to be extremely good at hand-to-hand combat too. The fact that Zorin chooses her to head his team of female bodyguards is also a confirmation of her abilities as a fighter.
Patrice - Skyfall (2021)
Patrice is assigned by Raoul Silva to steal a list containing the identities of all MI6 undercover field agents. Bond and his colleagues try to stop him but the task turns out to be a difficult one.
Patrice's pre-title duel with Bond on top of a train is enough to place in the hall of the franchise's great fighters. He gives Craig's character such a hard time that the MI6 is forced to intervene by attempting a not-so-clear shot. Sadly, Moneypenny shoots Bond instead of Patrice. The henchman later confirms that his first-time victory was no luck when he faces off against Bond again in Shanghai. This time, he only loses by falling off the building
Jaws - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Known for his razor-sharp, shark-like stainless steel teeth, Jaws serves as the industrialist Karl Stromberg's henchman. He is extremely huge in stature too, a factor that gives him an advantage over smaller opponents.
Proof of Jaws's brilliance lies in the fact that he overpowers Bond in almost each of their encounters. And his brutality isn't just limited to humans. Even more impressive is that he overpowers a shark and bites it to death. When he attacks Bond and the highly skilled Soviet spy Anya Amasova inside a train, both are unable to beat him. It only takes the MI6 agent not playing fair by electrocuting Jaws teeth in order for him to win. Jaws's endurance leaves plenty to be ired too. During his run in the franchise, he survives a fall from a train, a fall from a cliff, and electrocution.
Mr. Hinx - Spectre (2015)
Christopher Waltz's Blofeld isn't a very convincing villain but his henchman, Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista) sure is. Apart from driving one of the most expensive cars in the James Bond franchise—the Jaguar C-X75—Mr. Hinx never utters a single word.
Hinx's fighting strategy combines technique with brute force and when he pulls a surprise attack on Bond inside a enger train, the MI6 agent struggles to defend himself. If not for Dr. Madeleine Swann's assistance, Bond's death would definitely have occurred right on that train rather than on the island in No Time To Die. Hinx also proves just how formidable he is by gouging out a fellow SPECTRE member's eyes and taking his seat. Impressively, no one confronts him about it because they are presumably aware of what he'll do to them.
