Deathmatch 2026

Special Interest Games
41

Form Table after Quarter-Finals for Women:

Form (% shift) Place shift
1 Tracy 86.38 (-1.5) -
2 Vesper 84.42 (-3.2) -
3 Pussy 73.05 (+0.13) +2
4 Anya 71.52 (-3.78) -
5 Tatiana 66.45 (-9.07) -2
6 Domino 62.38 (-3) +1
7 Honey 59.32 (-6.6) -1
8 Wai Lin 55.88 (-) +1
9 Holly 54.7 (-) +1
10 Pam 54.66 (-4.61) -2
11 Tiffany 50.9
12 Camille 48.72
13 Melina 46.65
14 Moneypenny 46.26
15 Natalya 46.18
16 Madeleine (Spectre) 45.74
17 Madeleine (NTTD) 45.74
18 Octopussy 43.75
19 Kara 39.05
20 Solitaire 34.38
21 Kissy 18.73
22 Goodnight 17.18
23 Jinx 13.33
24 Christmas 6.2
25 Stacey 4.65

Does all seem to be heading to a match between Tracy and Vesper (again) but there’s still form position to play for. A very, but pleasingly, tight Quarter-Final between Domino and Anya sees the Russian through (hooray! And no, I don’t want that tea with the lurid fizzing lumps in it, thanks).

Pam Bouvier will finish 10th for the third year in a row. I have no idea what that might mean, but it’s of passing interest, which is more than can be said of much of the rest of the film she finds herself in.

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42

Form table after Semi-Finals - Women:

Form (% shift) Place shift
1 Tracy 84.35 (-2.03) -
2 Vesper 80.3 (-4.12) -
3 Pussy 68.96 (-4.09) -
4 Tatiana 66.45 (-) +1
5 Anya 65.27 (-6.25) -1
6 Domino 62.38
7 Honey 59.32
8 Wai Lin 55.88
9 Holly 54.7
10 Pam 54.66
11 Tiffany 50.9
12 Camille 48.72
13 Melina 46.65
14 Moneypenny 46.26
15 Natalya 46.18
16 Madeleine (Spectre) 45.74
17 Madeleine (NTTD) 45.74
18 Octopussy 43.75
19 Kara 39.05
20 Solitaire 34.38
21 Kissy 18.73
22 Goodnight 17.18
23 Jinx 13.33
24 Christmas 6.2
25 Stacey 4.65

It probably does all come down to that top pair, as they also meet each other in the final round. There’s still some positioning to play for, though. And at. Positioning. Anya Amasova. Pussy Galore. I need a lie down. MY GOD IT IS SO TENSE THAT THE REMAINING PART OF THIS SENTENCE HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AN OBSCENE PUBLICATION.

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43

Leaving this here to illustrate the point…(snapshot 15.09 MESZ)

IMG_3669
IMG_36691179×946 39.8 KB

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44

Question: would Tracy and Vesper rate as high if they would not find their demise at the end of their movies?

Would Stacey be at least in the middle if she had dropped from the Golden Gate bridge?

On the other hand, I’m glad to have a happy ending as long as Pussy survives…

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45

For me yes, but both are also good to great actresses who realy make something of the part and make with me the viewer an emotional connection.
Stacey though would got a cheer and aplause when she would have fallen from the bridge.
And a happy ending with Pussy is always great!*

  • We now come near in dangerous Austin Powers country.
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46

Maybe this should belong in the ‘shocking Bond confession’ thread but while I love Rigg in nearly everything I always found her wrong for the supposedly suicidal Tracy part. She’s still fabulous in the film and definitely helps Lazenby along through the most crucial part of the whole story, selling the love between these two young people. But she wouldn’t have been my choice and I still think Catherine Deneuve was closer to what Fleming had in mind for Tracy.

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47

Fully agreed. Rigg is too amused and too tough .

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48

For me she was (and is) perfect, I can’t image anyone else in the part and when I am reading the book I have her in mind.

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49

Or would Stacey be at least out of the bottom rankings, if she didn’t scream so much (or at all?) in the fiery elevator scene?

If you eliminated that scene, I could see her being a few rungs higher with some people. But the screaming and pleading is too much the way it is.

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50

I had the same thought. They meet their deaths so Bond can have/show emotions. Something off-putting in that to me. I prefer Tiffany who hustles to the very end.

Men are mere mortals who
Are not worth going to your grave for.

Sing it, sister.

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51

Tracy di Vicenzo and Vesper Lynd are also James Bond’s two biggest loves in both the novels and, of course, the films. I like them both, but they’re not at the very top of my favorites (both barely in my top 5 of Ian Fleming’s novels and in the lower half of the top 10 in the films). I sometimes wonder if they rate so highly with Bond fans simply because 007 fell for them so hard that their subconscious feels that they have to put Tracy and Vesper as their favorites as well.

Or maybe they really are just written and performed better. :thinking:

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52

It‘s interesting that Fleming used this narrative „trick“ twice.

One might argue that it is a curse on Bond never to be granted love that lasts (longer).

On the other hand - wouldn’t it have been more interesting to have Vesper become a true threat to Bond he himself has to eliminate? And then later on, he has to pay the price and see Tracy being taken away from him.

Ah, well. Hindsight.

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53

True for me.

But from now on I will concentrate on Anya. And Tiffany. And Holly.

When‘s the next Deathmatch again?

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54

To be honest, when I read Casino Royale - considerable time after I read Goldfinger - it didn’t feel at all as if Bond would ever spare another thought for Vesper. The reference to her in Goldfinger comes entirely out of the blue. And the revelation that Bond supposedly visited her grave every September since feels out of character after calling her emphatically a bitch on that last page of Casino Royale.

Initially Bond has no other intention but to have casual sex with Vesper to check whether his equipment is still functional. He’s even already got a plan to ditch her should Vesper ask for more. The decision to ask her to marry him (after spending a total of 72 waking hours together, maximum) came more or less out of gratitude after that first shared night. Emotionally Bond has the resonance space of a walnut and hadn’t Vesper killed herself their relationship was bound to be over within weeks.

That said, it probably suited Bond to turn this car crash of a love affair into something much more meaningful in his mind than it could ever have been in his real life. And the case for marrying Tracy wasn’t actually much more developed. The security risk of her father apart - now that would have given the cabinet office a headache - the proposal comes just as spontaneous and with hardly more hope of a happy outcome for them both.

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55

Interesting. I admit the tragic nature of Tracy and Vesper adds to the appeal for me, but I also really like the performances. I also really like Tatiana because of the performance, but also because of the concept. Something that is established as an obvious trap actually becoming genuine love. It makes it feel more earned and special, with an element of doubt still lingering. Certain love interests feel elevated above others in certain ways.

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56

That is a great observation. I would argue that this fact, along with the more intricate writing and performances you note, give Tracy and Vesper a greater depth, which, unlike other female characters, matches Bond’s depth–a depth existing a) because of Bond’s feelings towards them, and b) because of the strong identification/past knowledge a viewer brings to the encounter (whether on the page or screen).

But I wonder if such concentration will be rewarded. Anya, Tiffany, and Holly are wonderful character constructs, but how they intersect with Bond (as he is constructed in their respective movies) is far more worthy of concentration than the characters in and of themselves. Sociology has the upper hand here, rather than psychology in the cases of Tracy and Vesper.

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57

… and then there is also psychology in the case of the viewer :wink:

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58

Agreed. As this Deathmatch proceeded, I realized as a gay man, I have little to no investment in the relationships between Bond and Tracy/Vesper, and in fact, find Vesper particularly noisome. There is an entire psychological landscape between him and them that is closed to me.

On the other hand, I do not think of Marie as Irma Bunt, but as all of the leaders–political, cultural, and religious–who at best did nothing as AIDS ravaged my community and family, and at worst helped it along. I was quite willing to strangle them with their own brassieres, and understand completely why Bond acted as he did.

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59

Totting up the totty (sorry), the final outcomes for Women 2026 frolic as follows:

Winner: Tracy
2nd: Vesper
3rd: Pussy
4th: Anya

Women Deathmatch category over the years

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
W CRoyale OHMSS OHMSS OHMSS OHMSS
2 Goldfinger CRoyale CRoyale CRoyale CRoyale
3 OHMSS Thunderball Thunderball Thunderball Goldfinger
4 TSWLM Goldfinger TSWLM Goldfinger TSWLM

Hmm - possibly a bit predictable this one, albeit there some room for rummage lower down. Lovely.

Deathmatch outcomes to date 2026

Villain Music Action & Stunts Bond Woman
Winner Moonraker OHMSS TSWLM From Russia with Love OHMSS
Runner-Up Skyfall Live and Let Die Casino Royale TSWLM Casino Royale
3rd Goldfinger Thunderball OHMSS Goldfinger Goldfinger
4th From Russia with Love Moonraker Thunderball Casino Royale TSWLM

So - liking over the top villains, some big stunts, orchestral breadth and a marginally more grounded Bond and leading lady. Amazon, we’re writing this for you, y’know.

Final Form Table - Women

Form (% shift) Place shift
1 Tracy 81.16 (-3.19) -
2 Vesper 75.41 (-4.89) -
3 Pussy 66.95 (-2.01) -
4 Tatiana 66.45
5 Anya 63 (-2.27) -
6 Domino 62.38
7 Honey 59.32
8 Wai Lin 55.88
9 Holly 54.7
10 Pam 54.66
11 Tiffany 50.9
12 Camille 48.72
13 Melina 46.65
14 Moneypenny 46.26
15 Natalya 46.18
16 Madeleine (Spectre) 45.74
17 Madeleine (NTTD) 45.74
18 Octopussy 43.75
19 Kara 39.05
20 Solitaire 34.38
21 Kissy 18.73
22 Goodnight 17.18
23 Jinx 13.33
24 Christmas 6.2
25 Stacey 4.65

Probably the most improved player here was Moneypenny, rather than Da Dench. The top ten probably doesn’t break new ground, but Wai Lin will be a seed next year, supplanting the mysteriously popular Pam Bouvier.

Seeds and Pots 2027

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Average form Seed/Pot 2027
Dr No 10 9 6 6 7 7.6 Seed 8
FRWL 6 5 3 7 4 5 Seed 5
Goldfinger 8 7 9 4 3 6.2 Seed 6
Thunderball 3 4 5 5 6 4.6 Seed 4
YOLT 15 20 21 20 21 19.4 Pot 3
OHMSS 2 1 1 2 1 1.4 Seed 1
DAF 7 6 4 9 11 7.4 Seed 7
LALD 14 16 11 14 20 15 Pot 1
TMwtGGun 21 24 22 23 22 22.4 Pot 3
TSWLM 4 2 7 3 5 4.2 Seed 3
Moonraker 11 11 8 8 9 9.4 Seed 9
FYEO 16 21 17 17 13 16.8 Pot 2
Octopussy 18 13 15 12 18 15.2 Pot 1
AVTAK 25 25 24 25 25 24.8 Pot 3
TLD 20 17 18 15 19 17.8 Pot 2
LTK 13 8 10 10 10 10.2 Pot 1
GoldenEye 9 12 14 11 15 12.2 Pot 1
TND 5 10 12 16 8 10.2 Seed 10
TWINE 24 23 25 24 24 24 Pot 3
DAD 22 22 23 22 23 22.4 Pot 3
C Royale 1 3 2 1 2 1.8 Seed 2
QoS 12 19 16 13 12 14.4 Pot 1
Skyfall 19 15 20 21 14 17.8 Pot 2
Spectre 17 18 19 19 16 17.8 Pot 2
NTTD 23 14 13 18 17 17 Pot 2

Curious - the supposedly less enlightened earlier films produced favoured roles for women; the more classically (if inaccurately perceived) “Bond girl” Kissy - spends the last 30 minutes being shot at whilst in a bikini, basically mute - not so popular. I wonder what, if anything, we can draw from this?

Most Valuable Player

Placings Wins Top Tens Top Form Points
OHMSS 3 2 4 2 11
Moonraker 2 1 5 1 9
TSWLM 3 1 4 1 9
FRWL 2 1 4 1 8
CRoyale 3 0 5 0 8
Goldfinger 3 0 4 0 7
Thunderball 2 0 4 0 6
Skyfall 1 0 3 0 4
LALD 1 0 2 0 3

A Grand Slam for OHMSS, winning both form and knockout, but there are some categories to come where it’s been challenged before (e.g. victim, where it traditionally does very badly). Still thinking Moonraker is in with a chance this time.

Top Ten of Everything to Date

5 visits to Top Ten 4 visits to Top Ten 3 visits to Top Ten 2 visits to Top Ten 1 visit to Top Ten Yet to bother the scorers
Moonraker FRWL Licence to Kill Dr No YOLT TMwtGGun
Casino Royale Goldfinger Skyfall LALD DAF Octopussy
Thunderball FYEO AVTAK GoldenEye
OHMSS The Living Daylights Quantum of Solace TWINE
TSWLM Tomorrow Never Dies DAD
Spectre
No Time to Die

However, one fears that Moonraker and Casino Royale’s 100% run is about to end; are the Henchman any good?

Bonus Points

Film Bonus Points
1 Licence to Kill 36
2 Tomorrow Never Dies 32
3 Moonraker 23
4 A View to a Kill 20
5 Quantum of Solace 14
6 OHMSS 11
7 The Living Daylights 11
8 TWINE 8
9 For Your Eyes Only 4
10 Octopussy 4
11 Die Another Day 4
12 Skyfall 4
13 Casino Royale 3
14 From Russia with Love 0
15 Spectre 0
16 Thunderball -1
17 Live and Let Die -2
18 TMwtGGun -2
19 The Spy who Loved Me -2
20 No Time to Die -3
21 You Only Live Twice -8
22 GoldenEye -8
23 Dr No -10
24 Diamonds are Forever -18
25 Goldfinger -25

Fairly static as most ended up where they ended up last year; Skyfall aside.

Top Tens in Categories - 2026

Villain Music Action & Stunts Bond Woman
One Moonraker On Her Majesty’s Secret Service The Spy who Loved Me From Russia with Love On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Two On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Thunderball On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Casino Royale Casino Royale
Three Goldfinger You Only Live Twice Casino Royale Thunderball Goldfinger
Four A View to a Kill Goldfinger For Your Eyes Only Goldfinger From Russia with Love
Five Thunderball Moonraker Licence to Kill The Spy who Loved Me The Spy who Loved Me
Six Licence to Kill Diamonds are Forever Skyfall The Living Daylights Thunderball
Seven Skyfall The Living Daylights Live and Let Die Moonraker Dr No
Eight The Spy who Loved Me Casino Royale Tomorrow Never Dies Skyfall Tomorrow Never Dies
Nine Casino Royale Live and Let Die Moonraker For Your Eyes Only Moonraker
Ten From Russia with Love From Russia with Love Quantum of Solace Dr No Licence to Kill

Consider ye your top ten women! Bossy and tragic! Tragic and bossy! A cured lesbian! A possible sextrap! A Russian Bond! A vengeful victim! An iconic bikini! A Chinese Bond! An American Bond! And rounding them off, a woman who has a haircut! Wow.

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60

Groups of Henchingtons now done, the wasteland stretches o’er the pitiable wretchedness of it all. Smashing.

Group A Played W D L F A GD % Points
Jaws 4 4 0 0 68 4 64 94.43 12
Hinx 4 3 0 1 37 34 3 52.48 9
Gobinda 4 2 0 2 30 42 -12 41.68 6
Chang 4 1 0 3 27 45 -18 37.5 3
Ash 4 0 0 4 17 54 -37 23.93 0

Still don’t really get Hinx; is it just having the advantage of slightly weaker opponents, save for the literal Big One? Logan Ash does finish weaker than Primo Cyclops has done in previous years, although not that much worse on form percentage; who gets the unalloyed pleasure of representing No Time to Die, and not very well, may come down to vigorous tossing of coin between the two young men next year. Gobinda gets by as a Lucky Loser, but Moonraker’s record of finishing in the Top Ten for each category this year is now slit open with piano wire, all a-dangle. Big ouch.

Group B Played W D L F A GD % Points
Oddjob 4 4 0 0 69 3 66 95.83 12
Dario 4 3 0 1 41 31 10 56.98 9
Tee Hee 4 2 0 2 36 36 0 50 6
Locque 4 1 0 3 27 45 -18 37.48 3
Zao 4 0 0 4 7 65 -58 13 0

Even when being in The Group with Die Another Day In It, Locque doesn’t get through as a Lucky Loser, which is quite unusual. Oddjob perennially a handful, and I suppose grudgingly it’s interesting to see the Licence to Kill element (one of its better ones, I would admit) improving; the Bonus Points will be considerable. Tee Hee gets through as a Lucky Loser, despite being a seed; possibly a bit underrated?

Group C Played W D L F A GD % Points
Grant 4 4 0 0 63 9 54 87.48 12
Wint & Kidd 4 3 0 1 55 17 38 76.38 9
May Day 4 2 0 2 31 41 -10 43.08 6
Patrice 4 1 0 3 16 56 -40 22.25 3
Medrano 4 0 0 4 15 57 -42 20.83 0

Introducing Grant to any group was likely to cause trouble and traditional group winners Wint & Kidd got the rough end of the draw here; albeit going through relatively comfortably, it does mean a less favourable draw for the Second Round. May Day a Lucky Loser, and again the Seeds have been disrupted here. Which adds to the “fun”, I s’pose. Patrice, albeit obviously (obviously!) getting nowhere near qualifying for the next round, improves on several previous years, which is just as well as I cannot think of any other potential henchial for Skyfall. General Ray P. Medrano or whatever he is called, despite protestations from the electorate of being completely unmemorable, whilst finishing last in the group, has outperformed Elvis so markedly that it’ll be him again next year. Vote Medrano! And if you don’t vote Medrano, he’s going to record it as a vote for him anyway!

Group D Played W D L F A GD % Points
Xenia 4 4 0 0 63 9 54 87.48 12
Irma 4 3 0 1 55 17 38 76.38 9
Helga 4 2 0 2 28 44 -16 38.9 6
Renard 4 0 1 3 17 55 -38 23.63 1
Taro 4 0 1 3 17 55 -38 23.63 1

On the other hand, Miss Taro will not be appearing again. Prof. Dent usually won a match and although she won’t finish dead last, it’s not a particularly edifying spectacle. Albeit with an identical record to Renard, Miss Taro did suffer a walkover at the feet of Irma Bunt; quite sizeable feet, those. Smidge hairy. Helga gets through as a Lucky Loser, but that’s quite a weak performance so may not be long for this world.

Group E Played W D L F A GD % Points
Fiona 4 4 0 0 58 14 44 80.55 12
Necros 4 3 0 1 55 17 38 76.4 9
Nick Nack 4 2 0 2 34 38 -4 47.23 6
Stamper 4 1 0 3 29 43 -14 40.25 3
Kratt 4 0 0 4 4 68 -64 5.58 0

Kratt does nothing. OK, he is beastly to a chair. Can’t think of anything else. Dimitrios, for all his largely nothingness, does have a bit more going on so he’ll come back in next year. Kratt’s achievement does lay waste to Casino Royale’s Top Ten record, most definitively. For the rest of them, possibly all as anticipated and Stamper gets through, but might be hard to see anyone bar Fiona progressing much further. We’ll see.

Form Table after Group Stage - Henchlies

Form Seed Group Outcome
1 Oddjob 95.83 2 Winner B
2 Jaws 94.43 1 Winner A
3 Grant 87.48 Winner C
4 Xenia 87.48 4 Winner D
5 Fiona 80.55 5 Winner E
6 Necros 76.4 6 Runner-Up E
7 Irma 76.38 7 Runner-Up D
8 Wint & Kidd 76.38 3 Runner-Up C
9 Dario 56.98 Runner-Up B
10 Hinx 52.48 10 Runner-Up A
11 Tee Hee 50 9 Lucky Loser 1
12 Nick Nack 47.23 Lucky Loser 2
13 May Day 43.08 8 Lucky Loser 3
14 Gobinda 41.68 Lucky Loser 4
15 Stamper 40.25 Lucky Loser 5
16 Helga 38.9 Lucky Loser 6
17 Chang 37.5
18 Locque 37.48
19 Ash 23.93
20 Renard 23.63
21 Taro 23.63
22 Patrice 22.25
23 Medrano 20.83
24 Zao 13
25 Kratt 5.58

Grant outranks Xenia simply by not having been a Seed; Irma Bunt above Wint & Kidd by having been a lower seed and therefore bettering expectation. It’s only transitory anyway, all likely to change in some challenging-looking Second Round matches. The frequency of relatively recent films’ representatives amongst the already dead does confirm the view that MODERN HENCHING IS RUBBISH. Sort it, Bezos.

Bonus Points

Film Bonus Points
1 Licence to Kill 41
2 Tomorrow Never Dies 33
3 Moonraker 22
4 A View to a Kill 15
5 Quantum of Solace 15
6 OHMSS 13
7 The Living Daylights 12
8 TWINE 11
9 Skyfall 9
10 From Russia with Love 8
11 Octopussy 2
12 Die Another Day 2
13 Casino Royale 1
14 Spectre 1
15 For Your Eyes Only -1
16 Thunderball -2
17 The Spy who Loved Me -2
18 TMwtGGun -3
19 You Only Live Twice -5
20 Live and Let Die -8
21 No Time to Die -8
22 GoldenEye -9
23 Dr No -15
24 Goldfinger -22
25 Diamonds are Forever -23

The Grant Effect raises From Russia with Love quite considerably, and its impact on Wint & Kidd in the group puts Diamonds are Forever last. Given that its overall score for Bonus Points last year was -28, things have not really improved for it. Still, time for it to come good, although it’s had 55 years to do that so best not dwell.

Licence to Kill finished last in the Bonus Points last year on -29, so that’s some significant net improvement this time around, although it might have gone through most of its stronger categories by now. Still, much yet to die for.

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