Rank the Ian Fleming novel Henchmen

Books Ian Fleming
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This week’s ranking deals with Ian Fleming’s henchmen from the novels. Again, no one from the short stories are included.

So how do you rank them? Here’s mine:

  1. Oddjob – GOLDFINGER – Arguably the most fearsome henchmen in the entire series, certainly of Fleming’s oeuvre. The prototype for the indestructible henchman.

  2. Donovan “Red” Grant – FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE – A true psychotic, Fleming sets Grant and his abilities up well. Once the trap is set, how can James Bond survive him? Their climactic fight is a highlight of both the film and the novel.

  3. “Windy” Wint & “Boofy” Kidd – DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER – I love them in the film, but they are even more dangerous here. A distinctive set of killers that are top-notch quality. They are the best parts of the novel.

  4. The Robber – LIVE AND LET DIE – A tough call over Tee-Hee Johnson, but The Robber has an extra scene AND one of those deals with the repercussions of maiming Felix Leiter, so he gets the nod. The Robber is a capable, tough son-of-a-gun, but he meets his match in 007.

  5. Horst Ulhmann / Sol Horowitz aka Horror & “Sluggsy” Morant – THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – Again, I look at TSWLM as two adventures, and the best parts of those adventures are the henchmen. Ulhmann is the die hard deadly assassin trying to kill the defector during the bedtime story while the novel proper has Horror & Sluggsy menacing Vivienne Michel (and later Bond) throughout their part of the story. The latter two are two of Fleming’s most despicable characters.

  6. Hendriks – THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN – Not really a Francisco Scaramanga henchman per se, but he’s the closest thing we get to it in the novel–and he is a bit subservient to Scaramanga in this story, so I go with him. He’s a tough S.O.B. who is less accepting and more suspicious of Bond than the other hoods at their convention.

  7. Basil & The Corsican – CASINO ROYALE – They don’t do a lot other than appear somewhat menacing, but the Corsican has a memorable scene when he holds Bond at gunpoint with his cane gun at the baccarat table during his showdown with Le Chiffre.

  8. Vargas – THUNDERBALL – There’s not a lot to choose from for Emilio Largo’s henchman. The best of a rather thin, nameless bunch is Vargas who is notably present in one scene when he assassinates Giuseppe Petacchi in the downed plane at the conclusion of the atomic warhead hijacking. So that gets him the henchman nod for me.

  9. Willy Krebs – MOONRAKER – A mostly ineffectual henchman, he still manages to at least do some spying and be somewhat of a threat, which still puts him miles ahead of the Quantum Of Solace’s film’s Elvis.

  10. Kono – YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE – Another character that doesn’t do much other than guard Bond, but he’s the leader of Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s mostly nameless castle guards so that gets him the plum spot.

  11. 3 No’s “Blind” Assassins – DOCTOR NO – The men who assassinate John Strangways don’t have much to do otherwise. The only other scene they seem to be in is when Bond gets the jump on them coming down a hallway on Crab Key. It’s not much, but they seem to be No’s main killers.

  12. Fritz – ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE – I know most (all?) will mark Irma Bunt as the henchman here, and I can understand that–more so than the film, which features Grunther as the heavy. But, nevertheless, I see her more as the vice president to Blofeld’s top dog than as his chief of staff, so to speak. And in the novel Bunt does not kill Tracy di Vicenzo, Blofeld does. So the question then becomes who else would work as the henchman in OHMSS? Well, admittedly, I’m probably reaching, but I go with Fritz who is mentioned as being the head waiter/maitre d’ hotel at Piz Gloria and who seems to know everything that is going on in the place, more so than the other (lesser) henchmen. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do anything physically–at least not that is specifically noted, but there are a handful of characters and ski guides that are mentioned later but not given names–at least not directly–such as during the ski chase, so he conceivably could be one of them. So with that in mind, Fritz gets the spot which earns him the bottom of Fleming’s henchmen barrel.

So what are your rankings?

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I’d say this is a pretty good list and I agree with almost all of your the rankings. My only change would be to put Krebs at number 6, bumping down Hendriks and everyone after him. Krebs manages to total Bond’s car and is the sort of creepy-crawly, sneery henchman one loves to hate. I’m sure everyone cheered when Bond gave him a good kick.

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You make a good point about Willy Krebs. Maybe I should move him up a spot or two.

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Might be under-acknowledging Count Lippe here. Probably wouldn’t place him higher, though.

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Lippe seems a ruthless and capable killer. Even while recovering from his burns he’s able to track down Bond without him or SIS picking up on it. Had he been a bit more careful and better briefed - as somebody who just blackmails a government would be well-advised to know where that government’s security and intelligence services are situated - he might have sensibly decided to just gun Bond down on his home doorstep instead of tailing him to his work address.

Then again, had Lippe been a bit more alert he’d have known you don’t work for Spectre in any capacity and expect a ‘Better luck next time’ once you fail…

But Bond doesn’t come away from this looking much more capable than the Count. When he’s talking to HQ on an open line to enquire after Lippe’s tattoo he doesn’t notice Lippe is close and can hear him. When he’s nearly seriously injured by Lippe and sets out to take revenge it doesn’t occur to him that a character in good standing with the Tongs is unlikely to let a vendetta just go. And yet, after getting back at Lippe, Bond doesn’t take precautions to keep his address confidential, Bond doesn’t spot Lippe tailing him, nor does he notice the motorcycle tailing them both.

The real efficient henchman in Thunderball is Spectre No 6, the former DKW test driver. He’s simply given his target, sub-operator G, and turns the guy into a stain on the tarmac, after which he leaves the scene and the tale. This is efficiency.

A note on Krebs: he’s getting that extra creepy scene with Gala in the Ebury Street flat while he’s readying the homing radio device for the Moonraker. And he’s the one catching Gala when she tries to return Drax’ notebook (instead of just leaving it beside his seat). Plus: Krebs gets the series’ first real stunt by jumping from the Merc hood to the lorry, cutting the paper rolls free and jumping back into the Mercedes. This is a scene even the films would only dare years into the series.

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I believe this character’s name is Brandt. He is mentioned in The Disco Volante chapter as “the German killer” and it was the German section who is assigned the task of eliminating Sub-Operator G Count Lippe in the Violet-Scented Breath chapter.

He was my second choice for Thunderball’s henchman, but I opted for Vargas as he is specifically mentioned as a killer and, more importantly, his killing is more directly related to the theft of the atomic bombs and the Thunderball mission. Brandt’s killing of Lippe was secondary to the main mission.

As you said, Brandt was efficient, but I think Vargas was equally efficient as well. He walks on the wing of the downed plane, grips Giuseppe Petacchi’s hand and yanks him forward and quickly plunges the knife “up and under the offered chin” and up into the brain before Petacchi can register what is happening. Vargas then rinses the blood off the knife in the ocean, wipes the blade on Petacchi’s back, and then deposits the body overboard. Efficient indeed.

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Revelator and Dustin, you’ve convinced me. I edited my list and moved Willy Krebs up a couple of spots. :grinning_face:

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