I definitely have Bond, James Bond on the mind lately. Having just finished reading the new 007 novel, Devil May Care, and getting adequately teased with the new Bond movie trailer for Quantum of Solace, I started thinking about some of my favorite Bond villains from the films. The list below is made up of two types. 1) The Big Boss Man, whose evil plans are the reasons why Bond is on the hunt to begin with; 2) The #1 Henchman. This is typically a really strong guy, or someone with superior skills that gets in Bond's way of dealing with the Big Boss Man, even if only for a moment.

9. The Crocodiles (Live and Let Die)

What? Crocodiles? Hell yeah! I have always had a fascination with alligators, crocodiles, and sharks, though extremely terrified of them. In Live and Let Die, Roger Moore as 007, journey's to the Big Easy to stop Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto) from monopolizing the heroin market. Naturally Bond finds himself with a rather sharp obstacle, a crocodile pit, and he must run across their bodies to freedom. Film Fact: The stunt double actually did this stunt five times and if you watch closely you can see where the last croc nearly bit his leg.

8. Ernst Stavro Blofelt (Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever)

Think Mike Myers came up with Dr. Evil on a whim? Think again. Austin Powers' nemesis is a parody of one of 007's greatest foils, Blofelt (played by 5 different actors over 4 major films). Many will claim that Blofelt is the premier Bond arch enemy, but I always found him incomplete as a villain.

7. Max Zorin (A View to a Kill)

I confess, not the strongest villain in the Bond franchise, but the fact that it's Christopher Walken puts Zorin on the list. Zorin's plan is almost as implausible as Lex Luthor's plan to drop California into the water by way of missile induced earthquake in Superman. Here Zorin wants to cause earthquakes that cripple Silicon Valley so he can rule the microchip market. Bonus points for Zorin because he employs kick-ass Grace Jones. Film Facts: Christopher Walken who plays Max Zorin here has also been cast as a "Max" in Kiss Toledo Goodbye and Batman Returns. He's also the only Oscar winner to play a main Bond villain.

6. Nick Nack (The Man with the Golden Gun)

I love this movie and the enemies Bond (Moore)must face. It isn't enough that James must find and kill the elusive Scramanga, but he also must put up with Nick Nack (Herve Villechaize from TV's Paradise Island). What was cool about Nick Nack is that he not only served Scaramanga, but he also hired assassins to kill him. It could be presumed that these attempts on Scaramanga were actually training tools to keep Scaramanga sharp, but it is also known that Nick Nack was the sole heir to Scaramanga's fortunes. Film Hypothesis: Just as Blofelt inspired Dr. Evil, it can be assumed that Nick Nack was the inspiration for Mini-Me.

5. Alec Trevelyan, aka 006 (GoldenEye)

This was Pierce Brosnan's first turn as James Bond, and with it brought post- Cold War deception and duplicity. Bond doesn't know who he can trust...former friends are enemies and enemies now allies. 006 and 007 are teamed up on a mission to blow up a Russian power plant when 006 (Sean Bean) is captured and executed. We of course learn later that 006 is a traitor and head of an organization bent on revenge using a killer satellite, code name: GoldenEye. The plot is rather muddled but the action is undeniably tight and fun. Throw in Famke Janssen's Xenia Onatopp, with her man-killing legs, and you have some pretty good bad guys. Film Fact: GoldenEye was Ian Fleming's estate in Jamaica as well as code name for an operation he ran while in the war.

4. Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger)

The man with the Midas touch. This fat little-meatball of a man would have those who crossed him killed by suffocating their skin with a golden paint job. He employed the impressive Odd Job and perfectly named Pussy Galore, and was a cheat at golf. But what really made Goldfinger bad was his plan to infiltrate the gold depository at Ft. Knox and setting off a nuclear bomb inside that would irradiate the U.S. gold supply, thusly making his own gold incredibly more valuable. Upside: Gert Frobe, as Goldfinger has the best retort of any villain in the Bond franchise. With Bond (Sean Connery) strapped to a laser aimed at his frank and beans, he asks Goldfinger, "Do you expect me to talk," to which Goldfinger replies, "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die." Downside: I lived at Ft. Know for five months while in the army and a nuclear bomb could only improve the surrounding area. Film Fact: Shirley Bassey who belted out the film's theme song is the only artist to sing for more than one Bond movie. She also sang Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker.

3. Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale)

You gotta admit, the dame played Bond (Daniel Craig) like a violin. The gorgeous Eva Green plays MI6's piggy bank when she tag's along with 007 on his quest to bring down terrorist Le Chiffre. Bond falls madly in love with Lynd, only to be betrayed later. Say what you want about her intentions, but her actions are the supposed reason why Bond becomes a womanizer, until On Her Majesty's Secret Service when he gets married. What? And the Blofelt kills his wife while they are on their Honeymoon. Yeah, Bond is free to womanize again.

2. Francisco Scaramanga (The Man with the Golden Gun)

I've already said this is one of my favorite Bond movies. You've got 007 (Moore) and his fake nipple, Nick Nack, and Scaramanga the man who literally had a Golden Gun, and of course hard to find golden bullets. Christopher Lee's portrayal of Scaramanga scared me when I was little. He had that booming voice and seemed to always be a step ahead of Bond. He also owned an equally scary fun house on a secluded island in the South Pacific. And don't forget his flying car. That was pretty cool if not impossible. Film Fact: Lee is Ian Fleming's cousin and was considered for the role of Bond at the beginning of the franchise and to play Dr. No, but producers wanted Connery (thank God).

And My Favorite Bond Villian/Henchman is:

Odd Job (Goldfinger)

I think if you asked 100 people to name a Bond baddie you'd get 60 that say Odd Job. Harold Sakata was an Olympic Silver Medal winning weightlifter before the producers found him for the quintessential Bond villain. His strength and trade mark Bowler Cap that could decapitate statue head's and we assume human heads, like butter, painted the mute thug as deadly with both fist and weapon. 007 (Connery) and Odd Job have a terrific fight, which displays Odd Job's brute strength, inside Ft. Knox just before the bomb goes off. Odd Job also displays incredible strength earlier in the film when he crushes a golf ball with his bare hands. Film Fact: Once again Mike Myers lifts a Bond character for use in his own spy flick. Random Task is a henchman at the end of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.