Javier Bardem
But, every Bond baddie needs a few henchmen, so we've compiled a list of actors who could provide back-up to Bardem...
Michael Fassbender
The Villain: Flinty German-Irish actor who wowed in Hunger , impressed in Inglourious Basterds and is about to bust blocks as Magneto in X-Men: First Class .
Bond Backstory: Sandhurst-educated soldier/spy who has renounced Queen and country, nabbed a fitsful of MI6 secrets and scarpered to run Quantum's terror wing.
Bond Villain Quirk: A glass eye on which he notches up the number of 00-agents he has killed.
Andy Serkis
The Villain: Chameoleonic Brit who pioneered mo-cap acting in The Lord of the Rings and King Kong before becoming an unlikely leading man - speciality: real-life Ians (Brady and Dury).
Bond Backstory: Physicist in charge of a Large Hadron Collider-style project who has been driven insane and wants to turn the machine into a matter bomb.
Bond Villain Quirk: Translucent skin caused by prolonged exposure to the particles.
Vincent Cassel
The Villain: French firebomb whose gruelling Gallic thuggery has lit up the screen since La Haine . Currently dazzing mainstream audiences as a barking-mad ballet impressario in Black Swan .
Bond Backstory: A schizophrenic European Baron, a cultured and debonair criminal mastermind... when he's not smashing in people's faces in spontaneous temper-tantrums.
Bond Villain Quirk: Reversible black-and-white leather gloves, which he switches to suit his mood.
Casey Affleck
The Villain: Ben's younger bro has eclipsed his more famous sibling as an actor, channelling his apparent weediness into dead-eyed menace in The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and The Killer Inside Me .
Bond Backstory: Texan oil tycoon fomenting racial tension in order to provoke his State to secede from the Union with him as its leader.
Bond Villain Quirk: A pet alligator.
Noomi Rapace
The Villain: The original Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , who has already been fast-tracked to the A-list courtesy of Sherlock Holmes 2 and Ridley Scott's is-it-isn't-it Alien prequel, Prometheus .
Bond Backstory: Ernst Stavro Blofeld's daughter, raised on SPECTRE's values and determined to show the Quantum upstarts how true global villainy works.
Bond Villain Quirk: Like daddy, she's totally bald.
Tahar Rahim
The Villain: Breakout star of A Prophet , soon to appear in Kevin Macdonald's The Eagle .
Bond Backstory : Biochemist poisoned by his own addictive drug, which he now intends to pollute the world with.
Bond Villain Quirk: He carries a drip around with him so he can always be high.
Brendan Gleeson
The Villain: Irish legend whose participation in a movie is guaranteed to raise its excellence, whether big ( Harry Potter 's Mad-Eye Moody) or small ( In Bruges ).
Bond Backstory: Ex-IRA footsoldier turned respectable politician. In reality, Quantum's strategist-in-chief who is still applying guerilla warfare on the world stage.
Bond Villain Quirk: He wears earmuffs - green, of course - because the sound of gunfire gives him flashbacks.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
The Villain: Versatile English actor equally at home with Kinky Boots ' crowd-pleasing comedy as Children of Men 's bleak sci-fi. Faultless American accent means he's a fave for everyone from Spike Lee to Woody Allen.
Bond Backstory: Charismatic fundamentalist preacher who has turned his brethren into kick-ass warriors, in order to topple the American Government.
Bond Villain Quirk: A crucifix with daggers that come out of every side.
Viggo Mortensen
The Villain: Rugged Danish-American who rose from man-glam supporting roles to Cronenberg's philosophical psycho of choice, via the epic role of The Lord of The Rings ' Aragorn.
Bond Backstory: A Russian oligarch and football fanatic who has built a state-of-the-art lair, complete with nuclear missile launchpad, under the pitch.
Bond Villain Quirk: Poison-dart vuvuzela
