SPECTRE

This article is about the fictional criminal organisation. For the 2015 James Bond film named after it, seeSpectre (2015 film).For other uses, seeSpectre (disambiguation).

SPECTRE( "Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion" )is afictionalorganisation featured in theJames Bondnovels byIan Fleming,as well as films and video games based in the same universe. Led bycriminal mastermindErnst Stavro Blofeld,SPECTRE first formally appeared in the novelThunderball(1961) and in the filmDr. No(1962). The international organisation is not aligned with any nation orpolitical ideology,enabling the later Bond books and Bond films to be regarded as somewhat apolitical. The presence of formerGestapomembers in the organization can be considered as a sign of Fleming's warnings aboutNazi fugitivesafter theSecond World War,as first detailed in the novelMoonraker(1954). In the novels, SPECTRE begins as a small group of criminals, but in the films it is depicted as a vast international organisation with its own SPECTRE Island training base capable of replacing the SovietSMERSH.

SPECTRE
SPECTRE's logo as featured on its members' rings inThunderball.Different rings are featured inFrom Russia with LoveandSPECTRE.
Universe	James Bondseries
In-universe information
Type	Evil corporation Organised crime syndicate Terrorist organisation Private intelligence agency
Location	Paris, 136Boulevard Haussmann SPECTRE island SPECTRE yacht SPECTREBird Onelaunch base Tangier Numerous
Key people	Ernst Stavro Blofeld(#1/director) Emilio Largo(#2) Rosa Klebb(#3) Tov Kronsteen(#5) Helga Brandt (#11) Irma Bunt Dr. Julius No Tamil Rahani Jay Autem Holy Nena Bisquamer (née Blofeld) Mr. White Le Chiffre Dominic Greene Raoul Silva Mr. Hinx
Purpose	Counterintelligence,terrorism,revenge,extortion,world domination
Subsidiaries	Quantum

Philosophy and goals

Blofeld's SPECTRE volcano base complete with spacecraft-swallowingBird Onespacecraft, helipad and attack helicopter, and command centre in the 1967 filmYou Only Live Twice.The world map in the background is common to emphasise the aim of world domination.

In the novels, SPECTRE is an organised crime enterprise led by Blofeld. The organisation's executive consists of 21 individuals, 18 of whom handle day-to-day affairs. Members are drawn in groups of three from six of the world's most notorious organisations — theNazi GermanGestapo,theSovietSMERSH,YugoslavMarshalJosip Broz Tito'sOZNA,theItalian Mafia,theFrench-CorsicanUnione Corse,and KRYSTAL, a massiveTurkishheroin-smuggling operation. Coincidentally, the three from KRYSTAL are all former members of RAHIR, an intelligence agency previously run by Blofeld.The remaining three members are Blofeld himself and two scientific/technical experts who make their debut in the ninth Bond novel,Thunderball(1961). When Fleming was writing the novel in 1959, he believed that theCold Warmight end during the two years it would take to produce the film, and he came to the conclusion that the inclusion of a contemporary political villain would leave the film looking dated. Therefore, he thought it better to create a politically neutral enemy for Bond.Fleming's SPECTRE has elements inspired by mafia syndicates andorganised crimerings that were actively hunted by law enforcement in the 1950s. The strict codes of loyalty and silence, and the hard retributions that followed violations, were hallmarks ofAmericangangster rings, the Italian Mafia, theRussian mafia,theUnione Corse,theChineseTongsandTriads,and theJapaneseYakuzaandBlack Dragon Society.During the events ofThunderball,SPECTRE successfully hijacked twonuclear warheadsfor ransom.

The organisation is next mentioned in the tenth novel,The Spy Who Loved Me(1962), when Bond describes investigating their activities in Toronto before the story begins, though they play no part in the story itself. The organisation's third appearance is in the eleventh novel,On Her Majesty's Secret Service(1963) where Blofeld, hired by an unnamed country or party—though the Soviet Union is implied—is executing a plan toruin British agriculturewithbiological warfare.Blofeld, with a weakened SPECTRE, would appear for the final time in the twelfth novel,You Only Live Twice(1964). By this point, the organisation has largely been shut down, and what remains is focused on maintaining Blofeld's alias as Dr. Guntram von Shatterhand and his compound in Japan.

In the films, the organisation often acts as a third party in the ongoingCold War.Their objectives have ranged from supportingDr. Julius Noin sabotaging American rocket launches, holding the world to ransom, and demanding clemency from governments for their previous crimes. The goal of world domination was only ever stated inYou Only Live Twicewhen SPECTRE was working on behalf of an unnamed Asian government. This is strongly implied to beRed China,who earlier backedAuric Goldfingerinthe film of the same name.

Its long-term strategy, however, is illustrated by the analogy of the threeSiamese fighting fishBlofeld keeps in an aquarium aboard SPECTRE's yacht in the film version ofFrom Russia with Love.Blofeld notes that one fish is refraining from fighting two others until their fight is concluded. Then, that cunning fish attacks the weakened victor and kills it easily. Thus SPECTRE's main strategy is to instigate conflict between two powerful enemies, namely thesuperpowers,hoping that they will exhaust themselves and be vulnerable when it seizes power. SPECTRE thus works with, and against, both sides of the Cold War. For example, in the filmThunderball,it simultaneouslyblackmailsa Japanesedouble agent,distributes Red Chinese narcotics in the United States, kills adefectorto the USSR on behalf of theFrench Foreign Ministry,and threatensNATOwith stolen nuclear weapons, while continuing ordinary criminal operations such as advising on the BritishGreat Train Robbery.

In both the film and the novelThunderball,the physical headquarters of the organisation are in Paris, operating behind afront organisationaiding refugees named "Firco" (Fraternité Internationale de la Résistance Contre l'Oppression) in the novels and "International Brotherhood for the Assistance ofStatelessPersons "in the films. Organisational discipline is notoriouslydraconian,with the penalty for disobedience or failure being death. To heighten the impact of executions, Blofeld had been known to focus attention on an innocent member, making it appear his death is imminent, only to suddenly strike down the actual target when that person is off guard.

Leadership

SPECTRE is headed by the criminal mastermindErnst Stavro Blofeldwho usually appears accompanied by a Chinchilla SilverPersian catin the films, but not in the books. In both the films and the novels,Emilio Largois the second in command. It is stated in the novel that if something were to happen to Blofeld, Largo would assume command. Largo appears in the 1961 novelThunderball,the 1965 film versionand its 1983 remake,Never Say Never Again,where he is renamed Maximilian Largo and is said to be Romanian rather than Italian.

The SPECTRE cabinet had a total of twenty-one members. Blofeld was the chairman and leader because he founded the organisation and Largo was elected by the cabinet to be second in command. A physicist named Kotze (who later defected) and an electronics expert named Maslov were also included in the group for their expertise on scientific and technical matters.

Members are typically referred to by number rather than by name. In the novels, the numbers were initially assigned at random and then rotated up by two digits on a once-a-month basis to prevent detection; for example, if a SPECTRE operative is titled 'Number 1' in the present month, the security system will designate them 'Number 3' in the next month, 'Number 5' in the following month and so forth. However, in the EON films the number indicates rank within the organisation: Blofeld is always referred to as 'Number 1' and Emilio Largo, inThunderball,is 'Number 2'. This particular example of numbering is perhaps deliberately borrowed fromrevolutionary organisations,where members exist in cells, and are numerically defined to prevent identification and cross-betrayal of aims. By deliberately drawing attention away from the true leader of the organisation, he is protected by masquerading as a target of lower importance, and the structure of the organisation is also obscured fromintelligence services.

Members who fail missions are immediately executed, usually in gory and spectacular ways. In the novel, Blofeld electrocutes one member in his chair for sexually molesting a girl who had been kidnapped by the organisation; he had previously strangled a second to death with agarroteand shot a third through the heart with a compressed-air pistol. In the film, Number 9 is electrocuted for embezzlement at theThunderballmeeting where he and Number 11 report on the proceeds from a narcotics-related operation. The merciless killing of assistant Helga Brandt inYou Only Live Twice,for failing to kill James Bond, similarly horrifies visiting Red Chinese agents; she is dropped into a pool ofpiranha,which quickly eat her alive.

Previously, inFrom Russia with Love,Kronsteen was killed with a poisoned shoe knife in front of Rosa Klebb to motivate Klebb to complete her mission with no further delays. Blofeld prefers to accuse another operative as a decoy, keeping his victim calm inside the trap before executing them.

Appearances

Novels

In the original Bond novel series, SPECTRE's first and last appearance as a worldwide power is in the novelThunderball.In it, SPECTRE attempts to conductnuclear blackmailagainstNATO.Apparently disbanded afterwards, SPECTRE is said to be active again in the next book,The Spy Who Loved Me,although the organisation is not involved in the plot. InOn Her Majesty's Secret Service,the second chapter of what is known as the "Blofeld Trilogy", Blofeld has revived SPECTRE where he attempts to carry out biological warfare against the United Kingdom. Blofeld's final appearance is inYou Only Live Twice,where SPECTRE has largely disbanded.

Later, theJohn GardnerBond novel,For Special Servicesintroduces a revived SPECTRE led by Blofeld's daughter, Nena Bismaquer. Although Bond ultimately prevents SPECTRE from reforming, the organisation continues under the leadership of Tamil Rahani to play a part inRole of HonourandNobody Lives for Ever.The next Bond novelist,Raymond Benson,reintroduces Irma Bunt, Blofeld's assistant, in his short story "Blast From the Past",which is a sequel toYou Only Live Twice.

Films

Dr. Nowith his aquarium in the background.

In theEON Productions'sJames Bond series, which began in 1962 withDr. No,SPECTRE plays a more prominent role. The organisation is mentioned as being affiliated withDr. No,although the main organisation in the movie is No's personal army. In the novel, Dr. No worked for the USSR. In the films, SPECTRE usually replaced SMERSH as the main villain, although there is a brief reference to SMERSH in the second EON Bond film,From Russia with Love(1963). The film adaptation ofFrom Russia with Lovealso features the first on-screen appearance of Blofeld, although he is only identified by name in the closing credits of the film and his face is not seen at all. SPECTRE also serves as the primary antagonist of the film, orchestrating a plan to humiliate and kill James Bond as revenge for the death of Dr. No.

After being absent from the third film,Goldfinger(1964), SPECTRE returns in the fourth film,Thunderball(1965), which closely mirrors the events of the novel, and subsequently is featured in the following films. During the events of the fifth film,You Only Live Twice(1967), they attempt to incite a war between the United States and Soviet Union. In film number six,On Her Majesty's Secret Service(1969), Blofeld develops abiological warfareprogram and plans to demand clemency and recognition of a claimed title of nobility. SPECTRE's final appearance is in the seventh film,Diamonds Are Forever(1971), where they attempt to forcibly disarm the Cold War powers. SPECTRE was dismantled for good afterDiamonds Are Forever.FollowingDiamonds Are Forever,SPECTRE and Blofeld were retired from the EON Films series, except for a cameo by a character implied to be Blofeld inFor Your Eyes Only(1981) in which said character is killed. Partly owing to a copyright dispute between rival Bond producersAlbert R. BroccoliandKevin McClory,the character is never referred to by name and is credited as "Wheelchair Villain", though the closed captions for the film later refer to him as Blofeld.

Rebooted Continuity

The organisation returns in the rebootedDaniel Craigseries of Bond films, which are set in an entirely separate universe to the earlier movies. In the 2015 filmSpectre,the eponymous committee is simply referred to by that title.In the film, Bond is posthumously sent byJudi Dench's M to assassinate Marco Sciarra, which in turn leads him on the trail of the organisation. It is revealed throughout the course of the film that SPECTRE, and in turn Ernst Stavro Blofeld, have been the power behind the previous Craig villains; the Quantum organisation fromCasino Royaleand 2008'sQuantum of Solaceis revealed to be a subsidiary of SPECTRE, whileRaoul SilvafromSkyfallis shown to be affiliated with the organisation as well. In addition to Silva,Le Chiffre,Mr. White, and Dominic Greene are all revealed to have a direct connection to SPECTRE. It is also revealed that Blofeld is really Franz Oberhauser, whose father Hannes adopted Bond after the latter was orphaned at age 11, and who murdered his father and faked his own death.

Using SPECTRE, Blofeld attempts to gain control of a global surveillance program called Nine Eyes. Bond, M, and Q manage to stop them and Blofeld is captured by MI6 and sent to prison for his crimes.

This iteration of SPECTRE returns in the 2021 filmNo Time to Die,where they remain at large despite Blofeld's imprisonment and attempt to assassinate Bond inMatera.Five years later, the organisation kidnaps MI6 scientist Valdo Obruchev and takes "Project Heracles", aDNA-targetedbioweapon.

Every high- and mid-level ranking SPECTRE member meets in Cuba, and it is revealed that Blofeld is still in control of the organisation, despite being imprisoned in Britain. Bond sneaks in to the meeting and is ordered by Blofeld to be killed by the nanobots, but Obruchev secretly had the DNA changed from Bond to every SPECTRE member and anyone related to them, killing every SPECTRE member at the meeting. The main antagonist of the film, Lyutsifer Safin, seeks revenge against the organisation after Blofeld ordered Mr. White to murder his entire family. As the bioweapon kills SPECTRE members and their relatives around the world, the organisation is destroyed.

With Blofeld as the last surviving member of the organisation, Safin blackmailsMadeleine Swanninto infecting Blofeld with Heracles. Swann backs out after she unintentionally infects Bond, but the mission is a success when Bond attacks Blofeld, who is infected and dies.

The remaining survivors of SPECTRE, (ie, Primo) defect to Safin, and are killed at the ending of the film, destroying SPECTRE once and for all.

Non-EON film appearances

In 1983Warner Bros.releasedNever Say Never Againstarring Sean Connery, based on the same original source material asThunderball.The film retells the basic story ofThunderball,albeit with some new characters and in an updated setting. It reintroduces both SPECTRE and Blofeld, although he is not the main villain and neither is the organization disbanded afterwards like in the novel.

Video games

SPECTRE is shown but never mentioned by name in the gameGoldenEye: Rogue Agent.Instead it is referred to as a "powerful criminal organisation." It is depicted as being much more powerful than it was in any of the films or books, possessing a massive undersea black market known as "The Octopus", a large lair built into an extinct volcano, resemblingKarl Stromberg's Atlantis lair fromThe Spy Who Loved Me.Also included are the personal structures of its members, such as Auric Goldfinger's Auric Enterprises facility and casino and Dr. No's Crab Key. SPECTRE also possesses extremely advanced technology, such asvirtual realityand energy generators in its volcanic lair.

Although theFrom Russia with Lovegame mirrors much of the plot of theeponymous film,it uses an organisation calledOCTOPUSrather than SPECTRE to avoidcopyright issues.

Comics

A version of SPECTRE similar to the novels was featured in thecomic stripspublished in theDaily Expressnewspaper between 1958 and 1983. The organisation however didn't appear in thecomic booksuntilEidolon,a miniseries published byDynamite Entertainmentin 2016, written byWarren Ellisand illustrated by Jason Masters. In this comic, SPECTRE has a World War II organisation that is mostly defunct. Loyalists endured as plants and sleeper agents in the aftermath of a Warsaw Pact surge, waiting for the right moment for SPECTRE to have a reformation and resurgence.

Copyright issues

Main article:Rights controversy of Thunderball

SPECTRE and its characters were at the centre of long-standing litigation betweenKevin McCloryand Ian Fleming over the film rights toThunderballand the ownership of the organisation and its characters. In 1963, Fleming settled out of court with McClory, giving him the film rights toThunderball;the literary rights stayed with Fleming and thus allowed continuation authorJohn Gardnerto use SPECTRE in a number of his novels.

In 1963,EON ProductionsproducersAlbert R. BroccoliandHarry Saltzmanmade an agreement with McClory to adapt the novel into the fourth James Bond film, also stipulating that McClory would not be allowed to make further adaptations ofThunderballfor at least ten years after the release. Although SPECTRE and Blofeld were used in a number of films before and afterThunderball,the issue over the copyright ofThunderballprevented SPECTRE and Blofeld from becoming the main villains in 1977'sThe Spy Who Loved Me.In 1983, McClory released a film based on his Bond rights entitledNever Say Never Again.

In 1998, MGM/UA took legal action against Sony and McClory in the United States to preventWarhead 2000 ADfrom going into production.MGM/UA abandoned the claim after settling with Sony. McClory's Bond rights, including his rights in SPECTRE, were unaffected.

On 15 November 2013, MGM and the McClory estate announced that they had formally settled the issue withDanjaq, LLCand MGM had acquired the full copyright to the characters and concepts of Blofeld and SPECTRE.Having lost its mantle of acronym, now simply called Spectre, the organisation and Blofeld were the main antagonists in the first Bond film released after the settlement,Spectre.

SPECTRE henchmen

Henchmen working for SPECTRE, one of its members, or directly for Ernst Stavro Blofeld:

Novels

• Emilio Largo– Second in command of SPECTRE and designated by Blofeld to oversee all field operations for Thunderball; killed by Domino Vitali.
• "Giuseppe Petacchi" – An Italian air force pilot, and Domino Vitali's brother; kills the crew aboard the NATO test flight carrying the bombs and flies it to rendezvous with SPECTRE, only to be killed upon delivery.
• Vargas – The assassin who kills Petacchi.
• Fonda – "Number 4", an Italian Artiq who recruited Petacchi for the plot.
• Pierre Borraud – "Number 12", of theUnione Corse;had sex with a girl that he kidnapped for ransom. As a punishment, Blofeld electrocuted Borraud and returned half of the ransom money to the girl's father as compensation. While Blofeld considered the possibility that the sexual relationship was consensual, it was more important that SPECTRE was reputed to keep its word.
• Marius Domingue – "Number 7", another Unione Corse man; highly trustworthy, but singled out by Blofeld for a lecture to throw Borraud off guard.
• Maslov – "Number 18", formerly known as Kandinsky; a Polish electronics expert who resigned from Philips AG.
• Kotze – "Number 5", formerly known as Emil Traut; an East German physicist who defected to the West.
• Strelik – "Number 10", a former SMERSH member; shot dead by Largo for questioning the loyalty of the other SPECTRE members.
• "Number 11" – Another ex-SMERSH operative.
• Count Lippe– "Sub-operator G"; expected to send the Thunderball ransom letter, but his fight with Bond and subsequent injuries led to a delay in the plan.
• "Number 6" – Kills Lippe at the behest of Blofeld for being unreliable.
• "Number 14" – A former Gestapo officer.
• "Number 17" – Finds Domino scanning theDisco Volantewith aGeiger counterin search of the stolen atomic bombs; reports her to Largo, who takes her prisoner and tortures her.
• Irma Bunt – Henchwoman in the novel and filmOn Her Majesty's Secret Service.
• Black Dragon Society

This is only a brief description of the numbers of each member. In the first book to include SPECTRE,Thunderball,it is stated that the numbers of each member changes periodically (it "advances round a rota by two digits at midnight on the first of every month" ) to avoid detection and Blofeld is in fact "Number 2".

Operatives (Original Continuity)

By order of appearance and fate

• Mr. Jones (Dr. No) – takes his own life with cyanide capsule in cigarette.
• Professor R. J. Dent (Dr. No) – shot byJames Bond.
• Miss Taro (Dr. No) – arrested by Jamaican police.
• Dr. Julius No(Dr. No) – boiled alive in his own nuclear reactor.
• Donald "Red" Grant(From Russia with Love) – stabbed andgarrottedby Bond.
• Morzeny(From Russia with Love) – burned in boating accident.
• Tov Kronsteen(No. 5,From Russia with Love) – killed on Blofeld's orders by Morzeny with poisoned blade in shoe.
• ColonelRosa Klebb(No. 3,From Russia with Love) – shot dead byTatiana Romanova.
• Colonel Jacques Bouvar (No. 6,Thunderball) – killed by James Bond.
• Emilio Largo(No. 2,Thunderball) – shot with a speargun byDomino Derval.
• Fiona Volpe(Thunderball) – accidentally shot dead by her henchmen as they try to kill Bond.
• Number 9 (Thunderball) – electrocuted by Blofeld forembezzlingfrom Spectre.
• Number 11 (Thunderball) – at large.
• Count Lippe(Thunderball) – killed by Volpe on Blofeld's orders.
• Angelo Palazzi (Thunderball) – killed by Largo on Blofeld's orders.
• Vargas (Thunderball) – killed with a speargun by James Bond.
• Janni (Thunderball) – killed when Largo's yacht explodes.
• Professor Ladislav Kutze (Thunderball,defected) – last seen jumping into ocean with lifebuoy.
• Quist (Thunderball) – thrown by Largo into shark pool.
• Helga Brandt (No.11,You Only Live Twice) – killed in piranha pool by Blofeld for failing to kill Bond.
• Hans (You Only Live Twice) – thrown into piranha pool by Bond.
• Mr. Osato (Head of Osato Chemicals,You Only Live Twice) – shot and killed as "the price of failure" by Blofeld.
• Number 3 (You Only Live Twice) – blown up in volcano explosion.
• Number 4 (You Only Live Twice) – fate unknown.
• Irma Bunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) – fate unknown.
• Grunther (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) – killed by Tracy Bond.
• Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd(Diamonds Are Forever) – Wint killed by Bond with a bomb, Kidd set on fire by Bond and jumps overboard to his death from ocean liner.
• Bert Saxby(Diamonds Are Forever) – shot and killed byCIAAgents.

By hierarchy

SPECTRE Command Structure
Name	Number	Position	Film	Status	Actor
Ernst Stavro Blofeld	1	Leader	From Russia with Love Thunderball You Only Live Twice On Her Majesty's Secret Service Diamonds Are Forever For Your Eyes Only Never Say Never Again(non-EON) Spectre No Time to Die	Deceased Alive	Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann Donald Pleasence Telly Savalas Charles Gray John Hollis/Robert Rietti Max von Sydow(non-EON) (Active) Christoph Waltz Christoph Waltz
Maximilian Largo		Unknown	Never Say Never Again(non-EON)	Deceased	Klaus Maria Brandauer(non-EON)
Emilio Largo	2	Second in command and head of extortion	Thunderball	Deceased	Adolfo Celi/Robert Rietti
Rosa Klebb Unnamed	3	Chief executioner Operative in Blofeld's volcano lair.	From Russia with Love You Only Live Twice		Lotte Lenya Burt Kwouk
Unnamed	4	Operative in Blofeld's volcano lair.	You Only Live Twice	Unknown	Michael Chow
Tov Kronsteen Unnamed	5	Chief planner Member	From Russia with Love Thunderball	Deceased Unknown	Vladek Sheybal (uncredited in film)
Jacques Bouvar	6	Military Advisor	Thunderball	Deceased	Bob Simmons(uncredited in film)
Unnamed	7	Member		Unknown	Cecil Cheng (uncredited in film)
	8				Michael Smith (uncredited in film)
	9			Deceased	Clive Cazes
	10			Unknown	André Maranne(uncredited in film)
Unnamed Helga Brandt	11		Thunderball You Only Live Twice	Unknown Deceased	Gábor Baraker,Murray Kash Karin Dor
Fatima Blush	12		Never Say Never Again(non-EON)	Deceased	Barbara Carrera

Operatives (Rebooted Continuity)

• Franz Oberhauser / Ernst Stavro Blofeld– the mastermind behind Spectre and its subsidiary Quantum. Attempts to secure a monopoly on the "Nine Eyes"global intelligence initiative and establish Spectre as a supra-national world power. Taken into custody after Bond shoots down his helicopter.
• Mr. White– high ranking Spectre agent and supervisor of Quantum. Acts as representative between Obanno and Le Chiffre. Kills Le Chiffre and is implied to have killed other failed agents. Grows disenchanted with Spectre, and ispoisonedwiththallium.Commits suicide after betraying Blofeld to 007 in exchange for his daughter's safety.
• Le Chiffre– though not a Spectre member, he was a private banker to major terrorists who are introduced through Spectre, until Mr. White executes him with a shot in the head.
  • Kratt – Le Chiffre's right-hand man. Presumably killed by Mr. White.
  • Valenka –Le Chiffre's girlfriend. Presumably killed by Mr. White.
  • Leo – henchman of Le Chiffre. Arrested after being framed for the deaths ofSteven Obannoand Obanno's bodyguard.
  • Steven Obanno– high-ranking member of Lord's Resistance Army who had ties to Spectre through Mr. White. Entrusted his money to Le Chiffre, who lost it and was forced to organise a high stakes poker tournament in Montenegro to recoup his losses. Strangled by Bond.
  • Alex Dimitrios – a Greek terrorist associated with Le Chiffre who employs two bombers: first Mollaka then Carlos to explode the prototype plane of Skyfleet on the behalf of Le Chiffre. Stabbed with a knife by Bond
  • Mollaka – a bomb maker from Madagascar employed by Dimitrios to explode the Skyfleet plane. Shot by Bond before starting his mission.
  • Carlos – a bomb maker employed by Dimitrios to replace Mollaka in the attack on the Skyfleet plane. Accidentally blows himself up after Bond puts the bomb destined for the plane onto Carlos' belt.
  • Adolph Gettler– a Spectre operative acting as Vesper Lynd's handler; Mr. White's second-in-command. Shot in the eye with a nail gun by Bond.
  • Craig Mitchell – an undercover Spectre operative placed inside MI6 who deceived both M and Bond. Shot by Bond.
  • Vesper Lynd– Blackmailed by Mr. White to embezzle Bond's winnings. Drowned herself.
• Dominic Greene– leader of Quantum's Tierra Project and a major official in the organisation. Ran an environmentalist corporation called Greene Planet. Assassinated for betraying Quantum.
  • Edmund Slate – a freelance assassin hired by Greene to murder Camille Montes. Stabbed in the neck and then the leg with scissors by Bond.
  • Elvis– Greene's main subordinate. Blown up by Bond.
  • Greene's driver – a Quantum operative who served as Greene's chauffeur and bodyguard. Shot by Bond.
  • General Medrano – an exiled Bolivian dictator who associates with Dominic Greene to come back to power in Bolivia in exchange of a piece of land in the Atacama desert rich in water that will allow Quantum to have the monopoly of the water and sell it to Bolivia at twice the market price. Shot by Camille Montes.
  • Lieutenant Orso – lieutenant to General Medrano. Falls to his death of the top floor of the Eco Hotel when pushed by Camille Montes.
  • Carlos – the chief of the Bolivian Military Police and a friend of René Mathis who betrays him and has him killed on the orders of Greene and Medrano. He is killed with a shot in the head by Bond as revenge for betraying Mathis.
• Yusef Kabira– a Quantum operative who functions as a honeypot to deceive foreign intelligence agents. Arrested by MI6.
• Guy Haines – Quantum leader, is a special envoy of the Prime Minister and is one of the PM's most trusted advisers. Is a member of the Quantum identified by Tanner using Bond's photos from the operaTosca.Still at large.
• Gregor Karakov – Quantum leader, a former politician, owner of several mines in Siberia, is a member of the Quantum identified by Tanner using Bond's photos from the operaTosca.Still at large.
• Moishe Soref – Quantum leader, former Mossad agent, and Telecom giant. Is a member of the Quantum identified by Tanner using Bond's photos from the operaTosca.Still at large.
• Raoul Silva– an MI6 agent turnedcyberterrorist.With support from the organisation and Blofeld, attempts to gain personal revenge on M for her betrayal. Indirectly succeeds, but is stabbed in the back by Bond before M dies.
  • Severine – the mistress of Raoul Silva who works for him by fear and tries to be free from him by sending Bond in his pursuit in hopes that Bond kills Silva. She is executed with a shot in the head by Silva for her treason.
  • Patrice – a mercenary for hire that is employed by Raoul Silva to steal the drive with the identities of the MI6 cover agents in theNATOmissions around the world. Falls to his death from the top of a building after a fight with Bond.
• Max Denbigh / C – aWhitehallgovernment bureaucrat appointed as the director of the Joint Intelligence Service and the driving force behind the Nine Eyes program, but is secretly passing intelligence on to Spectre. Falls to his death while trying to avoid arrest.
• Mr. Hinx – an assassin and high-ranking member of Spectre. Pursues Bond and Madeleine Swann. Thrown out of a moving train by Bond with a chain around his neck, presumed dead.
• Marco Sciarra – a Spectre assassin co-ordinating terrorist attacks around the world. Thrown out of a helicopter by Bond.
• Moreau – Spectre member, seen during the Rome meeting informing other members about Spectre involvement in distribution of illegal drugs. Still at large.
• Guerra – Spectre member, seen during the Rome meeting who volunteers to replace Marco Sciarra in the chase for Mr. White. He is killed by Mr. Hinx to have the assignment of the mission.
• Dr Vogel – Spectre member, seen during the Rome meeting. Killed by Heracles during the Cuba Spectre meeting.
• Lorenzo – One of Spectre's guards seen during the Rome meeting. Thrown to his death by Bond from a balcony onto a large meeting table.
• Marco – One of Lucia Sciarra's bodyguards who secretly works for Spectre with orders to kill her. Shot in the head by Bond.
• Gostan Safin - A toxicologist before Blofeld ordered Mr. White to assassinate him and his entire family. However, his son, Lyutsifer survived and was able to create a terrorist organisation which was strong enough to outsmart and annihilate Spectre.
• Primo - A Spectre assassin who defected and joined Lyutsifer Safin's group after the latter massacred all members of Spectre with Valdo Obruchev's help.

Non-EON

• Maximillian Largo(No. 1,Never Say Never Again)
• Ernst Stavro Blofeld(No. 2,Never Say Never Again)
• Fatima Blush(No. 12,Never Say Never Again)
• Eva Adara(From Russia with Lovevideo game)

Acronym in the rest of world

• Italy:SPecialeEsecutivo perControspionaggio,Terrorismo,Ritorsioni eEstorsioni (in English:SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Retaliation and Extortion,because "revenge" inItalianis translated "vendetta" ).
  • In some Italian movies, the organisation is calledSuPremoEsecutivo perControspionaggio,Terrorismo,Vendette edEstorsioni (in English:SuPreme Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenges and Extortion), but is called anyway "SPECTRE".
• Spain:SociedadPermanenteEjecutiva para elContraespionaje,Terrorismo,Rebeldía yAniquilamiento (in English:Permanent Executive Society for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Rebellion and Annihilation,the abbreviation changes the last letter in Spanish language)
• France:Servicepour l'espionnage, lecontre-espionnage, leterrorisme, larétorsion et l'extorsion (in English:Service for Espionage, Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Retaliation, and Extortion) – incidentally, the French wordspectremeans "ghost".

Parodies and clones

SPECTRE has been parodied many times in films, video games, and novels. The most obvious is theAustin Powersseries of films, with aDr. Evil(a parody of Ernst Stavro Blofeld) and his second-in-command known as "Number Two" (a parody ofEmilio Largo). Other examples are:

• TheBelgian comicsseriesSpirou & Fantasiofeatures an international criminal organisation called the Triangle whose members also address each other by numbers.
• Prior toDr. No,The Road to Hong Kongfeatured a "third force" organisation the Third Echelon.
• In the video game seriesNo One Lives Forevera man simply called "The director" leads a similar organisation called "H.A.R.M.". A running joke during the series is that no one actually knows what H.A.R.M. stands for. H.A.R.M may jokingly refer to Human Aetiological Relations Machine, the name of a fictional intelligence agency featured in the 1960s spy filmAgent for H.A.R.M..
• The TV seriesThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.had, as its adversary, a shadowy organisation known as THRUSH (theTerrestrialHegemony for theRemoval ofUndesirables and theSubjugation ofHumankind). THRUSH (which, in the novels, stood for "Technological Hierarchy for Removal of Undesirables and Subjugation of Humanity" ) was opposed by the titularUnitedNationsCounterintelligenceLEague.
• The TV seriesRambo: the Force of Freedomfeatured aneo-Naziorganisation known as SAVAGE (Specialist-Administrators ofVengeance,Anarchy, andGlobalExtortion).
• The James Bond spin-off animated series,James Bond Jr.,featured a clone of SPECTRE called "S.C.U.M." (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem), headed by a mysterious individual known as "Scumlord".
• The animated seriesInspector Gadgetfeatured a clone of SPECTRE called "M.A.D." (Malevolent Agency of Destruction). Dr. Claw, the head of M.A.D., is also based on the villain Blofeld.
• The Mexican filmsChabelo y Pepito vs los Monstruos(Chabelo and Pepito vs the Monsters) andChabelo y Pepito Detectivesfeature a criminal organisation named S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M., which carries two plans to dominate the world. In"Vs the Monsters",they extract uranium from a hill in the Mexican countryside, while in"Detectives"they sell toys that hypnotise children to make them work for them.
• The young adult book seriesMicro Adventurefeatured a shady organisation known as BRUTE (theBureau forRevenge andUniversalTErrorism). Its adversary was ACT (theAmericanCounterintelligenceTaskforce).
• An organisation known as SCORPIA (Sabotage,CORruPtion,Intelligence, andAssassination) appears in theAlex Ridernovels andTV seriesas recurring antagonists whose various members clash with the title character Alex Rider. Near the end of the Cold War, several secret agents and law enforcers abandoned their loyalty to their countries, and became effectively criminals for hire. Their actions range from supplying biological weapons to engineering terrorism and performing assassinations. They are defeated in the novelScorpia Risingand replaced in the novelNightshadeby an organisation reminiscent of the rebooted James Bond movie continuity'sSpectre.
• The TV seriesLancelot Link: Secret Chimpfeatured a shadowy organisation called CHUMP (UnionizedHierarchy forMoney,Power, andControl). It was opposed by APE (theAgency ofProtection andEnforcement).
• The TV seriesGet Smartfeatured a SPECTRE-like organisation calledKAOS.
• In 1983, a highly successful tabletop RPG called "James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service"was released. With the novels and films as inspirations, the stories were adapted for players. Minor changes to plots and villains were made; for example, Wint and Kidd were freelance assassins working for SPECTRE. They in fact leased out services to other terrorist organisations and various crime syndicates. The most noted changes were to SPECTRE: Blofeld's name was changed to Karl Ferenc Skorpios, and he was given a greyhound instead of a white cat; the organisation itself was renamedTAROT(TerrestrialAcquisition andRevenge viaOrchestratedTurmoil), with the face cards representing various departments. This was due to the copyright issues referenced above. Victory Gamesworked with EON productions (the film producers) for the rights to Bond, and were told they were not allowed to negotiate with McClory for the rights to SPECTRE, hence the hasty renaming.
• TheDisneyanimated seriesDarkwing Duckfeatured a masked crimefighter who often worked with an agency calledS.H.U.S.H.(expanded name unknown) against the forces ofF.O.W.L.(the Fiendish organisation of World Larceny). These organisations also featured inDuckTalesreboot. In Season 3 of this show F.O.W.L. portrayed as the main villains of McDuck family, and its leader and founder, Bradford Buzzard, resembling leader of SPECTRE, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
• TheTHUNDER Agentscomic featured an enemy called S.P.I.D.E.R. (Secret People's International Directorate for Extralegal Revenue).
• TheGalaxyorganisation features inOur Man Flintwhere "Agent 0008" tells Flint that Galaxy is "bigger than SPECTRE".
• Tom Clancy's novelRainbow Sixfeatures a terrorist organisation that the characters compare to SPECTRE once they learn that the terrorists are usingchemical warfaresimilar to that inOn Her Majesty's Secret Service.
• The video gameEvil Geniusplaces the player in command of a SPECTRE-like organisation, complete with a rocket-launching base inside a volcano. Additionally, one of the player's choices of leader (Maximilian) is almost identical in appearance to SPECTRE's leader,Ernst Stavro Blofeld(as he appeared inYou Only Live Twice).
• In the British television seriesThe Secret Showthe evil organisation T.H.E.M. (The Horrible Evil Menace) is similar to SPECTRE.
• TheCBBCseriesMI Highfeatures the criminal organisation "SKUL" (SuperKriminalUndergroundLeague), led by a man known only as "The Grandmaster" who is always seen stroking a white rabbit called General Flopsy.
• The Spanish comic bookMortadelo y Filemónfeatures a parody of SPECTRE calledABUELA(Agentes Bélicos Ultramarinos Especialistas en Líos Aberrantes – warlike agents overseas specialists in aberrant messes).
• TheMatt Helmfilms featured the Brotherhood of International Government and Order abbreviated as "BIG O".
• Synthesiser company "Waldorf"has a synth named"Blofeld".The computer based"virtual editor"for the Blofeld is called" Spectre ". One of Waldorf's virtual synths is called" Largo ".
• In theSpyDogscartoon, the evil leader of cats, Katastrophe, always appears fondling a rubber mouse.
• An evil organisation named STENCH (Society for the Total Extermination of Non-Conforming Humans) is featured in the filmCarry On Spying.
• James Earl Ray,who committed theassassination of Martin Luther King Jr.on April 4, 1968, used the alias Eric Starvo Galt during 1967, almost certainly a mixture of Ian Fleming and Ayn Rand. "Ernst" and "Stavro" are peculiar sounds and spellings to American ears and eyes, and he mentally transposed them into "Eric" and "Starvo."
• InThe Simpsonsepisode "You Only Move Twice"appears an organisation called Globex Corporation directed by supervillainHank Scorpiowho successfully takes control of theEast Coast.
• TheMarvel Universehas the organisationsHYDRAandA.I.M.,which are both opposed byNick FuryandS.H.I.E.L.D.,and are sometimes also opposed byCaptain Americaand the other Marvel heroes, while theDC Universecame up with the organisationH.I.V.E.as an analogue to SPECTRE.
• TheDisney Channel's TV seriesKim Possiblehas the organisation WEE (Worldwide Evil Empire), which is opposed by GJ (Global Justice) and Kim Possible herself at times.
• InSpy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required",Spy Fox battles LeRoach – a member of the Society of Meaningless Evil, Larceny, Lying and Yelling (S.M.E.L.L.Y.).
• InDisney Channel's TV seriesPhineas and Ferb,Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz is occasionally seen as a member of the League Of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness (L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.). Doofenshmirtz is not aware of the acronym until one of the other members points it out.
• In an episode ofNickelodeon's TV seriesSpongeBob SquarePants,BarnacleBoy turns to the dark side and teams up with Man Ray and The Dirty Bubble and they form an alliance called Every Villain is Lemons (E.V.I.L.).
• In theG.I. Joetoyline, cartoon and comic franchise, there exists an international terrorist organisation known asCobra,which is similar to SPECTRE.
• Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blogfeatures a supervillain organisation called the E.L.E. (Evil League of Evil), whose unseen leader Bad Horse is feared by all the members. The main protagonist of the film attempts to join the League, and eventually succeeds in doing so.
• The JapanesetokusatsuseriesKamen Riderfeatures aNazi-connected terrorist group known as Shocker (eventually revealed as shorthand forSacredHegemonyOfCycleKindredEvolutionaryRealm in the film rebootKamen Rider The First). Employing a vast range of genetically-modified agents known as "modified humans" and henchmen known as Shocker Combatmen, the organisation was headed by a mysterious figure known as "The Great Leader" (played byGoro Naya) who mainly contacted his agents via voice (who is eventually revealed to be a hooded figure with two forms – aMedusa-inspired humanoid with a head covered by snakes and acyclops). Shocker was eventually disbanded after one too many defeats at the hands of the show's protagonists and became known as Gel-Shocker after merging with an American criminal group known as Geldam. Gel-Shocker was eventually defeated as well, but subsequent entries of the franchise portrayed the Great Leader in various incarnations to lead various successor organisations, including Destron, Black Satan, the Delza Army, Neo-Shocker, the Badan Empire, Dai-Shocker (later reorganised into Super Shocker), and Space Shocker. The filmKamen Rider 1also features a splinter group known as Nova Shocker. The Great Leader also claims to have been the driving force behind two separate terrorist groups known as the Government of Darkness (also known asGOD) and Geddon, though it has never been confirmed.
• The novel19by Roger Hall, published in 1970, is about an American unauthorised counter-intelligence group. Several regular intelligence services, though unsure if this rogue group actually exists, nicknamed it "19" because that number repeatedly came up, by apparent coincidence, in their investigations of what might have been 19's activities. When first told about 19 by a CIA friend, the narrator remarks that it sounds like SPECTRE gone straight (although it is misspelled "SPECTER" in19). Rumor credits 19 with major roles in exposingKim PhilbyandRudolf Abel,among other achievements.

See also

• List of James Bond villains

External links

• BlofeldfromDemon.net
• spectreorganisation,information on Kevin McClory's fight for the rights toThunderballand SPECTRE
• 007 SPECTRE Editorial Music PresentationatWest Coast Midnight Run