Fiona Volpe

Fiona Volpe
James Bondcharacter
Luciana Paluzzias Fiona Volpe
First appearance	Thunderball(1965)
Portrayed by	Luciana Paluzzi
In-universe information
Gender	Female
Affiliation	SPECTRE
Classification	Bond girl/Henchwoman

Fiona Volpeisa characterin theJames BondfilmThunderball,played by actressLuciana Paluzzi.Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role ofDomino Vitaliin the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in thenovel,and was originally an Irish woman, but was changed to match Paluzzi's Italian ethnicity: "Volpe" is Italian for "fox".

In the film

Volpe is aSPECTREagent who seducesNATOpilot Major François Derval in order to steal his plane with its cargo of two atomic bombs. She then kills her fellow operative Count Lippe (who had jeopardized the operation), with a missile fired from herBSA Lightningmotorcycle.

Volpe meets Bond in the Bahamas, where she gives him a very fast ride in aFord Mustangconvertible to the hotel at which they are both staying. They have sex, but Volpe then takes Bond captive at gunpoint and insults him. Bond escapes, but Volpe and her men follow him to a nightclub. Bond and Volpe dance, but one of her men attempts to shoot Bond – he spins Volpe into the path of the bullet, and she is killed instantly.

Analysis

Laureen Gibson notes that Volpe wears a gown when she threatens Bond. The clash between the seemingly feminine clothing and the violent action makes her seem especially sinister. Gibson also contrasts Volpe withDomino Derval:

InThunderballboth Bond girl Domino Derval and villain Fiona Volpe are costumed in low-cut evening gowns. However, the clearly synthetic, metallic blue fabric worn by the female villain contrasts the whitechiffonof the Bond girl's dress. Fiona Volpe also wears a large, bright bluefeather boa– adding to her overly made-up appearance. Her costume reads as unnatural, reinforcing her feminine pageantry. "

Kirsten Smith suggests that Volpe is the "classic fictionalfemme fatalecombining all the elements which make her dangerous but incredibly sexy to the hero, in this case James Bond. "Smith goes on to argue that Volpe's downfall comes when she insults Bond:" the threat that she now poses to Bond's masculinity means that she must now be killed in order to reassert the traditional gender roles. "

The character was changed to Fatima Blush in the 1983 remakeNever Say Never Again,and also served as the template for Helga Brandt inYou Only Live Twice.