Emilio Largo

"Our intention is to demand a ransom from the North Atlantic Treaty powers of 280 million dollars. A hundred million pounds."

- Largo's plan. Emilio Largo is the main villain from the James Bond novel and film Thunderball, He was played by Adolfo Celi. Described in the novel as a ruthless Neapolitan black marketeer and fence who moved to riskier and more profitable ventures on the international crime scene Largo eventually became the second-in-command of the terrorist organization SPECTRE. In the film, Largo is "No. 2" and head of extortion operations. In the novel, Largo is "No. 1"; however the numbers are rotated every month as a security precaution, although Largo is the successor to Ernst Stavro Blofeld and the Supreme Commander of "Plan Omega".

Largo's two main headquarters are located in the Bahamas. The first was his estate, called Palmyra, which housed a giant swimming pool filled with sharks. Bond would later be thrown into this pool, but of course escaped. The second was Largo's private yacht, the Disco Volante. The yacht was a hydrofoil craft purchased with SPECTRE funds for £200,000. The craft plays a pivotal role in the seizure and transportation of the two nuclear weapons.

To Largo, failure was a crime punishable by death. When Quist, one of Largo's henchmen, fails to kill Bond, Largo has him thrown into his pool of sharks. Largo also has little consideration even for those closest to him, going as far as to torture his own mistress, Domino, when he finds out she is betraying him.

But one of Largo's henchmen helps Domino get free and Domino gets to do what she wanted Bond to do: kill Largo. When Largo gets the upper hand by nearly shooting Bond, Domino shoots him in the back with a spear gun. Largo collapses dead onto the controls and jams them. Bond, Domino, and the turncoat henchman who helped Domino all evacuate the Disco Volante as she runs aground and explodes.

Never Say Never Again
In the unofficial movie Never Say Never Again, which is actually a remake of Thunderball, Largo is named Maximillian instead of Emilio and is killed by Domino while preparing the bomb in the water instead of being killed on the boat. Maximillian is portrayed by Klaus Maria Brandauer.