Francisco Scaramanga

"My name is Scaramanga. Francisco Scaramanga. I feel I know you, although I never thought we would ever really meet. But it has been a pleasure for me to finally meet you Mr. Bond, thanks to Miss Anders here."

- Scaramanga introducing himself to Bond.

Francisco Scaramanga is the titular main antagonist of the James Bond film and novel The Man with the Golden Gun. In the novel, the character is nicknamed "Pistols" Scaramanga and is also called "Paco" (a Spanish diminutive of Francisco).

Scaramanga was portrayed by the late Sir Christopher Lee (who is Ian Fleming's cousin), who also portrayed Count Dooku, Dracula and Saruman.

Background
Francisco Scaramanga was a British national born in a traveling circus. His father was the ringmaster, a former Cuban national and his mother was a snake charmer. By the age of ten, he was part of the circus as a trick-shot pistol marksman; a skill which he put to use when he shot and killed an abusive animal trainer after the man killed an elephant that had befriended Scaramanga. By fifteen, he was a gunman in Rio de Janeiro. He was recruited there by the KGB and trained in Eastern Europe where for many years he was basically just another overworked and underpaid assassin for the KGB. He quit the KGB in the late 1950s, becoming an independent hitman-for-hire charging one million dollars a kill. All of Scaramanga's dealings go through his diminutive accomplice Nick Nack, which allows Scaramanga to remain anonymous. No photographs of him exist, but he has unusual anatomy: a third nipple. As in the novel, it is shown that Scaramanga makes love prior to killing in the belief that it 'improves the eye'.

During the events of the film, he is at the very apex of his career. Consequently, Scaramanga lives very well, drawing from the exorbitant sums of money he charges to carry out his assassinations ("Current price, one million dollars", according to Bond's briefing), and has built his home on his own private island somewhere off the coast of south-eastern China (apparently part of a deal with the Chinese to carry out assassinations in return). Scaramanga lives alone, accompanied only by Nick Nack, Andrea Anders (his kept woman), and a mechanic named Kra who is in charge of maintenance and security.

Scaramanga also uses some of his wealth to finance research and development of technologies that rival those developed by MI6's Q Branch. Such technologies include his infamous Golden Gun, a car that transforms into an aircraft and a solar-powered laser cannon. In addition, Scaramanga also has a private junk, which Bond later steals to get off the exploding island.

The Solex Agitator
In addition to his career as an assassin, Scaramanga is also a junior partner in Hai Fat Enterprises and personal assassin to the company's owner, multimillionaire industrialist Hai Fat. Prior to the film's events, a British scientist named Gibson was employed by Hai Fat to develop a solution to the world's ongoing energy crisis. With the help of Fat's construction company, a highly efficient solar power plant is constructed on Scaramanga's island. However, following its completion, Gibson attempts to return to Britain, bargaining for immunity with a critical component of the power plant: the Solex Agitator unit.

Having outlived his usefulness, Francisco is dispatched by Hai Fat to assassinate the scientist and recover the Solex. After meeting with his British contact at a Hong Kong club, Gibson is assassinated and his invention is stolen from the crime scene by Nick Nack. Scaramanga initially returns the device to Fat, but following James Bond's interference, he instead decides to kill his employer and take the Solex, power plant and company for himself. With Hai Fat's assets in his possession, the assassin plans to sell Gibson's solar technology to the highest bidder, which was a huge concern given the recent events of the 1973 oil crisis. Criminality was of no concern to Scaramanga; anyone who paid up would be the new owner.

Clash of the Titans
Scaramanga also desires to test his skills against the famed James Bond, whom he regards as the only man capable of being his equal. After taking the Solex from Scaramanga's safe, Anders attempts to deliver it to Bond. However, Scaramanga discovers the theft and shoots her as she waits for 007 in a kick-boxing arena. He searches her handbag before the spy arrives, but fails to find the device which has fallen under her chair. Meeting Bond face-to-face for the first time, he relates the story of his upbringing, his fascination with guns and his love of killing. As the pair talk, Bond notices the Solex and manages to slip it to his colleague Hip, who in turn passes it to fellow agent Mary Goodnight.

After excusing himself, Scaramanga leaves empty-handed, only to discover Goodnight (Bond's semi-partner in the film) attempting to place a tracking device on his car. With one fluid movement he shoves her into the boot and slams the door shut. Despite Bond's best attempts to pursue the villain, he manages to evade him by taking to the skies with an aircraft attachment; taking with him Goodnight and the Solex.

Picking up Goodnight's tracking device, Bond flies a seaplane into Red Chinese waters, under the Chinese radar, and lands at Scaramanga's island. On arriving, Bond is welcomed by Scaramanga, who shows him the high-tech solar power plant he has taken over. Whilst demonstrating the equipment, Scaramanga uses a powerful solar beam to destroy Bond's plane. Following the tour, Bond dines with Goodnight and Scaramanga. As they eat, the assassin states that despite his 'working for peanuts', Bond and he are very much alike. Bond disagrees and the two have a tense standoff which results in Scaramanga threatening the agent with his golden gun.

Death
At gunpoint Scaramanga challenges Bond to one final, decisive duel - his golden gun versus 007's Walther PPK, dismissing Bond's superior number of bullets irrelevant due to his superior knowledge of the local environment. Reluctantly, Bond agrees and the pair assemble on the beach after lunch. After the traditional twenty paces, Bond turns and fires, only to find that the assassin has cheated the duel, fled into the fun-house - a labyrinth styled maze, where Scaramanga and his opponents regularly duel to the death. The two men stalk each-other around the maze, culminating in 007 taking the place of a mannequin replica of himself. Fooled by Bond's ploy, Scaramanga is shot directly through the heart when Bond takes him by surprise. He falls to ground with his golden gun dropping beside him.

Henchmen

 * Nick Nack
 * Andrea Anders (formerly)
 * Hai Fat (Deceased)
 * Kra (Deceased)
 * Lazar (formerly)

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Francisco Scaramanga