Licence to Kill / Characters

Main Character Index

Character sheet for the James Bond film Licence to Kill.

open/close all folders

MI6

Bond's Allies

Felix Leiter

Pam Bouvier

Pamela "Pam" Bouvier

"Sweet dreams, Mr. Bond."

Played by: Carey Lowell

The last CIA agent alive on Leiter's list of contacts on the Sanchez file, she meets Bond in a bar in Bimini. She ends up helping him in his crusade against Sanchez.

'80s Hair: Subverted. When she and Bond arrive in Isthmus, she cuts the massive perm she sports throughout the first half of the film.
Ace Pilot: A former army pilot, she's apparently flown to some of the worst hellholes in the world. She shows off her piloting prowess during the climax by providing Bond with air support, notably by crop dusting a bunch of mooks that were about to shoot him.
Action Girl: One of the best examples in the entirety of the Bond franchise. She never really needs to be saved by Bond; in fact, she saves him on several occasions.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Mostly towards Bond. She actually has auburn hair, thus overlapping this trope with Fiery Redhead.

Betty and Veronica: She's the Betty to Lupe's Veronica, being the reliable one to Lupe's more alluring and exotic one.
Boyish Short Hair: Lowell's hair was naturally short. Her first scenes actually have her wearing a wig, so in-universe, we have Bouvier get a haircut to allow Lowell's naturally short hair to shine in her "Miss Kennedy" persona.
The Cavalry: Infiltrates Sanchez's operation at the end and rescues Bond.
Chekhov's Gunman: She's at Felix's wedding party and briefly exchanges words with Bond as she exits a meeting in Felix's office, prompting the "strictly business" line.
Crazy-Prepared: She brought a shotgun and a bulletproof vest for the rendezvous with Bond, just in case. Turns out it was a wise decision because of Dario's arrival. She also keeps two small pistols with her when she arrives in Isthmus.
Distaff Counterpart: To Bond, clearly. Bond even underestimates her.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: She does not take it well when Bond dresses her down over what he perceives as inexperience, and she goes through hell to convince him that she can handle herself.
Early-Bird Cameo: She briefly meets Bond while talking to Leiter at his wedding before quickly taking her leave. The two clearly did not expect to meet up again so soon when Bond goes to warn her about Sanchez's intent to have her killed.
Girl of the Week: The main Bond Girl of the film.
Holy Backlight: Her first appearance to Dario after he apparently shoots her has her in a white robe and really overexposed lighting, with the implication that Dario's thinks he's actually seeing her ghost, but the Special Effects Failure means that the effect is far too subtle to be noticed on the first viewing.
Important Haircut: Cuts her massive perm to a Power Hair during the latter half of the film, just in time for the more actionized scenes.
The Lancer: She helps Bond in his crusade against Sanchez.
Ms. Fanservice: Through the film there's a lot of shots focused on her thighs, helped by the fact that she has a thigh holster for her gun. She also strips down to a one-piece bathing suit as she and Bond load Sanchez's money on to the Wavekrest to frame Krest (and Bond even stops briefly to enjoy the view), and it doesn't take much of a close look to see that Pam isn't wearing anything under the dress she has on during the climax. Bond even takes the opportunity to grab her ass when they're setting off on their final chase of Sanchez's tankers!
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
Dario: Ha-ha-ha... You're dead!
Pam: You took the words right out of my mouth! [she shoots him]
Real Women Don't Wear Dresses: She's not thrilled about being Bond's "executive secretary" in Isthmus City. She even asks him why he can't be her secretary. The latter, at least, is justified by the fact of South American nations such as Isthmus typically being rather socially conservative when it comes to women's role in society, as Bond explains.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Bond does a Double Take when he sees her after her makeover in a Sexy Backless Outfit.
Shotguns Are Just Better: In bar brawls especially, which is why she brings one to the bar where she meets Bond.
Show Some Leg: Uses this tactic towards Joe Butcher to enter Sanchez's drug factory.
Stay in the Kitchen: She takes offence at Bond's condescension towards her and him asking her to be his "executive secretary", though she relents on the "executive secretary" role once Bond reminds her that in a Banana Republic like Isthmus, they're not as progressive about women in roles of leadership as America is.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Trapped in a world of drug runners and informants. Its Bond's loyalty to Felix and his unshakable moral code around large sums of money that attracts her.
Statuesque Stunner: She's a beautiful woman who clocks at 5'10.
Universal Driver's Licence: Land, air and sea. The "air" part is justified in that piloting is her specialty, while, technically speaking, all she did with the "sea" part was wiggle the steering wheel a bit and send it into full speed ahead.
What the Hell, Hero?: Bouvier calls Bond out when she and Q catch up to him in Isthmus for letting his personal vendetta against Sanchez endanger a critical DEA plan to cripple Sanchez's operations.

Sharkey

"Chainsaw my ass, I know a shark bite when I see one!"

Played by: Frank Mc Rae

A friend of Felix Leiter, he owns a boat charter business and was chosen by Leiter to be his Best Man alongside Bond for his wedding. He later helps Bond to investigate Krest's facility and yacht.

Bond One-Liner: Gets his turn to shine when Bond feeds Killifer to the shark:
Sharkey: God, what a terrible waste. (Bond stares at him) Of money.
Expy: For Quarrel and Quarrel Jr..
Meaningful Name: Knows a lot about sharks.
- Lampshaded by the froggers who kill him when they catch him snooping around the Wavekrest.
  Milton Krest: Nice work, Clive!
  Clive: Thanks, Mr. Krest! Guess what? His name was "Sharkey!" [laughs]
Only Known By His Nickname: Only known as "Sharkey".
Sacrificial Lamb: After helping Bond board the Wavekrest, he is caught by one of Krest's men, killed and hung up like a shark. Bond takes revenge immediately by shooting the frogman who caught him with a harpoon gun.
We Hardly Knew Ye: One wouldn't be blamed for thinking that he would become Bond's ally for rest of the film, but is killed early in the film.

Villains

Franz Sanchez

"There are worse things than dying, hombre."

Dubbed by: Gérard Hernandez (French)

The most powerful and ruthless drug lord in Latin America, having been wanted by the DEA for years. He is captured at the beginning of the movie, only to escape shortly afterwards and wreak havoc on Felix Leiter's life, which throws James Bond on a vendetta against him.

The Aggressive Drug Dealer: Sanchez is a perfect example of his time, a Pablo Escobar copycat who has decided to become more aggressive in his trafficking to the United States - as in "to the DEA: you will allow my shipments to get through or I will kill as many people as it takes for you to change your minds."
All There in the Manual: Sanchez's backstory is explained more in the novel. He's Colombian by birth. His father was a Panamanian businessman, and his mother was a German fascist (descended from Nazis who fled to Latin America after the war), which explains why he has a German first name.
Ambiguously Gay: According to a fan theory, as noted on the YMMV page for this film, he's shown to have better chemistry with his male associates (especially Dario) than with Lupe, and as noted below, he takes elements from the novel version of Scaramanga - said version was implied to be somewhat homosexual (often accused of being a Depraved Homosexual).
Animal Motif: He's associated with marine life - he whips Lupe with a stingray tail, feeds Leiter to a shark, uses tropical fish as a front for smuggling and has fish-themed furniture in his home.
Ax-Crazy: He goes nuts with a machete by the end of the film. Though given his brutal ways in dealing with anyone he dislikes and loving to subject anyone to a Cruel and Unusual Death it's quite clear he was already a psychopath the whole time.
Bad Boss: He becomes this late in the film after he suffers a Villainous Breakdown, causing him to kill his own men.
Benevolent Boss: Subverted. He starts off this way ^note but Bond manipulates him into a state of paranoia, causing him to kill his own men.
Berserk Button: Let's just say that he doesn't take disloyalty very well.
Big Bad: The main antagonist of the film.
Bond One-Liner:
Perez: [about blood-stained money] What about the money, patron?
Sanchez: Launder it.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: He barely gives any consideration to what he did to Felix and Della after it happens. He seems genuinely surprised when Bond reveals his attack on them as his motive for dismantling his empire.
The Cartel: His cocaine business is described as an "invisible empire from Chile to Alaska".
Composite Character: He has elements of Le Chiffre, Mr. Big, and Francisco Scaramanga (from the books), right down to the latter's name,^note"Frank S-Word-Surname" similar appearance,◊^noteLong lean face, hairstyle fashion sense^noteample light-coloured apparel and suits and ethnicity.^noteLatino Also, his use of a stingray-tail whip as a punishment for his partner comes from Milton Krest in the Bond story "The Hildebrand Rarity" (from the For Your Eyes Only anthology). He even has a pet with a diamond collar like Blofeld....except it's a goofy green iguana rather than an adorable, fluffy, white kitty cat.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Being burned alive is not a nice way to go as Sanchez's agonized screams of pain illustrate.
Domestic Abuse: He whips Lupe with a stingray tail when he catches her in bed with another man.
The Dreaded: Everyone is terrified of this guy and with very good reason.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: He's Colombian with German ancestry, while he has an American accountant, his head of security is a rogue American colonel, he thinks nothing of a rogue MI6 agent like Bond seeking employment with him, and he's in the midst of negotiating a summit with the Chinese triads.
Establishing Character Moment: Upon catching Lupe with another man, he orders the man's heart cut out and he personally whips Lupe.
Evil Sounds Deep: He's a vicious drug lord with Robert Davi's smooth voice.
Evil Virtues: Sanchez values loyalty above all in his partners and subordinates and sticks to his word, at least when business runs smoothly. His commitment to the former virtue costs him serious money, and Bond exploits it to isolate him.
Fatal Flaw: Has two of these. One is his sadism. Had he just fled the country to the safety of Isthmus, Bond would've likely just let the authorities handle things and Sanchez could've continued running and expanding his empire, but he couldn't resist going after Felix and Della and making things personal, invoking Bond's wrath. Similarly, he couldn't simply shoot Bond and leave it at that, he had to try and kill him in a much more gruesome manner which Bond was rescued from. His other fatal flaw is his obsession with personal loyalty. Throughout the film, 007 drops hints to Sanchez that his henchmen are plotting to betray him. And because Sanchez doesn’t truly understand loyalty (and the fact that it is a two-way street, essentially), he believes the lies. He thinks loyalty is only bottom-up, not top-down. And because he is not loyal to those around him, it is easy for Sanchez to believe the worst of them.
Faux Affably Evil: Sanchez is a hospitable enough guy that you almost forget at times that he beats his girlfriend, has a guy's heart literally cut out, has Leiter's wife raped and murdered right before feeding Leiter to a shark, and shoves Krest into a decompression chamber (wrongfully thinking that he'd betrayed him).
Hate Sink: Everything about Sanchez is detestable. From abusing his girlfriend to his enthusiasm for Cruel and Unusual Death for anyone who crosses him, he has nothing in his personality that's mitigating.
I Gave My Word: He keeps his honour by ensuring Killifer gets paid, although Krest would prefer to have Killifer killed.
I Own This Town: In his discussions with Kwang, Bond, and Lopez, Sanchez effectively states that he is the true ruler of Isthmus.
Irony: Sanchez, whose most sought after quality is loyalty, is cursed with an unfaithful mistress and tries to add James Bond to his repertoire of Co-Dragons.
Karmic Death: He dies after getting soaked with the gasoline mixed with his cocaine, and set ablaze by Bond with the very lighter Felix and Della offered him as a Best Man gift. It's also rather fitting that a guy who took immense pleasure in causing agonizing deaths for people ends up getting killed in such a horrifying manner.
Kick the Dog: He could've just fled the country and probably resumed his empire with little trouble, but he takes the time to hurt Felix in the most horrific way possible. There's also his horrible treatment of Lupe and having the man she's been seeing brutally murdered.
Kill It with Fire: He gets drenched in drugged gasoline in the final chase, and Bond uses the lighter the Leiters gave him to light Sanchez up and burn him to death. His tanker also explodes just to let you know he's Deader than Dead.
Knight of Cerebus: The movie is already Darker and Edgier. Sanchez obviously doesn't help.
Lack of Empathy: He doesn't register any emotion when subjecting his associates to his cold-blooded punishments, or when he feeds Felix Leiter to the shark. More notorious in the latter case, where Krest is clearly nauseated watching, and Killifer almost faints.
Machete Mayhem: He uses a machete in his climactic fight with Bond.
Man of Wealth and Taste: Not really for the "taste" part if the kitsch style of his villa is any indication. Franz has very much the taste of a thug off the streets even with his immense wealth.
Man on Fire: Bond uses the gift cigarette lighter at the end of the climax to ignite Sanchez's gasoline soaked clothes and turn him into a Roman Candle.
Mundane Horror: He is quite down-to-Earth compared to other Bond villains, but it doesn't make him any less frightening.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Shades of Panama's dictator Manuel Noriega (De facto head of a small Latin American country) with a bit of Pablo Escobar thrown in (threw a lot of drug money around and attempted to buy stinger missiles; Escobar's "policy" of plata o plomo ["silver/money or lead/bullets"] is even namedropped by Felix Leiter early in the film to refer to Sanchez). Escobar even saw the film and had Robert Davi abducted while he was on vacation to meet and let him know as much.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: He's pragmatic, he's cruel, and he's efficient. One of the best examples is when he has Bond seemingly dead to rights in the conveyor belt to a grinding machine. Bond tries to buy for time and Sanchez briefly switches it off — before very immediately realizing Bond had nothing to actually say and flipping it right back on without hesitation as he proceeds to leave the facility as it's going to hell. It's only the sheer blindside of Pam showing up that Bond has a hope of getting out, and no one could've seen that coming given she was thought to be shot dead by Dario.
Nothing Personal: So he says to Leiter.
Sanchez: I want you to know this is nothing personal. It's purely... business.
An Offer You Can't Refuse: This is how he runs his empire. Every major authority figure is given a choice between being on his payroll or ending up dead.
Oh, Crap!: The moment when Bond fires up his lighter and he meets his fate.
Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: Him vs. Bond and Leiter. Timothy Dalton was 45 when he starred in the movie, David Hedison was 62, and Robert Davi was 36.
Pet the Dog: It's downplayed considering how cruel and vicious he is throughout the rest of the film, but he does have a couple of moments.
- He dotes on his pet iguana. Tellingly, in its debut scene, Sanchez shows his pet and his mistress comparable warmth and affection.
- He keeps his word and pays Killifer the full $2 million as promised, dismissing Krest's suggestion that Killifer should be killed.
Politically Incorrect Villain: His character has a strongly misogynistic streak, which comes out in his interactions with Lupe. While he punishes her severely for her infidelity, he neglects her otherwise, and when he does deign to show her physical "affection," he underlines his objectification of her by treating his iguana the same way. He's far more intimate with his male subordinates.
Pragmatic Villainy: Sanchez's whole philosophy, such as preferring to pay off politicians or law enforcement officers rather than violently threatening them. He gradually slips out of it because of Bond's manipulations.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: When Truman-Lodge bemoans that the crashed truck is an $80 million write-off, Sanchez says, "Then I guess it's time to start cutting overhead," before blasting Truman-Lodge with a Micro-Uzi.
President for Life: Sanchez is the real ruler of the Banana Republic that is Isthmus. He even has a meeting with "El Presidenté", where he informs the man that he is "replaceable".
Sanchez: Remember, you're only President... for life.
Psychotic Smirk: He's a very cheerful guy... for all the wrong reasons.
Real Men Wear Pink: He wears a pink shirt in a few scenes, and it does nothing to make him less intimidating.
Revenge Before Reason: Would have gotten away with his new scheme of smuggling cocaine by blending it with gasoline if not for his Disproportionate Retribution against Felix Leiter. Despite his assertion to Felix that it was "nothing personal" and "purely... business", he really had nothing substantial to gain from staying in the country to have his horrific revenge against the Leiters; doing so would not get him back the $2 million he used to bribe Killifer (which was small change for him in any case), the longer he stayed the bigger the danger that he might be recaptured, it brought the full force of the DEA and CIA down on him and murdering Della and maiming Felix didn't really even serve the purpose of providing a warning to all those who would think of screwing him, as he was already a feared drug lord to begin with. All that attacking the Leiters did was satisfy his own petty need for sadistic revenge.
Right-Hand Cat: Remember what was said above about him having kitschy tastes? Well, he has a Right-Hand Iguana, complete with a little diamond necklace that is seen in Lupe's possession at the end of the movie.
Sadist: He takes immense pleasure in hurting others or killing those who displease him, usually in horrific ways.
Sanity Slippage: He's completely lost it by the end of the movie. Though given his brutal and sadistic ways throughout the film, it's clear that he was a psychopath to begin with.
The Sociopath: He checks all the boxes for this trope. Superficial charm? Check. Caring only about his own desires? Check? Complete lack of regard for other people? Check? Willingness to resort to violence to get his way? Check.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: He almost never raises his voice but he's got a cruel streak a mile wide.
The Stoic: He is almost always calm and detached.
Supervillain Lair: His drug refining facility, which is hidden behind the Olimpatec Meditation Institute.
Terms of Endangerment: He does this right after finding his missing millions of dollars stashed in Krest's decompression chamber when Krest claims that it isn't his money. "That's right, amigo. It is mine!" What follows is one of the most gruesome and disturbing death scenes in the whole series.
Tranquil Fury:
- He doesn't lose his cool when he thinks that he discovered that Krest was stealing from him. When Braun asks him what to do about the money, he looks like he's about to shrug it off.
- He spends most of the third act in this state; he doesn't show much emotion, but after an hour of Faux Affably Evil Benevolent Boss posturing he suddenly becomes incredibly quick to start feeding people to cocaine grinders, impaling them on forklift trucks, machine-gunning them for getting a bit lippy, and so forth.
Villain with Good Publicity: He's treated like he's a legitimate businessman in Isthmus, but only there. The authorities in every other country view him as a dangerous criminal.
Villainous Breakdown: Toward the end of his reign. He doesn't lose his cool so much, but compare how he is towards the beginning, where he's confidently asserting the loyalty of his men and genially agreeing to drop $2 million dollars at a time for a payoff, to the end, where he's gunning his accountant down for being annoying and ready to impale his henchmen on forklift trucks at the slightest hint of disloyalty.
Whip of Dominance: He's a Sadistic criminal who has a personal whip made from a stingray's tail and seems to frequently use it on his mistress to "discipline" her and keep her "in line".

Dario

"Ha ha ha, you're dead!"

Played by: Benicio del Toro

Sanchez's main and most loyal henchman.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Bond pulls him into the cocaine grinder where the blades shred him to pieces, as Dario screams in pure agony and screams for Sanchez to come for him, but it doesn't happen. He falls in the grinder and dies.
Ax-Crazy: He's quite the nasty piece of work by default, and he completely loses it by the end of the movie. His expressions would make Jack Torrance proud.
Beat Still, My Heart: Cuts out Lupe's lover's heart in his first scene.
Character Tics: The flashy way he draws his switchblade like a magician's wand.
*Click* Hello: During Sanchez's demonstration, Dario secretly puts a pistol to Bond's back once he recognizes him.
Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: He's got 'em (as does the guy who plays him, Benicio del Toro).
Cruel and Unusual Death: Bond pulls him into the cocaine grinder where the blades shred him to pieces, as Dario screams in pure agony the whole time. It's possibly the most horrific death ever visited upon a Bond villain.
The Dragon: He's Sanchez's right-hand man. His friends Perez and Braun seem to hold a similar level of authority as him, with him just slightly above them in the organization's hierarchy. Although in the tie-in novel, Perez is the senior member of the trio and Dario is on the same level as Braun in the cartel hierarchy.
Evil Wears Black: Always dressed in dark clothes.
Eye Scream: While trying to cut Bond's rope cuffs to get him to fall into the cocaine grinder, several shots show that his right eye◊ is bloodshot, possibly due to Bond head butting him before.
Fatal Flaw: His sadism. He could've left Bond to die and escaped but he couldn't resist the urge to personally push him in and watch it happen. Bond uses the chance to pull him in instead.
Faux Affably Evil: Best shown when Felix Leiter asks where's his wife, and Dario tells him to not worry... because they gave her "a nice honeymoon", most likely as an Implied Post-Rape Taunt.
From Camouflage to Criminal: He used to be with the Contras before they kicked him out.
Genre Refugee: In another life, he could have been a member of The Sharks.
Giggling Villain: He giggles constantly, although it does evolve into Evil Laugh by the time of the climax.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He stays behind to force Bond into the cocaine grinder. Bond ends up pulling him in instead.
Karmic Death: He tries to have Bond shredded in the cocaine grinder but falls in himself thanks to Pam's intervention. He quite deserved it after what he did to the Leiters.
Knight of Cerebus: In terms of Bond henchmen, while Sanchez is a Knight of Cerebus of Bond Big Bads, Dario is one of the henchmen. He even manages to be more Ax-Crazy, creepier and scarier than the other previous and later memorable and equally efficient henchmen (including the outlandishly gimmicky ones) such as Oddjob, Jaws, Necros and May Day, without any outlandish gimmick.
Kubrick Stare: He pulls these a LOT!
Large Ham: Some of his lines come off as Narm Charm.
Limited Wardrobe: Always wears the same outfit (Black bolero jacket, snug black slacks, Cuban boots ^noteAnd lookin' quite sexy!). Only the shirt underneath gets changed ^note.
Ludicrous Gibs: He's killed by being fed, feet first, into a cocaine grinder which shreds him to pieces. It's every bit as horrifying as it sounds.
Mundane Horror: He is quite down-to-Earth compared to other Bond henchmen such as Oddjob, Jaws, Necros and May Day, but it doesn't make him any less frightening.
Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: Him vs. Bond. Del Toro was the youngest actor to be cast as a Bond henchman as he was 21 at the time of filming.
Only One Name: Only called "Dario" throughout the film.
Pretty Boy: Apart from the Slasher Smile and creepy facial expressions he often pulls... he's a very boyishly◊ attractive◊ young man.
Psycho for Hire: To the point that he was fired by the Contras, according to Pam.
Psycho Knife Nut: A creepy, sadistic rapist. His weapon, pulled out in a distinctive◊ fashion every time◊, is a distinctive knife.
Put on a Bus: After trying to kill Pam he's absent doing other errands for Sanchez until the climax, due to how he could have recognized Bond if he'd been present earlier (and indeed does when he comes back).
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil:
- He raped Leiter's wife before killing her.
  Leiter: Where's my wife?
  Dario: Don't worry. We gave her a nice honeymooooon!
- That's not even going into his reaction whenever he sees Pam Bouvier: Slasher Smile.
Red Right Hand: Downplayed. He's got one metal tooth◊ on his upper jaw.
Sadist: To a truly unsettling degree and even more than Sanchez. It later comes back to bite him. HARD.
Say My Name: Screams "Sanchez!" as the cocaine grinder shreds his body.
Slasher Smile: BOY HOWDY! He's got them down to a science!
Spanner in the Works: His sudden return to Sanchez at the worst possible moment ends up royally screwing Bond over since he's the only one of Sanchez's crew who knows who Bond really is and is able to expose him as The Mole.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's certainly got the look, even if his personality makes any attraction impossible.
Terrible Trio: With Perez and Braun.
Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: He was bad enough to get kicked out of the Contras.
Undying Loyalty: To Sanchez. He stays behind in Sanchez's drug refining facility, even though it's exploding, to finish off Bond, and that's where he dies, but through a cocaine shredder rather than flames, which was reserved for his boss.

Perez

Played by: Alejandro Bracho

One of Sanchez's enforcers.

Beard of Evil: Sports a scruffy five o'clock shadow.
Co-Dragons: With Dario and Braun.
The Consigliere: He's Sanchez's main advisor in regards to non-financial matters.
Determinator: Even after Bond runs over and crushes his Jeep, he still tries to come after Bond on foot before Braun comes by in a pickup and gives him a lift. Then, undaunted by a giant wall of fire, he has Braun drive straight through it in pursuit of Bond and continues chasing him even with the wheels on fire.
Disney Villain Death: He and Braun go sailing off of a cliff in their truck. While on fire!
Even Evil Has Standards: He's visibly squicked when Sanchez kills Krest in the decompression chamber. He may be a ruthless psychopathic killer and one of Sanchez's top three henchmen but....unlike Dario & Braun, he's squeamish when it comes to extreme gore. You almost feel bad for the guy at that point.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He helps rape and murder Della.
Terrible Trio: With Dario and Braun.
Undying Loyalty: Like Dario, he is fiercely loyal to Sanchez, and stays behind during the truck chase to try and blow Bond up with a rocket launcher. And long after the other Mooks have run off, he and Braun alone continue chasing after Bond.

Braun

Played by: Guy De Saint Cyr

Another one of Sanchez's enforcers.

All There in the Manual: The novel states that he's German and a fugitive from East Berlin.
Co-Dragons: With Dario and Perez.
Determinator: Drives through a wall of fire in pursuit of Bond.
Disney Villain Death: Along with Perez, goes flying off a cliff in a flaming truck.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a jagged scar on his right cheek just under his eye.
Forklift Fu: He kills Heller by impaling him on the tines of a forklift.
Porn Stache: Has a particularly ratty one, along with a soul patch.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He helped rape and murder Della.
Terrible Trio: With Dario and Perez.
The Brute: He's the Big Guy of the Terrible Trio.
The Voiceless: Never says a word in the entire film.
Undying Loyalty: Remains behind in the burning drug factory just to impale Heller on a forklift for betraying Sanchez. He then escapes in a pickup truck.

Milton Krest

"That's not my money, I swear!"

Played by: Anthony Zerbe

Owner of the Wavekrest Marine Research lab. He smuggles cocaine for Sanchez.

Adaptational Nice Guy: Okay, he's still a villain, but he's considerably less of an asshole than he is in the short story "The Hildebrand Rarity".
Adaptational Sympathy: His counterpart in "The Hildebrand Rarity" was an absolutely loathesome human being who truly deserved his gruesome fate. In the film, he's more of a washed-up lackey who by the end is more pitiable than evil.
Adaptational Wimp: In the short story he originated in, Krest was the main villain, and a physically imposing, dominant and active bad guy who very much ran his own show. Here, he is much more subdued, and little more than an underling to Sanchez.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He desperately begs Sanchez not to kill him. It doesn't work.
Blatant Lies: When Bond meets him.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Sanchez throws him inside his boat's decompression chamber and begins raising the pressure of the chamber. Once the pressure reaches a critical point, Sanchez, taking an axe, hacks through the air-pressure vent. The rapid decompression causes Krest's head to rapidly expand, then explode.
Death by Materialism: Subverted. Sanchez is led to think Krest died this way, murdered after trying to have his boss assassinated to get away with stealing his money. Sanchez claims to value loyalty more than money, so his fury is understandable.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the short story, he's found with an eel stuffed down his throat. In the film, he gets locked in a decompression chamber where his head explodes.
Dirty Old Man: Drunkenly hits on the considerably younger Lupe while she's sleeping in the captain's quarters.
Even Evil Has Standards: As with Kilifer, he's clearly nauseated watching Leiter being fed to the shark. He also gets a brief, non-verbal moment after joking about it that shows he's also unsettled by him cutting out the heart of Lupe's lover while he was still alive.
Eye Scream: One of his eyes seems to be always squinted.
Faux Affably Evil: He's presented as a gentleman of sorts early on, but shows his evil side quickly once Bond busts a drug deal Krest arranged.
Frame-Up: Bond plants evidence to succesfully frame Krest as The Starscream. Sanchez furiously murders him for this perceived betrayal.
I Need a Freaking Drink: He's often inebriated at inappropriate moments. Including right before he is executed by Sanchez when Bond sets him up.
Karmic Death: At least in the eyes of Sanchez, who kills him while he's locked with the money that Sanchez thinks he stole from him. In the book, he's choked with the Hilderbrand Rarity in his sleep.
The Peeping Tom: Frequently spies on Lupe, to Sanchez's annoyance.
Shoot the Messenger: Krest essentially ends up having to be the unfortunate henchman who has to explain to his unimpressed boss exactly what happened when James Bond performed one of his awesome-but-completely-unbelievable stunts that completely fouls up the boss's operations. It ends about as well for him as you'd expect.
Wealthy Yacht Owner: And "marine biologist".
Your Head Asplode: Along with the rest of him when Sanchez locks him in a decompression chamber. It's not pretty, to say the least.

Heller

Colonel Heller

"You're not going to believe who this guy is."

Played by: Don Stroud

Sanchez's head of security, he is the head of the Isthmus military.

All There in the Manual: A deleted scene has Pam explaining to Bond that Heller had served in the Green Berets before resigning disgracefully.
Asshole Victim: Was a loyal member of Sanchez's entourage until his boss sought to use Stinger missiles against American passenger planes to blackmail the DEA. His attempt to return the weapons lands him on the receiving end of a forklift courtesy of Braun.
Double Agent: He's CIA grass who was planning on return to the government Stinger missiles that Sanchez is threatening to use to shoot down passenger jets, in exchange for immunity by the DEA.
Even Evil Has Standards: He doesn't seem to have too much problem with the drug-running operation that Sanchez masterminds but it appears that Sanchez acquiring Stinger missiles and threatening to shoot down civilian aircraft is a step too far.
Fallen Hero: A disgraced Green Beret who later becomes the head of security for a drug lord.
From Camouflage to Criminal: An ex-Green Beret colonel who runs Sanchez's private army.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He gets killed by being impaled with a forklift.
The Mole: He was one within Sanchez's operation.
Mook Lieutenant: Leads the Isthmus military, as witnessed in a strike against Kwang's base, uniform and all.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: With a name like "Heller"? Hell, yeah.
Only One Name: No first name given.
Villainous Rescue: Heller and his troops save Bond from the Hong Kong and British narcotics agents planning to extract him back to the UK.
Would Hit a Girl: Personally guns down Loti.

Truman-Lodge

William Truman-Lodge

"This setup cost us $32 million! We've got to try and save it!"

Played by: Anthony Starke

Sanchez's financial advisor and accountant.

All There in the Manual: In a deleted scene, Pam mentions that Truman-Lodge is wanted in the United States for insider trading on Wall Street, presumably in the 1987 Stock Market crash.
Asshole Victim: His greedy personality and obsession with falling profits makes him such an unlikable villain that nobody's going to miss him when Sanchez blasts him with a Micro-Uzi.
The Consigliere: Gives financial advice to Sanchez.
Evil Genius: He is an accounting expert and he's in charge of Sanchez's financial schemes to conceal his drug money.
Jerkass Has a Point: He's quite right to point out that abandoning the operation isn't the most practical idea given the time and money it took to create as well as to reference the cost of all of Bond's antics. Shame he couldn't have chosen a better time to do it.
Last-Name Basis: His first name is never referenced and you'd be forgiven for thinking his name is simply Truman Lodge.
Morally Bankrupt Banker: Obsessed with numbers and profits.
Named by the Adaptation: In the film, he's only called by his last name, Truman-Lodge. The novelisation of the film gives his first name as William.
Non-Action Guy: He's a money guy and not a combatant. We never see him even try to use a gun or fight.
Pretty Boy: In a bland, dorky, Yuppie sort of way. He's boyish with pretty blue eyes and wavy sandy hair.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He tries to pull this after Bond destroys Sanchez's facility, but Sanchez catches him before he escapes too far, essentially forcing him into his car. It probably didn't hurt Sanchez's decision to fill him with a few dozen bullets.
Smug Snake: He's basically a smarmy late-80s yuppie dropped into a James Bond bad guy's entourage.
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: It turns out that all the stuff we see Bond destroy in cool explosions is incredibly expensive and hard to bounce back from and someone in the villain's organization has to be mindful of such things. Too bad he couldn't have phrased his concerns better.
Too Dumb to Live: All things considered, Franz Sanchez has had a bad day: a man he thought would be a trusted friend turned out to be trying to kill him, his drug refining facility has been destroyed, the religious cult cover has been exposed and Bond has now destroyed two of the tankers with millions of dollars worth of petro-cocaine and managed to steal one. The last thing he needs at this point is a snotty-nosed financial expert berating him for messing up a lucrative business. Truman-Lodge was also a little bit foolish to talk in such a condescending manner to Sanchez, who has already displayed his complete disregard for his henchmen's lives. Sure enough, one snide comment too many from Truman and Sanchez whips out a Micro-Uzi and shoots him, before getting into one of the remaining tankers.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Sanchez kills him when he bemoans the fact that he's lost another $80 million.
Yuppie: A stereotypical example as befitting the era the movie was made.

Ed Killifer

Edward "Ed" Killifer

"Sorry, old buddy, but two mil's a helluva chunk of dough."

Played by: Everett McGill

A DEA agent who agrees to help Sanchez escape and betray Felix Leiter.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He offers to split his money with Bond to spare him. It doesn't work.
Bond: You want it? You keep it, "old buddy".
Briefcase Full of Money: His reward for betraying Leiter. Bond later uses it against him.
Cruel and Unusual Death: He's eaten by a great white shark.
Death by Materialism: Hanging on a rope above the shark tank, he falls in when he instinctively tries to catch the briefcase of money Bond throws at him.
Dirty Cop: $2 million is his thirty silver shekels.
Even Evil Has Standards: Almost faints when Leiter is fed to the shark and even makes a point of telling Bond that wasn't his doing or idea.
Face–Heel Turn: He goes from an honest cop and friend of Leiter's to a turncoat as soon as enough money is offered.
Faux Affably Evil: He has the habit of addressing people as "old buddy," even after showing his true colours.
Fed to the Beast: He is dropped into Sanchez's shark tank by Bond.
Greed: $2 million reward for freeing Sanchez is something he can't resist.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He opened up the shark tank with the intention of sending Bond in and ends up falling in himself.
Just Desserts: His fate.
Karmic Death: The man who caused Leiter to be maimed by a shark is dropped into the same shark tank Leiter was dropped into. And he falls by getting thrown the Briefcase Full of Money he was given for that, no less.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Astonishingly, a guy named "Killifer" turns out to be less than trustworthy.
No Body Left Behind: When the authorities investigate the warehouse the morning after he's fed to a shark by Bond, all they find of him is a "little bitty piece of what used to be Killifer."
Only in It for the Money: He switched sides in a heartbeat after Sanchez offers $2 million.
Race Lift: His death mimics that of "The Robber" from the Live and Let Die novel, dangling over the shark tank he fed Felix Leiter too, trying to convince Bond to save him, only for Bond to punt him in anyway.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Averted. Krest suggests doing this to him but Sanchez insists on keeping his word.
Verbal Tic: Calls people "old buddy", even when preparing to kill them.
What You Are in the Dark: Makes a big "show" of "righteous anger" before Hawkins, when Sanchez offers to bribe him....but he takes the bribe and helps Sanchez anyway.

Professor Joe Butcher

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joe_butcher_wayne_newton___profile.jpg

"Bless your heart!"

Played by: Wayne Newton

Sanchez's middleman and TV evangelist for Olimpatec Meditation Institute.

Affably Evil: Never raises his temper, even when Pam threatens him with a gun and steals back the money she brought in the first place.
Catchphrase: "Bless your heart!".
Corrupt Church: His church is a front for Sanchez's drug operation. A bonus in that he rakes in plenty of legitimate profit in his own right.
Distracted by the Sexy: Pam seduces him to get him out of the way before pulling a gun on him.
Graceful Loser: His response to his meditation retreat getting destroyed: a simple (albeit rather bitter-sounding) "Bless your heart!" to Pam while they flee from the destruction.
Karma Houdini: Besides the iguana, Lupe and El Presidente Lopez, he is the only named affiliate of Sanchez that doesn't die a brutal/horrible death, at least he was a Graceful Loser about his only comeuppance, and since his ministry turns its own profit, he can still keep his job, albeit without a silent backer.
Laughably Evil: His Affably Evil persona, constant Character Catchphrase ("Bless your heart!") and the fact most of his scenes are humorous is a contrast to the dark tone of the film.
Light Is Not Good: A televangelist running a sham cult that hides a drug-dealing operation.
Plucky Comic Relief: Acts as this for his scenes to give audiences a breather due to the film being Darker and Edgier.
Preacher Man: He's a televangelist.
Punch-Clock Villain: He is a willing participant of Sanchez's drug empire. Aside from that, however, he comes off relatively benign, and not mean or sadistic at all. He even takes it in stride after Pam points a gun at him, his meditation retreat gets destroyed, and then she steals money back from him.
Sinister Minister: He's actually part of Sanchez's criminal organisation with his church being a front. This front is so successful that he legitimately turns a profit himself.
Smug Snake: He's a bit smarmy and, compared to most of the psychos surrounding Franz Sanchez, not particularly dangerous or competent (at least, at anything not involving being a conman and fake preacher). But as noted elsewhere, he's a fairly affable version of the trope at least.
Worthy Opponent: Granted, the main reason she's 'worthy' is because Professor Joe would very much like to get into her pants, but he frequently reacts with genuinely amused and impressed good humour that Pam keeps getting the drop on him.

Other Characters

Lupe

Lupe Lamora

"Don't you men know any other way?"

Played by: Talisa Soto

Dubbed by: Maïk Darah (European French)

Sanchez's mistress.

Age-Gap Romance: It's never mentioned but she's considerably younger than both Sanchez and Bond (Talisa Soto was about twenty-one when the film was released, fourteen years younger than Robert Davi and twenty-three years younger than Timothy Dalton).
Alliterative Name: Lupe Lamora, though "Lupe" is probably short for "Guadalupe."
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Her withdrawn nature mainly stems from being abused.
Betty and Veronica: She's the Veronica to Pam's Betty, being the more alluring, exotic and mischievous one to Pam's more reliable one.
Broken Bird: Her introductory scene has Sanchez beating her with a stingray's tail, while his henchmen kill her lover and cut his heart out.
Domestic Abuse: Sanchez whips her for cheating him and it's clear she lives in terror of him.
Earn Your Happy Ending: She ends the film finally free of Sanchez and enjoying his wealth.
Gold Digger: A subversion. There are some elements of it, as by the time Bond goes to Sanchez's casino, she and Sanchez apparently reconciled and she enjoys the lavish gifts he gives her, but it's shown that she's still afraid of him when she's not in his presence. It's very likely she was lured in by his wealth and luxury before he showed his true nature, which is sadly common in abusive relationships. At the end of the film, she takes Sanchez's iguana's diamond collar as a bracelet for herself.
Lady in Red: She wears a red dress in a lot of her scenes.
Meaningful Name: "Lamora", "L'amour"...
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Helps Bond to finally have a good chance to escape Sanchez's abuse.
Ms. Fanservice: She's an attractive woman who's often played for fanservice through the film, being introduced wearing only a bedsheet, is caught sleeping in the buff by Bond and her scenes aboard the Wavekrest have her only in a skimpy red robe, has a few Toplessness from the Back shots (although it becomes Fan Disservice when the scars from her whipping are shown), and her red dress at the casino had some considerable cleavage.
Naked on Arrival: She only has a Modesty Bedsheet when introduced. She also sleeps naked while aboard the Wavekrest.
Neutral Female: Besides helping Bond in framing Krest and getting Bond out of Sanchez's mansion (and even that comes after prodding from Bond), she doesn't do much proactive to help him, and isn't even involved in the climax. In fact, she tries to convince him to leave Isthmus and let Sanchez be, for fear of what Sanchez would do to him, to no avail.
Noodle Incident: Lupe became Sanchez's mistress after he rigged a beauty pageant that she won.
Rags to Riches: It's implied that she grew up in third world poverty and her relationship with Sanchez, abusive as it is, was her way of escaping that life.
Sleeps in the Nude: When Bond invades her bedroom at the Wavekrest, she's sleeping naked under the covers. Mostly played for fanservice
Spicy Latina: Averted. She's the first Latina Bond girl but is noticeably withdrawn, no doubt a result of Sanchez's Domestic Abuse.
Statuesque Stunner: While not as tall as Pam (who is 5'10), she's still considerably tall for a woman at 5'8. They stand toe-to-toe in the hotness department, though.
Sympathetic Adulterer: She's introduced cheating on Sanchez, but it's played as sympathetic considering the Domestic Abuse she puts her through. The fact he still forces her to stay with him despite her cheating on him and clearly not wanting to be with him shows she has little say in their relationship.
Trophy Wife: She's not Sanchez's wife, but he basically forces her to be with him as a trophy and to flaunt his status, due to her beauty and class.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Her cheating on Sanchez sets off a chain reaction where he unwisely attracts the attention of not just the DEA, but of James Bond himself, which ultimately spells doom for him and his criminal empire. This is lampshaded by Krest when he's drunkenly chiding her aboard the Wavekrest over the fact that he had to waste resources of his own to get Sanchez out of custody.
When She Smiles: After spending the whole film withdrawn or afraid, she smiles in the finale, after she is finally free of Sanchez, and is positively radiant.

Della

Della Leiter, née Churchill

"That's a custom, you see. The bride always gets to kiss her best man."

Played by: Priscilla Barnes

The bride of Felix Leiter, she is raped and killed by Sanchez's men on her wedding night.

Dies Wide Open: When Bond finds her murdered on her bed, she still has her eyes open.
Disposable Woman: She is introduced only to be raped and murdered, thus motivating Bond to avenge her and her husband. Unlike her, though, her husband actually survives.
Happily Married: Doesn't last even one day, sadly...
Kill the Cutie: A seemingly pleasant girl brutally killed at the start of the film.
Sacrificial Lamb: Her death and Leiter's maiming early on are the catalysts of Bond's revenge.
Too Happy to Live: She was raped and killed not even a day after her wedding.
We Hardly Knew Ye: She's killed shortly after her wedding at the start of the film.

Kwang

"Sanchez is taking us to the heart of his operations. I've been setting it up for years! I just hope that little stunt of yours hasn't scared him off!"

Played by: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

A Hong Kong narcotics agent posing as a drug lord to infiltrate Sanchez's organization.

All for Nothing: With him and Loti dead, Bond was able to kill Sanchez and destroy Sanchez's cartel and his operation.
Better to Die than Be Killed: He is cornered by Sanchez and Heller after Bond's failed assassination attempt, and takes a cyanide capsule before Sanchez can make any effort to interrogate him.
Dirty Cop: A downplayed ambiguous example due to his Rabid Cop Police Brutality towards Bond.
Good Is Not Nice: Is more than happy to hand Bond over to the British when their man comes to arrest him. To be fair though, Bond did endanger his efforts to cripple Sanchez's operations.
Hero Antagonist: In another story, he'd probably be one of Bond's allies. But because Bond went rogue and interfered in his operation, he's willing to stop him by any means necessary.
Hero of Another Story: Was already on Sanchez's trail for years prior to Bond entering the picture.
Inspector Javert: He's a Hong Kong narcotics agent who gets in Bond's way and apprehends him without hesitation.
The Mole: Has been working for years to bring down Sanchez, and was one step closer to accomplishing this before Bond came in to the picture.
Police Are Useless: He's a Hong Kong narcotics agent who gets in Bond's way of his Roaring Rampage of Revenge and was forced to take a cyanide capsule when Sanchez and Heller found him following a Kerb-Stomp Battle of an ambush on him and Loti.
Police Brutality: When he attempts a Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique against Bond for his interference.
Rabid Cop: He's quite merciless and unforgiving towards Bond interfering.
The Stoic: Never loses his cool until Bond screws all of his plans up.

Loti

Played by: Diana Lee Hsu

A Hong Kong narcotics agent who was Kwang's partner in posing as a drug lord to infiltrate Sanchez's organization.

All for Nothing: With Kwang and Loti dead, Bond was able to kill Sanchez and destroy Sanchez's cartel and his operation.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Kwang actually tells her this almost verbatim when they're cornered by Sanchez and Heller after Bond's failed assassination attempt, although instead of poisoning herself like Kwang, she runs towards Heller shooting wildly to make Heller shoot her dead.
Dirty Cop: A downplayed ambiguous example due to her Rabid Cop Police Brutality towards Bond.
Fair Cop: She's a Hong Kong narcotics agent who is played by model Diana Lee Hsu.
Gratuitous Ninja: When a vengeful Bond tries to kill Sanchez, Loti and a partner appear in ninja garb and knock Bond unconscious. This is despite the fact that ninjas are Japanese and Kwang states that they are Hong Kong Narcotics. The novelization tries to fix this by stating that she's a Japanese national who somehow ended up working for Hong Kong Narcotics.
Hero Antagonist: In another story, she'd probably be one of Bond's allies and one of the Bond girls. But because Bond went rogue and interfered in their operation, she's willing to stop him by any means necessary.
Hero of Another Story: Was already on Sanchez's trail for years prior to Bond entering the picture.
Inspector Javert: She's a Hong Kong narcotics agent who gets in Bond's way and apprehends him without hesitation.
The Mole: She and Kwang had been working for years to bring down Sanchez, and were one step closer to accomplishing this before Bond came into the picture.
Police Are Useless: She's a Hong Kong narcotics agent who gets in Bond's way of his Roaring Rampage of Revenge and was forced to commit Suicide by Cop when cornered following a Curb-Stomp Battle of an ambush on her and Kwang.
Police Brutality: When she attempts a Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique against Bond for his interference.
Rabid Cop: She's quite merciless and unforgiving towards Bond interfering.
Suicide by Cop: A variant; when she and Kwang are cornered by Sanchez and Colonel Heller, she disarms one of Heller's soldiers and uses the gun to take down a couple of the soldiers before Heller puts a few bullets in her.

Hector Lopez

El Presidente Hector Lopez

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lopez_2.png

"There has been a mistake with my cheque. Look at it! It's half the usual amount!"

Played by: Pedro Armendáriz Jr.

The puppet president of Isthmus who's on Franz Sanchez's payroll.

Authority in Name Only: He's President but it's clear Sanchez is the one who really runs things and is not shy about reminding him of that fact.
Banana Republic: He's the President of one, Isthmus, which is a clear analogue for Panama.
Chest of Medals: As fitting for a (puppet) Generalissimo.
Corrupt Politician: Sanchez has been sending him a monthly stipend to keep him under control. He complains when Sanchez slashes that figure in half when he fails to condemn Sanchez's arrest.
The Generalissimo: Is basically a pastiche of every Latin American caudillo over the last fifty years. May be subverted in that he doesn't seem to be that bad of a guy and he and Lupe even become an "item" in the end.
Heel–Face Turn: Sort of. With Sanchez gone, Lopez is no longer under any obligations to him and attends a party at Sanchez's residence at the end of the film. He is last seen meeting Lupe Lamora and falling in love with her.
President for Life: As long as Sanchez approves, that is. Because Lopez is just a puppet and Sanchez is the real ruler of Isthmus.
Punch-Clock Villain: He's on Sanchez's payroll but it's clear it's only out of fear; the monthly stipends to Lopez seem more like a formality on Sanchez's end than anything vital, as Lopez has no way whatsoever of threatening Sanchez. Noticeably, when Sanchez is arrested, he doesn't speak out or make any effort to get him released.
Puppet King: Lopez may be the official leader of Isthmus, but it's clear Sanchez is the one who's really calling the shots and can get rid of him any time he wishes. The only reason that Sanchez continues to keep up the pretence is because such an arrangement is the most convenient one for him and Lopez is sufficiently docile.
Trapped in Villainy: Downplayed and justified. Lopez really isn't a "villain", per se. Sanchez sends bribes and veiled threats to keep Lopez on a leash so he won't get in the way. Furthermore, Sanchez's Implied Death Threat to Lopez is the biggest clue that the latter is not a willing participant in the former's schemes.
Sanchez: (to Lopez) Remember, you are only a president...for life.

Characters / Licence to Kill

Edit Locked

MI6