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"He has a powerful weapon. He charges a million a shot. An assassin that's second to none. The Man with the Golden Gun."
― Scaramanga's description in the film's opening song.[src]

Francisco Scaramanga, also known as The Man with the Golden Gun, was a fictional professional assassin and hitman who served as the titular main antagonist in EON Productions' 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. Portrayed by the late British actor Christopher Lee, he was based from the literary character who appeared in Ian Fleming's 1965 novel. Scaramanga also appeared in games derived from the franchise, most notably in the 1986 James Bond 007 tabletop role-playing game and in Electronic Arts' 2004 video-game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

Biography[]

Background[]

"You see Mr. Bond, I always thought I liked animals. Then I discovered that I enjoyed killing people even more."
― Scaramanga describing his sadistic pleasure to 007.[src]

Francisco Scaramanga was a British national born in a travelling circus. His father, a Cuban expatriate, was the ringmaster, and his British mother was a snake charmer. By the age of 10, 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 the age of 15, he had left the circus and was working as a gunman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 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. Among his victims is Bill Fairbanks, MI6 agent 002. 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 criminal career. Consequently, Scaramanga lives very well, drawing from the exorbitant sums of money he charges to carry out his assassinations 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 their name 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[]

TMWTGG - Scaramanga prepares to kill Gibson

Hiding on a rooftop, Scaramanga prepares to kill Gibson.

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 Mr. Fat to develop a solution to the world's ongoing energy crisis. With the help of Mr. 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 powerplant: the Solex Agitator unit.

With Gibson 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 (the "Bottoms Up" club), Gibson is assassinated and his invention is stolen from the crime scene by Nick Nack. Scaramanga initially returns the device to Mr. Fat, but following James Bond's interference, Mr. Fat rants about Scaramanga's actions and regrets over making him a partner of the business; as a result, Scaramanga instead decides to kill his employer and take the Solex, power plant and company for himself. With Hai Fat's assets in his possession, Scaramanga 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, as anyone who paid up would be the new owner, no matter who they were: a government, a terrorist, an industrialist, or whoever.

Clash of the Titans[]

TMWTGG - Bond and Scaramanga meet

Bond and Scaramanga meet for the first time.

"My name is Scaramanga, Francisco Scaramanga. I feel I know you, although I never thought we should ever meet. It's a very great pleasure for me, Mr Bond, thanks to Miss Anders."
― Francisco Scaramanga[src]

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 in the chest as she waits for 007 in a kickboxing arena. He searches her handbag before the spy arrives, but fails to find the device, which has fallen under her seat. 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, presently disguised as a food seller at the fight, who in turn passes it to fellow agent Mary Goodnight.

After excusing himself, Scaramanga leaves empty-handed, only to discover Goodnight 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 (with questionable help from J.W. Pepper), he and Nick Nack manage to evade pursuit and capture by taking to the skies with an aircraft attachment on the roof of the car, taking Goodnight and the Solex with them.

"We have so much in common and so much to discuss. We will never have this chance again. Ours is the loneliest profession, so let us spend a few pleasant hours together."
― Francisco Scaramanga[src]

Picking up Goodnight's homing beacon, 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 built. 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 angrily disagrees with this comparison, stating that he only kills on the orders of his government and those he kills are killers themselves. The two have a tense standoff, which results in Scaramanga threatening the 00 agent with his Golden Gun and Bond admitting to Scaramanga that killing him would be "a pleasure", but agreed to a duel.

Death[]

ScaramangaDeath

Scaramanga fatally shot by Bond.

"I could have shot you when you landed, but that would have been ridiculously easy. You see Mr. Bond, like every great artist I want to create an indisputable masterpiece once in my lifetime. The death of 007, mano a mano, face to face, will be mine."
― Francisco Scaramanga[src]

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, saying "I only need one". Reluctantly, Bond agrees, and the pair assemble on the beach after lunch, with Nick Nack supervising.

After the traditional twenty paces, Bond turns and fires, only to find that the assassin has cheated the duel and fled into the funhouse - a labyrinthine styled maze, where Scaramanga and his opponents (all hired by Nick Nack) regularly duel to the death. Bond spots Nick Nack and suspects him of helping Scaramanga, but Nick Nack rectifies that if Bond kills Scaramanga, all his assets will be his, so he has no intention to help Scaramanga. Consequently, Nick Nack guides Bond to the funhouse to finish the duel. The two deadly 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 ultimately falls to the ground, dead, with his Golden Gun dropping beside him.

Physical Appearance[]

Francisco Scaramanga can be described as "tall, dark, and handsome", alluding to his short black hair with a widow's peak, his dark brown eyes, and ruggedly masculine, handsome face, along with his tanned skin. He stands at an imposing six feet, five inches tall (6'5"), his body trim and slightly muscular. His most unusual feature is an extra nipple.

He is often seen in a white suit, and wears a ring with a huge stone on the little fingers of each of his hands, Anders noting he always wears gold jewellery. When swimming, he wears dark blue swimming trunks, and during his gun fight with Rodney, the assassin summoned by Nick Nack in the opening scene, he wore a royal blue track suit.

Upon welcoming James Bond to his island home, Scaramanga dressed in a short sleeved, high collared, white polo shirt paired with light pants and loafers.

Personality[]

Scaramanga was an eccentric, arrogant, ruthless, ambitious and sadistic assassin; he was different from James Bond's other adversaries in the sense that he was not a terrorist intent on world domination, but simply an assassin who didn't feel any fear when having to test his skills against those sent to try and kill him, thus the trailer description of "The Most Dangerous Man Alive". He had immense self-confidence in his skills as a marksman and was almost dismissive that only James Bond was his singular equal. Many fans consider him an "anti-Bond" character.

The assassin showed paranoia when surrounded by characters such as Hai Fat and Andrea Anders; he did not tolerate Hai Fat talking down to him, or his mistress's betrayal, resulting in him killing them both.

Scaramanga also has a sardonic, sarcastic, and somewhat childish sense of humor, joking before killing Hai Fat "What do they teach in that school? Ballet dancing?", referring to the martial arts school owned by his employer, much to the man's annoyance; after killing Hai Fat for talking down to him, he remarked "He always did like that mausoleum. Put him in it." Another instance where his sense of humor is displayed is when he finds Mary Goodnight placing a tracking device in the trunk of his car; instead of confronting her outright, or even killing her on the spot, he startles her by grabbing her from behind and shoving her into the boot in one fluid movement before slamming the lid down with a smug, self-satisfied smirk. Upon entering the dining room of his home following James Bond's arrival, and seeing his somewhat flabbergasted expression when he saw Mary Goodnight's attire, an amused Scaramanga dryly commented that he likes a girl in a bikini since she can't hide carry any hidden weapons on her.

Scaramanga is also shown to be somewhat calm and relaxed, never getting flustered even in hair raising situations; he was even gentlemanly in demeanor and speech, but once crossed, he reveals his cold, ruthless side without blinking; when his dark side emerges, his normally calm brown eyes take on a cold, intense look that would scare even the most seasoned killers, at some points even seeming to put Bond on edge. He only shows real anger when Bond questions his qualifications as a 'gentleman'.

Despite being somewhat coldblooded, it is quite interesting to note that upon narrating his backstory to Bond, Scaramanga looked somewhat grim, even pained when he mentioned the elephant that he had befriended as a young boy, and its tragic death at the hands of its abusive handler, showing that he had truly cared for the animal; he only smiled when revealing how he avenged his only friend, by shooting and killing the trainer in question.

Scaramanga is an expert marksman with his Golden Gun and an adept at deep cover. Although his island was equipped with various advanced technology, such as a laser cannon and an advanced independent power supply, he claims not to be well-versed in science personally, simply relying on others, such as Kra, to do the actual work. He is also a proficient pilot and aviator, judging by the plane he takes to escape Bond. Judging by the fitness equipment on the island, he is in peak physical condition.

Bond observes that Scaramanga lives extremely well with his own cordon bleu chef and an expensive wine cellar. He also seems to enjoy oysters served with Guinness and tabasco sauce and has an extensive collection of pistols including a Colt Python 357 Magnum, Colt 38 Detective Special, Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum, and Colt Single Action Army in 45 Long (which is ironically what his Golden Gun was in the original 1965 novel).

Henchmen & Associates[]

Weapons & Vehicles[]

Behind the scenes[]

Ian Fleming named Francisco Scaramanga after a fellow student at Eton with whom he shared a lasting rivalry. Following several schoolground spats Fleming decided to use the animosity he felt towards George Scaramanga for the influence behind one of his most famous villains. Fleming and Scaramanga were at Eton in the 1930s until the Bond author was expelled.

The role was offered to Jack Palance, but he turned it down.

Video-game appearances[]

GoldenEye-Character-Render Scaramanga

Scaramanga as he appears in the 2010 version of the GoldenEye video game

The character has been featured as a villain in various James Bond video games.

Francisco Scaramanga returned for the 2004 game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent once again voiced by Christopher Lee.[1] In the game, he is an ally of Auric Goldfinger.[1] He is the manufacturer of the synthetic eye given to the player (GoldenEye) and makes a virus used against Goldfinger's OMEN device.[2] The game also features a Multiplayer "Funhouse" level, including the traps that caused Bond to lose most of his bullets such as Al Capone and Cowboy mannequins and an image of Scaramanga.[3] In addition, the level includes a Bond mannequin, whose gun the player can take and use.[4]

Goldeneye rogue agent scaramanga

Scaramanga in Goldeneye Rogue Agent.

Francisco Scaramanga is a playable character in the multiplayer portions of the 2002 game Nightfire and the 2010 game GoldenEye 007. In the original GoldenEye game, it is said in the briefing for the "Egyptian" mission that the Golden Gun was stolen from Scaramanga by another villain, Baron Samedi.

Reception[]

Francisco Scaramanga was listed at number five in UGO's list of the Top 11 Classy Assassins.[5] Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly argues that Scaramanga is the best villain of the Roger Moore James Bond films.[6] Esquire Magazine Scaramanga #2 in the list of James Bond Villains, saying, "Lee carries a lifetime of experience into this part and you can detect new sides of Scaramanga in every glance, every smirk. The soldier, the lover, the monster, the theatrical showman, the egotistical professional who has made a career out of death."[7]

Gallery[]

Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee)/Gallery

See Also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Goldeneye Rogue Agent. Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved on 15 August 2011.
  2. (January 2005) "GOLDENEYE: ROGUE AGENT". Electronic Gaming Monthly (187): 130–131. Retrieved on 15 August 2011.
  3. Speer, Justin (Holiday 2004). "GOLDENEYE: ROGUE AGENT - Killin' Like a Villain". Electronic Gaming Monthly (186). Retrieved on 15 August 2011.
  4. EA Los Angeles. GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. Electronic Arts. Level/area: Funhouse.
  5. UGO's Guide to Assassins. UGO.com (2007-08-21).
  6. Template:Cite magazine
  7. Jacob Hall. "All 104 James Bond Villains, Ranked", 14 May 2017. Retrieved on 2018-07-18. 

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