Built for a Supervillain

By: The Editors

Jacobin ranks the all-time best James Bond villain secret lairs.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s Volcano Lair from You Only Live Twice

Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s Volcano Lair

You Only Live Twice

This one has it all: Ken Adam’s sleek mid-1960s modernist design, massive scale, and an extremely preposterous location (a goddamn volcano!).

Karl Stromberg’s Underwater Base Atlantis

The Spy Who Loved Me

So beautifully weird-looking that it could almost be a Yugoslavian communist memorial, not only is this top-shelf Bond villain lair real estate, but how does 007 get there? Via an underwater car — a Lotus Esprit currently owned by our own real-world Bond villain, Elon Musk.

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Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s Volcano Lair You Only Live Twice This one has it all: Ken Adam’s sleek mid-1960s modernist design, massive scale, and an extremely preposterous location (a goddamn volcano!). Karl Stromberg’s Underwater Base Atlantis The Spy Who Loved Me [Fig. (Untitled)] So beautifully weird-looking that it could almost be a Yugoslavian communist memorial, not only is this top-shelf Bond villain lair real estate, but how does 007 get there?...

Jacobin