Lyutsifer Safin

Lyutsifer Safin: Terrorist, Scientist, Avenger

Lyutsifer Safin is the main villain in the 2021 James Bond movie, No Time To Die. Played by American actor, Rami Malek, he’s a terrorist chief and scientist, driven by a desire to dismantle the notorious criminal group, SPECTRE, as an act of retribution for the murder of his family, orchestrated by the assassin Mr. White.

Lyutsifer Safin

Backstory

Lyutsifer Safin hails from a lineage of chemists, who once provided lethal chemicals to the infamous criminal organization, SPECTRE. Their sinister goal was to acquire and operate the family’s island production facility – The Poison Garden.

As a child, Safin miraculously survived an attempt on his family, by Mr. White but which was orchestrated by Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Kraken

Utilizing the very dioxin chemicals that the family produced, Mr. White was successful in killing all family members, apart from Safin. This brutal incident left Lyutsifer Safin scarred, traumatized, and consumed by a relentless quest for vengeance against SPECTRE and its affiliates.

In the late 20th century, a facially scarred Safin donned a traditional Japanese Noh mask and targeted Mr. White for retribution in Norway. He found White’s wife and daughter, Madeleine, at home and killed the mother.

A young Madeleine shot and injured Safin, but he quickly recovered and chased her. She slipped into a frozen lake, but instead of letting her die, Safin rescued her and spared her life before vanishing.

No Time To Die

Lyutsifer Safin plots his revenge on SPECTRE, and he obtains a top-secret British nanoweapon, “Heracles,” while securing the allegiance of its lead scientist, Dr. Valdo Obruchev.

When SPECTRE attempts to steal the technology, Safin seizes the opportunity, secretly instructing Obruchev to reprogram the weapon to target SPECTRE’s members. A surprise attack on a SPECTRE meeting in Cuba ends up devastating the organization, with Safin taking control of its assets, including The Poison Garden, where he plans to mass-produce Heracles.

In a surprising turn of events, Lyutsifer Safin reaches out to Madeleine Swann, who is now a psychiatrist for the incarcerated SPECTRE leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Lyutsifer Safin

By threatening harm to her daughter Mathilde, Madeleine is coerced by Safin into smuggling Heracles into prison. This leads to Blofeld’s death, ironically at the hands of James Bond, who unknowingly carried the lethal nanobots. This event effectively destroys SPECTRE, thus fulfilling Safin’s long-sought revenge.

Lyutsifer Safin then relentlessly pursues Madeleine Swann, leading to her and Mathilde’s abduction and confinement at The Poison Garden, despite James Bond‘s efforts to intervene. Soon after, Bond and fellow Double-O agent, Nomi, infiltrate the island with a mission to save them and annihilate the Heracles production facilities.

Safin proposes a deal to Bond, promising to spare Mathilde in return for the safety of his own unborn child. His grand scheme for Heracles is to wield it as a tool to control global terrorism and organizations like SPECTRE, by deciding who lives and who dies.

Negotiations quickly deteriorate, and Safin threatens to kill Mathilde. In response, Bond shoots Safin’s guards but fails to prevent Safin from escaping with the girl, but he eventually allows her to leave after she rejects his protection.

As the first batch of Heracles awaits pickup, Bond manages to expose the lab for a naval strike, opening the missile silo doors above. Meanwhile, Safin intercepts Bond, shooting and wounding him twice.

In a struggle, Lyutsifer Safin infects Bond with a dose of Heracles intended to kill Madeleine and their daughter, sealing Bond’s fate. However, not before Bond ensures the total destruction of the facility and, in a final act of defiance, kills Safin.

Lyutsifer Safin and Mathilde

Rami Malek

Rami Malek, born to Egyptian immigrants on May 12, 1981, in Torrance, California, is a celebrated American actor renowned for his diverse and compelling performances. He has an identical twin brother, Sami, who’s an ESL and English teacher.

Malek’s acting journey began in New York City theaters after studying theatre at the University of Evansville and spending a semester in England. His debut film was Night at the Museum (2006), but he gained significant recognition for his role as Elliot Alderson in the TV series Mr. Robot (2015-2019), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award.

His portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) brought him critical acclaim and several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor. Malek also starred in Bond 25, No Time to Die (2021) and voiced characters in several video games.

In 2019, Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people globally, reflecting his profound impact on entertainment and popular culture.