Viktor Lavrentievich Zokas, better known by his alias of Renard, the Anarchist, is a fictional character and villain in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. He was portrayed by Scottish actor Robert Carlyle.

Robert Carlyle as Renard, the Anarchist.

Novel biography: Renard is trained by the KGB as an assassin, but is dismissed due to his mental instability. With the cessation of the Cold War, the political climate changes, and he becomes a terrorist. During a mission to dispatch Renard, MI6 agent 009 tracks him to Syria and shoots him in the head. Renard survives the attack, but the bullet cannot be removed from his head and is steadily working its way through his brain toward the cerebral cortex. As it moves, it steadily deprives Renard of his ability to taste, smell, and (most notably) feel. Because he is unable to feel pain, he is able to push his physical limits further and further each day, i.e. making him stronger and stronger each day far beyond what a normal human being can take.

Some time prior to the events of the film, Renard abducts Elektra King, a billionaire heiress, and held her for ransom in Cyprus. When Elektra’s father refuses Renard’s ransom demands, she decides to collaborate with and seduce Renard. She even goes as far as to mutilate her own earlobe, as Renard is too much in love with her to harm her. Unknown to MI6, Renard is aiding Elektra in her oil pipeline scheme. Such changes in Renard’s behavior are indicative of his devotion to Elektra.

Film biography: As the events unfold, Renard is living with an indeterminate life expectancy, as the bullet can reach his cerebral cortex at any time and kill him. However, according to MI6 doctor Molly Warmflash, until the bullet kills him, Renard is expected to continue due to his inability to feel pain, allowing him to drive himself beyond ordinary physical limits. This unique trait is demonstrated in Renard’s first on-screen appearance when he handles scalding pieces of volcanic rock in his hand. After her ‘rescue’ from Renard, Elektra claims to be traumatised, faking Stockholm syndrome.

Renard joins forces with Elektra in a scheme to take control of the world’s oil market. They launch an attack on MI6 headquarters in London, which results in the death of Elektra’s father. Originally, it is thought their target is her family’s oil pipeline, but it is later revealed that Renard and Elektra damaged the pipeline to cover their real target of disrupting all oil supplies except for those belonging to the King family. Renard hijacks a Russian nuclear submarine and intends to introduce weapons-grade plutonium into the submarine’s nuclear reactor, causing a nuclear meltdown. This would happen in the Bosporus at Istanbul which would contaminate the city and the Bosporus for decades, preventing any shipping from the Black Sea. Shipments of Caspian Sea oil via all existing pipelines except for the King pipeline which terminated on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast would have been affected.

Meanwhile, Elektra takes M hostage and captures Bond, but is ultimately killed by 007 after she tells Renard to launch the submarine on its mission against Bond’s orders. Bond manages to board the sub and confronts Renard. The latter locks himself inside the reactor so that Bond cannot get to him. Just as the reactor is about to go into a critical state due to Renard’s plutonium-laced fuel rod, Bond causes the reactor to shoot the rod out of the core at a high speed and into Renard’s body, thus killing him and stopping the reaction.

See also:

• Bond villains