Karl Stromberg

Lore & Background

Stromberg's domain centers on the supertanker *Liparus*, which acts as a mobile headquarters equipped with a small army of red-liveried soldiers. This vessel utilizes technology developed by scientists Professor Markovitz and Dr. Bechmann to track and disable nuclear submarines remotely, forcing them to surface before capturing them in an internal bay. The villain's scheme involves seizing Soviet and British submarines to fire their missiles at Moscow and New York City, framing each government for the attack to trigger a global nuclear war. Unlike Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, Stromberg holds no interest in benefiting the world; his goal is total anarchy against the surface. His team included assistant Kate Chapman, who was betrayed and fed to a shark after attempting to sell tracking system plans, while Markovitz and Bechmann were killed when their helicopter was blown up after outliving their usefulness.

In Their Own Story

The plan reached its critical turning point when James Bond (Roger Moore) infiltrated the *Liparus* as a prisoner from a captured American submarine. With Bond's assistance, crews from the seized vessels escaped and overtook the supertanker, allowing Bond to remotely order the stolen submarines to fire their nuclear warheads at one another. Prior to this climax, Stromberg had abducted Bond's partner, Russian agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach), fleeing to his base, Atlantis. There, he attempted to kill Bond twice using an explosive harpoon that spanned a dinner table. Ultimately, Bond exercised his license to kill, shooting Stromberg multiple times in the stomach and chest before Atlantis was torpedoed and sunk, burying the villain at sea.

Reader's Guide

Fans of *The Spy Who Loved Me* should note that Stromberg's character is defined by his webbed fingers and his Swedish nationality (named Sigmund in Wood's film novelization). His operation relied heavily on specific henchmen with distinct fates: Jaws survived, while Naomi was blown up by Bond, Sandor was thrown from a building, and the *Liparus* Captain died from an explosion. The plot parallels earlier films like *You Only Live Twice* regarding starting wars between superpowers, yet uniquely focuses on creating a new race underwater rather than ruling the existing one. Stromberg's secretary even informed the families of Markovitz and Bechmann that they were 'buried at sea' after their fatal helicopter accident.

Did You Know?

• Stromberg was created specifically for the film by writer Christopher Wood, as Ian Fleming's novel features a completely different plot and protagonist.
• The character is Swedish with the first name 'Sigmund' in Christopher Wood's film novelization.
• Stromberg killed his assistant Kate Chapman by feeding her to a shark after she tried to sell the submarine tracking system plans.
• After killing Professor Markovitz and Dr. Bechmann, Stromberg had his secretary tell their families they were 'buried at sea'.