There might be plenty of iconic characters in the film industry, but one that is both iconic and has one of the longest-running histories out there has to be the suave secret agent 007, better known as James Bond. Originally created all the way back in 1953 by Ian Fleming, the character of James Bond is older than most of the people who enjoy his thrilling stories. For decades, Bond has gripped audiences with incredible action, tales of betrayal and espionage, and his incredible prowess with people.
With the release of Casino Royale in 2006, Daniel Craig took his turn under the mysterious 007 codename, presenting a Bond who had his entire career as an MI6 operative highlighted right to the character’s death. This Bond stands out as he had a full narrative spread out across his movies with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Fraught with danger at every turn, the life of James Bond was action-packed, harrowing, and at times, bittersweet.
James Bond’s Childhood
James Bond | |
|---|---|
Created By: | Ian Fleming |
Year Created: | 1953 |
First Appearance: | Casino Royale (novel) |
Actors Who've Played Bond (Eon Films): | Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Sean Connery |
Toward the beginning of his life, an era that fans will likely never experience, Bond led a normal if upscale childhood. He was born on April 13th, 1968 to two loving parents who were relatively well-off. He attended school in both Germany and Switzerland up until the age of eleven in which his parents were killed in a freak climbing accident. Bond would continue on as best as he could without his parents, continuing his studies, before eventually meeting the Oberhausers. He would become close to Hannes Oberhauser and his son Franz, but eventually, they too would leave Bond on his own after his formative years.
By the time Bond was seventeen, he was ready to commit his life to the service, choosing to head to the Britannia Royal Naval College. As one might expect, Bond was a troublemaker all throughout his youth, and this era of his life was no different. From there, as he entered adulthood, Bond would continue his military career, excelling at everything he did until he was eventually recruited by MI6 at the age of thirty.
James Bond’s Toughest Missions
Daniel Craig James Bond Movies: | |
|---|---|
Casino Royale | Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% |
Quantum Of Solace | Rotten Tomatoes Score: 63% |
Skyfall | Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% |
Spectre | Rotten Tomatoes Score: 63% |
No Time To Die | Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83% |
James Bond’s life is filled with missions that constantly put him within an inch of his life, and he sums up that idea perfectly in a quote from Casino Royale:
“Well, I understand double 0s have a very short life expectancy, so your mistake will be short-lived.”
In Casino Royale, Bond officially became 007 at the age of thirty-eight after killing two men who’d been dealing in MI6 secrets for profit. From there, Bond soon became entangled in the web of the villain Le Chiffre, a twisted villain who was rigging the stock market to gain wealth through the execution of terrorist attacks. Aiding him on his mission featuring a tense poker game, Vesper Lynd, Bond’s first love ultimately betrays Bond and allows herself to drown despite his efforts to save her. His next adventure in Quantum of Solace (complete with a fun video game tie-in) saw Bond contending with a coup attempt and Mr. Greene’s desire to control an entire nation's water supply. Despite losses for Bond, he and his new ally Camille Montes manage to stop Mr. Greene and General Medrano’s plot.
Bond’s next major adventure in Skyfall takes place six years after the events of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. With a list of undercover agents around the world at risk of being released to terrorist groups, Bond is sent to recover the information and stop the man responsible. Eventually discovering that M is the true target of Raul Silva, Bond and M flee back to his childhood home to hide out, eventually leading to a tense confrontation that has Bond vastly outgunned. Unfortunately, Silva is a dangerous foe and while Bond is able to overcome his threat, M is killed in the process.
Three years later in Spectre, Bond finds himself up against the organization known as S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and his childhood friend Oberhauser, now known as Blofeld, back to haunt him. While other villains had hatched massive schemes, Blofeld had managed to think of everything in his underrated evil plan, posing the most dangerous challenge to Bond yet. Working with and falling for Madeleine Swann, the pair soon find themselves at the mercy of Blofeld, but they ultimately escape before being captured once again by the returning villain. After a tense rescue, Bond and Swann chase Blofeld’s helicopter from a boat, eventually bringing it down and forcing the madman to face justice.
The Death Of James Bond
Daniel Craig’s Bond would have his next big adventure in No Time To Die, a mission that would ultimately serve as his last. After an ambush by S.P.E.C.T.R.E., Bond would go off on his own from Madeleine Swann despite the love he felt for her, not seeing her for five years. Having retired, Bond is brought back into the fold by his longtime friend Felix Leiter and is then warned not to take action by the new twist on a "Bond Girl" and new 007, Nomi. Never one to be scared, Bond heads out to assist Leiter in saving a scientist. After Bond is successful, he and Leiter are betrayed, leading to the death of one of his oldest friends.
In order to gather information on the mysterious Project Heracles, the always immaculately dressed Bond returns to MI6, once again being reunited with Madeleine Swann. Bond learns that Madeleine has had a child, eventually learning that the child is his, but the twisted genius Lyutsifer Safin is on his way to capture the girls, leaving no time for pleasantries. Bond and Nomi work together to assault Safin’s island and stop him from harnessing the destructive power of Project Heracles, but with an impending missile strike, the tension is high.
Bond is severely injured by Safin and is made so that he can never touch Madeleine or his daughter without them dying, so he kills the villain to get some retribution. In order to destroy all remnants of Project Heracles, Bond remains on the island to open a series of closed silo doors, thus ensuring the explosive power that would soon reign down would level everything. With a few final words to the love of his life, Bond is killed as Safin’s island is destroyed, officially ending Bond’s tale.
Thus far, there haven't been many updates on the continuation of the franchise, leaving fans in a bit of a strange spot emotionally. The death of James Bond may have been hard for a lot of fans, but it should be seen as a good thing. Aside from being a unique move for the character, it allows the next Bond to be completely separated from Craig’s time as the character, removing any and all baggage that could be faced. In an interview with Deadline, Daniel Craig had this to say about the death of James Bond:
“If we kill Bond, we can begin again. I think Barbara thought that too. But, bless them, the studio, MGM, were, like, ‘What are you talking about? Are you out of your minds?’ There was reluctance. So we had to do it in secret, really.”