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“The name’s Sterling Archer, world’s greatest spy.”
“You probably shouldnt go around telling people you’re a spy.”
“Then what’s the point of being one?”
“Fair enough.”
That theory kinda died with Skyfall though. Like, we see his parents gravestone. So unless they just keep going around recruiting people who are named James Bond, it doesn't really work.
Yea, in the current cinematic universe, which changes quite a bit from the original story, but in book canon, it's kinda unclear with some possible allusions
Not that it made sense to start with. What's the point of reusing a name that is well known to be used by spies? People are not supposed to know you're one!
If you want to call him a spy, fine. But he is the worlds absolute shittiest spy. Every mission he goes on ends with a body count in the dozens and something blowing up. I would say he's an assassin who occasionally goes undercover. He has a license to kill, after all.
It's a neat theory, but it ultimately makes the situation worse. No matter who is using the moniker, once they start blabbing "I'm Bond, James Bond" word would get around in the baddie community to watch out for anyone using that name.
When Bond takes down a bad guy, the bad guy's goons likely find a new bad guy to work for. If any of them remember the name it's going to set off red flags when new Bond starts throwing his name around again.
That's the reason actual spys are constantly changing names and identities.
There's a further theory I've heard that Bond is deliberately obvious about his actions, because his primary job is to attract the attention of the bad guys, and while they're distracted, it's easier for other spies to slip into their organizations and do the actual spy work. Bond basically just exists to be a diversion.
I just posted this as well
That would make a good parody movie, a guy who thinks he's an incredible secret agent gets sent in, gets drunk, bangs women, blows shit up thinking he's doing a great job whilst the real agents are moving in
Besides what Mattbryce said, it’s a bit insane that that is only a *theory*, considering **that’s actually LITERALLY how they keep making the movies** - like I know you’re talking about ‘within the story universe of James Bond movies’ but like how far did someone have to go to think
“Wait, what if they just keep getting different people or ‘actors’ to play as this same character named James Bond”
and the Hollywood executives he’s pitching this to are like 🤨 “Do you mean… that’s the *story*? Or are you just literally describing the act of making a movie series with more than 1 lead?”
Honestly such a dumb theory. Like he already has a codename, 007, how many does he need.
It also suggests that Felix Leiter and Moneypenny and whoever else are all also just code names
Which is, and always has been, an idiotic idea come up with by people who haven't actually watched any of the movies.
Like, JFC, do these people have a theory as to why Timothy Dalton's Bond is visiting the grave of Roger Moore's Bond's dead wife?
It’s a docuseries for the British Broadcasting Corportation. It’s slotted time is between “Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away!” And “Benefits Britain: Life On the Dole”. Used to be Supersize Vs. SuperSkinny but they cancel that
A friend once questioned that during the scene in Goldeneye where bond drives a tank through a statue somewhere in Russia...
"Why is Bond a *secret* agent exactly?"
It was met with a resounding "Hey shut uuup man", can't be losing your suspension of disbelief like that mid-film.
If you want to get technical, he's an intelligence officer. That's what he was called in the novels, and its what the S.I.S. calls its spies today, and has done for over a century.
[https://www.sis.gov.uk/intelligence-officers.html](https://www.sis.gov.uk/intelligence-officers.html)
and in multiple movies they mention they send him to uncover enemies and thwart their plans last minute by causing havoc and chaos. if i remember correctly, M even refers to him as a "blunt instrument".
More specifically, he and the rest of the 00s would likely be considered paramilitary officers. Not sure if that is the exact term that MI6 uses but [CIA does](https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/paramilitary-operations-officer/).
Even the remake does something like Saints Row 2.
“Hey you look different, did you do something with your hair?”
*default in SR1 white, blonde, blue eyes, no facial hair/default in SR2 black, bald, dark brown eyes, goatee*
Exactly my point 😎😂
Johnny Gat hasn’t seen you in years, no matter how you change your character to look, his reaction is always, *”Ey, you look different. You do something with your hair?”*
Yeah. Also his play pretty much every time is like.. Walk straight into the badguy's lair/trap.. then just kill everyone and go bang the chick.
Which really, if you can pull it off, is probably the way to go I guess, but generally speaking probably wouldn't be advisable.
He's not really a reconnaissance spy. He's an operative that functions more similarly to a superhero.
Edit: resonance -> reconnaissance (autocorrect fuckup)
Exactly, real intelligence operatives are universally & intentionally forgettable. They try to make the minimum impact in any situation & they get out quietly after introducing their change or gathering their intel.
Bond is a loud, brash, chaos magnet that achieves his aim only with the maximum body count & blowing the cover or exposing every asset he cultivates to such an extent we are never surprised when they are invariably eliminated in the next scene.
This is why best headcanon is that Bond's entire agency is a front. They are SUPPOSED to be noticed, because the *real* Intel agents are sneaking around under the cover of chaos xD
That though would also be a colossally bad idea.
The best time to get intel is I believe when a target's security response is static, the operators there are on autopilot the attacker can know all the holes. The worst time is when things are in chaos, operators are jumpy & every rule is in flux.
For example remember when there was hint of a conspiracy to take liquid explosives in a plane & how after EVERYTHING changed so rapidly in passenger security after that even breast milk was suspect. That would be a very bad time to do anything unexpected.
It depends on the actual goals.
If the plan was to make sure air travel was slowed down so that some *other* plan could slip through?
(being entirely facetious here, I agree with you, the best way to do Intel is to never be detected at all)
It also depends on some other factors too.
I'm going to use a convenience store theft for an example.
If the silent agent goes in and just takes the chips and salsa that they're shoplifting, it might be noticed that they are short chips and salsa.
However if right after they leave a car crashes through the glass door front, that chips and salsa might not be noticed that they're gone.
That being said if we're watching a spy doing actual spy work it wouldn't be an entertaining story, which is why James Bond is fiction, and I believe the headcanon that James Bond isn't a real person even in the reality he exists, but more of a moniker that multiple agents take up over time.
I think you’re right to point out the ACTUAL goals. Because if the point is to distract from a change that has already been made, or make sure there isn’t a chain revealing that intel has been stolen, then it would be perfect to send a huge, disruptive, explosive agent into the fray.
(…to continue the chain of facetiousness, of course)
You are correct of course, but really I think this is a colloquial confusion between a tactical operative and a "spy" which Hollywood has made.
Bond is not a spy. He is an operator. He is the guy you send to go do the thing that the intelligence has told you you could do, such as an assassination. Double 0 agents are, mostly, assassins.
I agree, its just unfortunate then that 007's seems to get jobs that result in them working outside their bailiwick. You'd think at least one of the stories would be where Bond gets a simple kill order, executes it cleanly & does not start WWIII.
They could also be used to cover up previous operations. Once an op is over, to avoid anyone finding out they were breached by real operators, bond comes in and fucks their whole life all the way up so they never know anything else happened.
Na. You send a 00 to send a message. It’s an individual that can bear down the full force of the crown as not just the tip, but the entire goddamn spear. He introduced himself because in certain circles, their names are known quantities that if you hear you know you’re in shit.
Spies and secret agents can’t literally rampage through the globe in dogged pursuit of a terrorist or organization openly dismantling and killing in the most brazen ways.
James Bond and the other 00s fix what diplomacy, espionage, and pretty much anything short of open warfare can’t. There’s no front or special meaning to it, they are just the crown’s most brutal weapon.
How else do you think Bond has access to all the important information he’s gets and needs to complete a mission?? The covert ops are invisible, to acquire the info for bond to come in and do the dirty work
Bond is the scorched earth tactic. He's the one you call in when everything has already gone to shit, because he's going to kill a lot of people, blow some shit up, and get the job done. He's never the one spending months as an undercover mole carefully extracting intel. His mission briefings always start with "we found X information, which means Y." and then he goes into action.
Sure, sometimes he does go undercover or have an alias or something, but it's not as if he's going undercover to quietly gather more intel. He's going undercover to get him inside so he can do the killing and blowing up bits.
Case in point: going to a fencing club "undercover" and proceeding to destroy the entire club in a sword fight with broadswords against the main bad guy. Bond has all the subtlety of nuke. But when shit is about to hit the fan, and you need someone insane enough, tough enough, and lethal enough to get the job done in a 2 hour action movie; you know exactly who to call. Bond. James Bond.
Right. He doesn't do actual spycraft for the most part. Let's face it, he's really a certain embodiment of self-insert male fantasy. He exists for male viewers to imagine themselves living this wild life as a super-spy. It's the macho equivalent of women seeing themselves in the place of a romance novel heroine.
He’s not a spy, he’s an assassin and saboteur. That’s why he’s not usually gathering intelligence, he’s finding out who the bad guy is and killing him. He introduces himself because those who know that name know death is coming for them.
"Close the Tank!" "What? You're not even going to watch them die? They could get away!" "No no no, I'm going to leave them alone and not witness them dying, and assume everything went to plan, what? 🤷"
So how did the Bond binge go? I noticed that you haven't submitted any posts about it yet.
Maybe you commented on it, but I'm not about to dig through someone's comment history to find out.
I always thought "James Bond" was a Nom de guerre, and every MI6 operative that became 007 also became Mister Bond. That's why his face keeps changing since 1960 or so.
James Bond keeps dying in the books. So the name is a call sign for 007. Which also explains how someone who acts like Bond does could even become an agent in the first place. James Bond has to be someone who, if it’s the best course of action for his country, will calmly walk to his own death without hesitation. That being said, the 007s all know that they have a very short life expectancy and enjoy the few pleasures they have left while they can.
“007” and all the other numbers are transferable, corresponding to the parking spaces at MI6. You don’t get to keep the spot just because you were 007 for a period of time.
Yeah, my understanding is that each of the double Os are pre-made identities for operatives of certain characteristics that are extreamly successful in certain roles.
So not only are there multiple 007s (the high risk operative) but also 006 Alex's as well.
Dude? You do realize that completely original thought is near impossible. There’s only so many different ways to see the same thing. Sure, the specifics change, but the broad strokes of your thoughts are guaranteed to be a match for another’s. How do you think the Mandela Effect is possible?
“Look, if Le Chiffre is that well connected, he knows who I am and where the money's coming from. Which means he's decided to play me anyway. So, he's either desperate or he's overly confident. But, either way, that tells me something about him. And all he gets in return is a name he already has.”
Yet another example of how Casino Royale took all of the campy and sometimes nonsensical tropes of the older movies and make them work for the new vision of his character. All of a sudden it wasn’t him being a suave misogynist, it was him being a self-assured asshole endangering the mission because of his ego, and Vesper was rightly pissed about it. Great character writing.
The man has a body count higher than an earthquake in turkey. Any opposing force has to consider if this little piece of Intel or gadget is worth loosing 200 operatives and a 50 million dollar underwater base over.
I bet in half the instances the opposition gets out of his way once they learn who he is. Those missions are what happens between movies
I suspect that most 'secret' agents are broadly known in the intelligence community. Moves are rarely made directly against them for political reasons and because the other side will just tit for tat kill your agents if you kill theirs. That is why Bond can fulfill his function, which is usually to investigate/assassinate/extract/recover without needing to hide his name.
.
This is now in my head, I forgot his name it’s been ages but the guys at spectre just absolutely shocked at how he gets away with this time and again when they don’t realise bond James Bond is actually James Bond
Honestly most real spies use the name they were born with. Their cover is not a different name but just a job that isn't their real job or is, but isn't their only job. Which isn't to say that James Bond is a good spy. He isn't really a spy at all. I can't recall a single occasion when his assignment was to gather information. Any information he gathers in the movies is just in aid of finding out precisely where he's supposed to make a big explosion.
Back in the 60s and 70s there was a series of books about an American agent named Matt Helm that were a response to the James Bond movies. Like James Bond he was a wet work guy, but one who made less of a mess. But I recall that toward the end he got an assignment where, although they didn't tell him, his job was supposed to be acting as the distraction for the real mission because his trail of mayhem had made him well enough known that they no longer considered him fit for undercover work.
Yeah. Actual spies work normal day jobs at like banks or accounting firms or something. They live normal mundane lives with normal mundane jobs and occasionally duck away, don a mask, and smuggle a Soviet defector out of the country.
He's not there for espionage. He's there with a license to kill to fix whatever the current problem is.
The spies go in early to see if there are any problems. Once Bond goes in, the problem is getting solved one way or another.
You actually made me break my mind on this one and I can only come up with Le Chiffre.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but ...
Ok, he knows Bond is somebody special who is trained to do this, but he deducts that from what Bond __does__ , not what he is told by others. Meaning I can't remember anybody telling him that Bond is a spy. I also don't think he lays the link with the Bri'ish because of that
Just like no one's seen a zombie film in a film featuring zombies, few people know who James Bond is in a James Bond film. Those he does introduce himself to don't live long as they're usually dead by the end of the film.
Well, he tends to either kill or sleep with people that he introduces himself to, and given that he canonically fucked a lesbian into heterosexuality something tells me the people he sleeps with, but lets live, aren’t likely to be able to use that information against him.
The first half of every Bond movie there's always this weird game where the villain knows he's a spy, and Bond knows that the villain knows he's a spy, but neither of them acknowledge it.
He’s the worst spy ever. His method is just to show up, announce his presence, get shot at and fuck bitches. Thats it. There is no spy craft whatsoever.
“He’d probably be a terribly spy” is a fundamentally subjective and opinionated statement.
Thus it can’t be the truth, much less a technical truth. Mods, ban this man!
I remember hearing some theory that James Bond is actually a decoy spy employed to be a general public nuisance, while the real spy is doing actual work in the background
That’s what WE see. And what MI6’s enemies are meant to see. The agents work behind the scene to assist him in appearing to have solved the problem himself.
North by Northwest, created a fictional spy as a distraction while other agents did the work. Of course the American agency couldn’t find anyone to work that role for the minimum wage they offered.
One of his covers is as a representative of Universal Exports, a fake company that is a front for MI6. In those missions, he uses his real name but a fake employer. Sometimes, the mission involves him using existing relationships he had in his personal life or getting close to a powerful person where the Universal Exports cover would be useful.
James Bond is a terrible spy, not because he tells everybody what his name is, building trust with others is a big part of being a good spy, no he's a terrible spy because the role of a spy is to fly under the radar whilst gathering information for the sake of your military, not yourself, and James Bond goes out of his way to make sure never does either of these things ever in his. If they said the series was about an assassin or hitman then he would actually be doing his job, in fact he'd be doing his job well since that guy has probably killed more people than the concept of death has, but as far as spy work goes James is about as good as that as fish are at running a marathon
I posted a fan theory a while back about this.
In short; he's called "Double Oh Seven" instead of "Double Zero Seven" because the 2 O's stand for Open Operative, a'la an operative with an identity in the open.
Someone then made me aware of another theory that he's so ostentatious about himself so real spies can infiltrate organizations during the distraction.
This reminds me of the main character's catchphrase from that godawful spies in disguise movie
"Know how you know you're the best spy in the world? Everyone knows your name"
This is the dumbest collection of words strung together in human history, if everyone knows your name, you are a TERRIBLE spy, whats next, you're the world's best assasin when you don't kill anyone? FFS
He introduces his myself so that the villain either tries to capture or kill him. If said villain tries to kill Bond then he knows he’s on his trail, confirming that he’s found his target. This leads to the villain then capturing Bond and revealing his plan during a narcissistic monologue.
How would he ever get anything done if no one knows who he is?
I personally like the fan theory where Bond is sent in whenever a distraction is needed. Then the other real secret agents can get their job done without being noticed.
The "Real" James Bond is a nebishy dude that nobody pays attention to. While "Bond" is having chase scenes and womanising the real James gets stuff done.
But if you expect the unexpected, you wouldn’t expect this because it’s expected, and by the time he’d get to say it he’d already be there and it’s too late
Actual spies do use their real names and identities.
The whole point of being a spy is that you are as innocuous as possible. Using a false name would actually make that more difficult. If anybody checked, you wouldn't have a history.
The only way you can create a fake history is by telling a lot of people that the person is a spy and then lots of people would know. Actual spies don't tell anyone, people can't tell what they don't know.
I always figured that was his 'persona'--the name he drops so other people go, 'Be careful, he has done a LOT of stuff'. In reality, partly due to his British heritage, I suspect his real name is Leland Merryweather Terrance Bowler, and is deliberately concealing it because if it fell into the wrong hands, terrorists would be able to track down his half-brother who works at the DVLA as part-time apprentice.
Honestly, the way he does it in the Casino Royale is fcking magnificent. He has a cover, an entire persona built by the Mi6 yet decides to “fuck it” and use his real name merely to make his opponent nervous in a poker game he knows he cannot lose.
Roger Moore was really great when he played around with this. In \_A View to a Kill\_, he introduced himself as "James Stock", then after being said to have been from California, as "Sinjin Smythe" (after the '80's volleyball star, Sinjin Smith), and some others.
Just loved it when they had him do stuff like that. In the hoighty-toighty English equestrian club, \*nobody\* would know about the volleyball star -- but we in the audience would be in on the joke. ...Pretty sure I've heard him pull similar antics in other movies, but always loved that bit.
Reality he is the distraction he bumbles around causing all sorts of very loud very noticeable high jinx. Meanwhile the actual agents are getting the actual job done.
A CIA or Mi5 field agent basically works as handler who recruits informants to gather intelligence. They don’t any actual dirty work like James Bond. They pay people to finance insurgencies, coups and assassinations.
Roger Moore had an excellent bit on this in the Top Gear Bond Car special. He stated that Bond is a horrible spy because every bar tender on the planet knows his name and what he drinks.
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“The name’s Sterling Archer, world’s greatest spy.” “You probably shouldnt go around telling people you’re a spy.” “Then what’s the point of being one?” “Fair enough.”
"Who said this was my real name?"
There's a theory that anyone assigned 007 is James Bond and that there have been several people to have gone by that name
That theory kinda died with Skyfall though. Like, we see his parents gravestone. So unless they just keep going around recruiting people who are named James Bond, it doesn't really work.
Yea, in the current cinematic universe, which changes quite a bit from the original story, but in book canon, it's kinda unclear with some possible allusions
Still not sure how I feel that they made him scottish Bruce Wayne.
Not that it made sense to start with. What's the point of reusing a name that is well known to be used by spies? People are not supposed to know you're one!
He's not a spy. He's a charming lunatic you call in as a last resort.
And also a spy.
If you want to call him a spy, fine. But he is the worlds absolute shittiest spy. Every mission he goes on ends with a body count in the dozens and something blowing up. I would say he's an assassin who occasionally goes undercover. He has a license to kill, after all.
Yeah they're called *actors* duh
That just makes it worse. They don't know who you are, but they definitely know you're a spy.
It's a neat theory, but it ultimately makes the situation worse. No matter who is using the moniker, once they start blabbing "I'm Bond, James Bond" word would get around in the baddie community to watch out for anyone using that name. When Bond takes down a bad guy, the bad guy's goons likely find a new bad guy to work for. If any of them remember the name it's going to set off red flags when new Bond starts throwing his name around again. That's the reason actual spys are constantly changing names and identities.
There's a further theory I've heard that Bond is deliberately obvious about his actions, because his primary job is to attract the attention of the bad guys, and while they're distracted, it's easier for other spies to slip into their organizations and do the actual spy work. Bond basically just exists to be a diversion.
I just posted this as well That would make a good parody movie, a guy who thinks he's an incredible secret agent gets sent in, gets drunk, bangs women, blows shit up thinking he's doing a great job whilst the real agents are moving in
Wasn't that a thing from tiny toons? Decoy the hostage pig.
Besides what Mattbryce said, it’s a bit insane that that is only a *theory*, considering **that’s actually LITERALLY how they keep making the movies** - like I know you’re talking about ‘within the story universe of James Bond movies’ but like how far did someone have to go to think “Wait, what if they just keep getting different people or ‘actors’ to play as this same character named James Bond” and the Hollywood executives he’s pitching this to are like 🤨 “Do you mean… that’s the *story*? Or are you just literally describing the act of making a movie series with more than 1 lead?”
That was the plot of the 1967 film adaptation of [*Casino Royale*](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_(1967_film))
Honestly such a dumb theory. Like he already has a codename, 007, how many does he need. It also suggests that Felix Leiter and Moneypenny and whoever else are all also just code names
Which is, and always has been, an idiotic idea come up with by people who haven't actually watched any of the movies. Like, JFC, do these people have a theory as to why Timothy Dalton's Bond is visiting the grave of Roger Moore's Bond's dead wife?
Is that how you get captured and tortured by the KGB, Barry?
I’m really wishing I took my training more seriously right now
We don't HAVE any peppers.
Archer > Bond
It's all about the tactlelneck
The slightly darker black one
You are gonna eat so many spiderwebs
And that's why he's a secret agent and not a spy /s
So, not that secret either
"Special" agent
“Special” in that he never managed to notice the fact that he was being recorded throughout the entirety of his mission
The camera man’s the real spy.
There is a reason bond shoots them at the start of every movie, sadly there is always another
Bond. Molecular Bond.
r/praisethecameraman
So, Bond is just a very elaborate decoy?
It’s a docuseries for the British Broadcasting Corportation. It’s slotted time is between “Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away!” And “Benefits Britain: Life On the Dole”. Used to be Supersize Vs. SuperSkinny but they cancel that
maybe he did notice and he just doesn’t care because he’s that good
Maybe he was pretending not to notice so he could gather information.
IIRC, a special agent is an agent that is allowed to be armed
A friend once questioned that during the scene in Goldeneye where bond drives a tank through a statue somewhere in Russia... "Why is Bond a *secret* agent exactly?" It was met with a resounding "Hey shut uuup man", can't be losing your suspension of disbelief like that mid-film.
He's really an assassin sanctioned by the British Crown. License to kill and all...
If you want to get technical, he's an intelligence officer. That's what he was called in the novels, and its what the S.I.S. calls its spies today, and has done for over a century. [https://www.sis.gov.uk/intelligence-officers.html](https://www.sis.gov.uk/intelligence-officers.html)
and in multiple movies they mention they send him to uncover enemies and thwart their plans last minute by causing havoc and chaos. if i remember correctly, M even refers to him as a "blunt instrument".
More specifically, he and the rest of the 00s would likely be considered paramilitary officers. Not sure if that is the exact term that MI6 uses but [CIA does](https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/paramilitary-operations-officer/).
Film theory; it’s a code name, that’s why more than one person can play him and still be “James Bond.”
The 1967 Casino Royal plays into that pretty hard
Even the remake does something like Saints Row 2. “Hey you look different, did you do something with your hair?” *default in SR1 white, blonde, blue eyes, no facial hair/default in SR2 black, bald, dark brown eyes, goatee*
It's funnier than that because in SR1 you have to present as male but in SR2 you can be a woman. And they still say, "Did you change your hair?"
Exactly my point 😎😂 Johnny Gat hasn’t seen you in years, no matter how you change your character to look, his reaction is always, *”Ey, you look different. You do something with your hair?”*
[удалено]
Could just have beef with that specific agent/version, going by that alias for years brings more attention
I’ve always thought he’s more of a saboteur than a spy.
Yeah. Also his play pretty much every time is like.. Walk straight into the badguy's lair/trap.. then just kill everyone and go bang the chick. Which really, if you can pull it off, is probably the way to go I guess, but generally speaking probably wouldn't be advisable.
He attracts all of the attention so the real spies can do their job
I'm sorry man I gotta do it r/fuckthes
He's not really a reconnaissance spy. He's an operative that functions more similarly to a superhero. Edit: resonance -> reconnaissance (autocorrect fuckup)
Exactly, real intelligence operatives are universally & intentionally forgettable. They try to make the minimum impact in any situation & they get out quietly after introducing their change or gathering their intel. Bond is a loud, brash, chaos magnet that achieves his aim only with the maximum body count & blowing the cover or exposing every asset he cultivates to such an extent we are never surprised when they are invariably eliminated in the next scene.
This is why best headcanon is that Bond's entire agency is a front. They are SUPPOSED to be noticed, because the *real* Intel agents are sneaking around under the cover of chaos xD
That though would also be a colossally bad idea. The best time to get intel is I believe when a target's security response is static, the operators there are on autopilot the attacker can know all the holes. The worst time is when things are in chaos, operators are jumpy & every rule is in flux. For example remember when there was hint of a conspiracy to take liquid explosives in a plane & how after EVERYTHING changed so rapidly in passenger security after that even breast milk was suspect. That would be a very bad time to do anything unexpected.
It depends on the actual goals. If the plan was to make sure air travel was slowed down so that some *other* plan could slip through? (being entirely facetious here, I agree with you, the best way to do Intel is to never be detected at all)
It also depends on some other factors too. I'm going to use a convenience store theft for an example. If the silent agent goes in and just takes the chips and salsa that they're shoplifting, it might be noticed that they are short chips and salsa. However if right after they leave a car crashes through the glass door front, that chips and salsa might not be noticed that they're gone. That being said if we're watching a spy doing actual spy work it wouldn't be an entertaining story, which is why James Bond is fiction, and I believe the headcanon that James Bond isn't a real person even in the reality he exists, but more of a moniker that multiple agents take up over time.
I think you’re right to point out the ACTUAL goals. Because if the point is to distract from a change that has already been made, or make sure there isn’t a chain revealing that intel has been stolen, then it would be perfect to send a huge, disruptive, explosive agent into the fray. (…to continue the chain of facetiousness, of course)
You are correct of course, but really I think this is a colloquial confusion between a tactical operative and a "spy" which Hollywood has made. Bond is not a spy. He is an operator. He is the guy you send to go do the thing that the intelligence has told you you could do, such as an assassination. Double 0 agents are, mostly, assassins.
I agree, its just unfortunate then that 007's seems to get jobs that result in them working outside their bailiwick. You'd think at least one of the stories would be where Bond gets a simple kill order, executes it cleanly & does not start WWIII.
They could also be used to cover up previous operations. Once an op is over, to avoid anyone finding out they were breached by real operators, bond comes in and fucks their whole life all the way up so they never know anything else happened.
Classic reddit comment
Na. You send a 00 to send a message. It’s an individual that can bear down the full force of the crown as not just the tip, but the entire goddamn spear. He introduced himself because in certain circles, their names are known quantities that if you hear you know you’re in shit. Spies and secret agents can’t literally rampage through the globe in dogged pursuit of a terrorist or organization openly dismantling and killing in the most brazen ways. James Bond and the other 00s fix what diplomacy, espionage, and pretty much anything short of open warfare can’t. There’s no front or special meaning to it, they are just the crown’s most brutal weapon.
A heist-like spy movie happening alongside a James Bond action movie sounds like a fun concept.
Just dudes flying out of windows in the background while a cerebral crew efficiently does a job.
How else do you think Bond has access to all the important information he’s gets and needs to complete a mission?? The covert ops are invisible, to acquire the info for bond to come in and do the dirty work
Yes! This is the only canon that makes sense to me. He has to be a flamboyant distraction that can be sacrificed if needed.
Bond is the scorched earth tactic. He's the one you call in when everything has already gone to shit, because he's going to kill a lot of people, blow some shit up, and get the job done. He's never the one spending months as an undercover mole carefully extracting intel. His mission briefings always start with "we found X information, which means Y." and then he goes into action. Sure, sometimes he does go undercover or have an alias or something, but it's not as if he's going undercover to quietly gather more intel. He's going undercover to get him inside so he can do the killing and blowing up bits. Case in point: going to a fencing club "undercover" and proceeding to destroy the entire club in a sword fight with broadswords against the main bad guy. Bond has all the subtlety of nuke. But when shit is about to hit the fan, and you need someone insane enough, tough enough, and lethal enough to get the job done in a 2 hour action movie; you know exactly who to call. Bond. James Bond.
He's also balls deep in the hottest of ladies.
Eurgh
Especially since he's based on WW2 covert actions. In the books he even fights Nazis.
Right. He doesn't do actual spycraft for the most part. Let's face it, he's really a certain embodiment of self-insert male fantasy. He exists for male viewers to imagine themselves living this wild life as a super-spy. It's the macho equivalent of women seeing themselves in the place of a romance novel heroine.
He’s not a spy, he’s an assassin and saboteur. That’s why he’s not usually gathering intelligence, he’s finding out who the bad guy is and killing him. He introduces himself because those who know that name know death is coming for them.
Don't forget leaving him in a deadly but escapable trap.
"Close the Tank!" "What? You're not even going to watch them die? They could get away!" "No no no, I'm going to leave them alone and not witness them dying, and assume everything went to plan, what? 🤷"
"Look, I have a gun in my room. I'll grab it and we can shoot them together! BANG!" "You just don't get it, Scott, you really don't."
"I'm going to put them in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death"
Huh that would be a fun exercise. How many people has James Bond introduced himself to that survive. Imma get some scotch and burn a week on this.
Please make sure you leave us an update when you're done with this
27 films works out to about 60 hours of Bond. Excusing for brownouts and dump/Arby's breaks, it doable this week.
You're going to forget or get lazy. RemindMe! Two weeks
So how did the Bond binge go? I noticed that you haven't submitted any posts about it yet. Maybe you commented on it, but I'm not about to dig through someone's comment history to find out.
!/remindme
I always thought "James Bond" was a Nom de guerre, and every MI6 operative that became 007 also became Mister Bond. That's why his face keeps changing since 1960 or so.
I think Skyfall confirmed Bond is his actual family name though.
Maybe that's just like someone named Cook becoming a cook, or someone named Crentist becoming a dentist
Your dentist's name is Crentist?
Dr. Paul Muller Crentist, D.D.S.
Maybe that's why he became a dentist?
James Bond keeps dying in the books. So the name is a call sign for 007. Which also explains how someone who acts like Bond does could even become an agent in the first place. James Bond has to be someone who, if it’s the best course of action for his country, will calmly walk to his own death without hesitation. That being said, the 007s all know that they have a very short life expectancy and enjoy the few pleasures they have left while they can.
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“007” and all the other numbers are transferable, corresponding to the parking spaces at MI6. You don’t get to keep the spot just because you were 007 for a period of time.
Son Of a bitch.... it's all been about parking.
“00” - License to kill and closest to the entrance. Btw, Q parks in Q Lot. At least there’s shuttle service.
With parking in London being what it is I bet her benefit tax on that space is more than her income tax.
Yeah, my understanding is that each of the double Os are pre-made identities for operatives of certain characteristics that are extreamly successful in certain roles. So not only are there multiple 007s (the high risk operative) but also 006 Alex's as well.
That was also my JB lore until Skyfall. And then continued with the lore destruction
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One actor avenged the other actor's wife's death. Tracey, I want to say? They're SUPPOSED to be the same person.
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It's what people think when they've never seen any of the movies. Connery to Brosnan is all the same Bond, then it's rebooted with Craig.
It upsets me that you are expressing this as your original thoughts. This fan theory has been around longer than the internet.
Maybe it is? I'm sure more than one person thought of it.
My God! Whatever will I do? I've upset a person online over an interpretation! *Go f--- yourself you pretentious twat*
Try not to steal fan theories and present them as your own, have original thoughts.
Dude? You do realize that completely original thought is near impossible. There’s only so many different ways to see the same thing. Sure, the specifics change, but the broad strokes of your thoughts are guaranteed to be a match for another’s. How do you think the Mandela Effect is possible?
The James Bond... Names Bond
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Call a Bondulance
The Bond's Name. James Name
First time I heard this joke I LOL for minutes. Now I just chuckle, but I still olve it.
"Are you all right?"
“Look, if Le Chiffre is that well connected, he knows who I am and where the money's coming from. Which means he's decided to play me anyway. So, he's either desperate or he's overly confident. But, either way, that tells me something about him. And all he gets in return is a name he already has.”
Yet another example of how Casino Royale took all of the campy and sometimes nonsensical tropes of the older movies and make them work for the new vision of his character. All of a sudden it wasn’t him being a suave misogynist, it was him being a self-assured asshole endangering the mission because of his ego, and Vesper was rightly pissed about it. Great character writing.
The man has a body count higher than an earthquake in turkey. Any opposing force has to consider if this little piece of Intel or gadget is worth loosing 200 operatives and a 50 million dollar underwater base over. I bet in half the instances the opposition gets out of his way once they learn who he is. Those missions are what happens between movies I suspect that most 'secret' agents are broadly known in the intelligence community. Moves are rarely made directly against them for political reasons and because the other side will just tit for tat kill your agents if you kill theirs. That is why Bond can fulfill his function, which is usually to investigate/assassinate/extract/recover without needing to hide his name. .
Yeah, but the Bonds are different throughout the ages, so I imagine it'd be the perfect set up. Everyone is Bond.
He is a legend because he constantly changed his name from James to Bond and Bond to James. But no one knows his real name.
This is now in my head, I forgot his name it’s been ages but the guys at spectre just absolutely shocked at how he gets away with this time and again when they don’t realise bond James Bond is actually James Bond
He also left a lot of DNA in anything in a skirt
Honestly most real spies use the name they were born with. Their cover is not a different name but just a job that isn't their real job or is, but isn't their only job. Which isn't to say that James Bond is a good spy. He isn't really a spy at all. I can't recall a single occasion when his assignment was to gather information. Any information he gathers in the movies is just in aid of finding out precisely where he's supposed to make a big explosion. Back in the 60s and 70s there was a series of books about an American agent named Matt Helm that were a response to the James Bond movies. Like James Bond he was a wet work guy, but one who made less of a mess. But I recall that toward the end he got an assignment where, although they didn't tell him, his job was supposed to be acting as the distraction for the real mission because his trail of mayhem had made him well enough known that they no longer considered him fit for undercover work.
Yeah. Actual spies work normal day jobs at like banks or accounting firms or something. They live normal mundane lives with normal mundane jobs and occasionally duck away, don a mask, and smuggle a Soviet defector out of the country.
He's not there for espionage. He's there with a license to kill to fix whatever the current problem is. The spies go in early to see if there are any problems. Once Bond goes in, the problem is getting solved one way or another.
*The Bond's name, James name" "Pleased to- what?" "Bond name's the James" "Are you alright?" "Bames Nond's having a stronk" "Call a Bondulence"
I can't remember anybody in the Craig movies, who didn't knew his job. He was a terrible spy indeed.
You actually made me break my mind on this one and I can only come up with Le Chiffre. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but ... Ok, he knows Bond is somebody special who is trained to do this, but he deducts that from what Bond __does__ , not what he is told by others. Meaning I can't remember anybody telling him that Bond is a spy. I also don't think he lays the link with the Bri'ish because of that
Hes the maniac with guns which distracts the guards so the actuall spys can do their thing.
Just like no one's seen a zombie film in a film featuring zombies, few people know who James Bond is in a James Bond film. Those he does introduce himself to don't live long as they're usually dead by the end of the film.
I spy with my little eye an OP with NFI. Every rich Chinese socialite is a spy. Almost every Chinese student is a spy.
Well, he tends to either kill or sleep with people that he introduces himself to, and given that he canonically fucked a lesbian into heterosexuality something tells me the people he sleeps with, but lets live, aren’t likely to be able to use that information against him.
The first half of every Bond movie there's always this weird game where the villain knows he's a spy, and Bond knows that the villain knows he's a spy, but neither of them acknowledge it.
Cat and mouse
He's the worst, the only reason he's alive is because his captors are dumb, and luck. This dude gets more easily capture than Peach.
He’s the worst spy ever. His method is just to show up, announce his presence, get shot at and fuck bitches. Thats it. There is no spy craft whatsoever.
He falls for the honey pot everytime! I would too but I’m not a special agent
“He’d probably be a terribly spy” is a fundamentally subjective and opinionated statement. Thus it can’t be the truth, much less a technical truth. Mods, ban this man!
I remember hearing some theory that James Bond is actually a decoy spy employed to be a general public nuisance, while the real spy is doing actual work in the background
But you literally see him killing the bad guy saving the day and completing missions.
That’s what WE see. And what MI6’s enemies are meant to see. The agents work behind the scene to assist him in appearing to have solved the problem himself.
*How do we know it's not a complete accident every time*
North by Northwest, created a fictional spy as a distraction while other agents did the work. Of course the American agency couldn’t find anyone to work that role for the minimum wage they offered.
Knowing who you are isn't that big of a deal as a spy. Knowing what you are is significantly more important.
One of his covers is as a representative of Universal Exports, a fake company that is a front for MI6. In those missions, he uses his real name but a fake employer. Sometimes, the mission involves him using existing relationships he had in his personal life or getting close to a powerful person where the Universal Exports cover would be useful.
That's because he is an intelligence officer
#I no longer allow Reddit to profit from my content - Mass exodus 2023 -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
I always assumed James Bond was a code name
James Bond is a terrible spy, not because he tells everybody what his name is, building trust with others is a big part of being a good spy, no he's a terrible spy because the role of a spy is to fly under the radar whilst gathering information for the sake of your military, not yourself, and James Bond goes out of his way to make sure never does either of these things ever in his. If they said the series was about an assassin or hitman then he would actually be doing his job, in fact he'd be doing his job well since that guy has probably killed more people than the concept of death has, but as far as spy work goes James is about as good as that as fish are at running a marathon
Except his real name is obviously John Patrick Mason and James Bond is just a cover identity.
that's what i thought when i watched my 1st James Bond movie
I posted a fan theory a while back about this. In short; he's called "Double Oh Seven" instead of "Double Zero Seven" because the 2 O's stand for Open Operative, a'la an operative with an identity in the open. Someone then made me aware of another theory that he's so ostentatious about himself so real spies can infiltrate organizations during the distraction.
This reminds me of the main character's catchphrase from that godawful spies in disguise movie "Know how you know you're the best spy in the world? Everyone knows your name" This is the dumbest collection of words strung together in human history, if everyone knows your name, you are a TERRIBLE spy, whats next, you're the world's best assasin when you don't kill anyone? FFS
Now he’s dead. So I guess you’re right.
Unless he's just an elaborate distraction for the real spies/secret agents.
He introduces his myself so that the villain either tries to capture or kill him. If said villain tries to kill Bond then he knows he’s on his trail, confirming that he’s found his target. This leads to the villain then capturing Bond and revealing his plan during a narcissistic monologue. How would he ever get anything done if no one knows who he is?
I personally like the fan theory where Bond is sent in whenever a distraction is needed. Then the other real secret agents can get their job done without being noticed.
Nonono he has a point
or he could be doing it on purpose to draw attention so the actual spies can do their work.
The Bond's name. James name.
The "Real" James Bond is a nebishy dude that nobody pays attention to. While "Bond" is having chase scenes and womanising the real James gets stuff done.
r/Showerthoughts
Who told you "James Bond" wasn't an Alias ;)
He is not a spy but an agent.
That james is a bloody traitor!
*- My name is John, John... Johnson.* *- Shut up, Bond!*
Boy howdy you’re gonna hate how like half of HUMINT works.
unless his name isn’t actually James Bond
"The name's Spy... Notta Spy"
But if you expect the unexpected, you wouldn’t expect this because it’s expected, and by the time he’d get to say it he’d already be there and it’s too late
Unless “James Bond” was never really his real name… 🤯
Ever read the books? He gets his butt kicked on a regular basis.
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Nah, Bond is just a distraction for the real spies.
Actual spies do use their real names and identities. The whole point of being a spy is that you are as innocuous as possible. Using a false name would actually make that more difficult. If anybody checked, you wouldn't have a history. The only way you can create a fake history is by telling a lot of people that the person is a spy and then lots of people would know. Actual spies don't tell anyone, people can't tell what they don't know.
I always figured that was his 'persona'--the name he drops so other people go, 'Be careful, he has done a LOT of stuff'. In reality, partly due to his British heritage, I suspect his real name is Leland Merryweather Terrance Bowler, and is deliberately concealing it because if it fell into the wrong hands, terrorists would be able to track down his half-brother who works at the DVLA as part-time apprentice.
Honestly, the way he does it in the Casino Royale is fcking magnificent. He has a cover, an entire persona built by the Mi6 yet decides to “fuck it” and use his real name merely to make his opponent nervous in a poker game he knows he cannot lose.
Roger Moore was really great when he played around with this. In \_A View to a Kill\_, he introduced himself as "James Stock", then after being said to have been from California, as "Sinjin Smythe" (after the '80's volleyball star, Sinjin Smith), and some others. Just loved it when they had him do stuff like that. In the hoighty-toighty English equestrian club, \*nobody\* would know about the volleyball star -- but we in the audience would be in on the joke. ...Pretty sure I've heard him pull similar antics in other movies, but always loved that bit.
The Bond’s Name. James Name
Reality he is the distraction he bumbles around causing all sorts of very loud very noticeable high jinx. Meanwhile the actual agents are getting the actual job done.
Related: https://images.app.goo.gl/bdP4Z8YkVetC2CQG9
Most spurs don’t lie about who they are
Or... He's so good that he can tell you his name and still steal your secrets and take out your best operatives!
A CIA or Mi5 field agent basically works as handler who recruits informants to gather intelligence. They don’t any actual dirty work like James Bond. They pay people to finance insurgencies, coups and assassinations.
Roger Moore had an excellent bit on this in the Top Gear Bond Car special. He stated that Bond is a horrible spy because every bar tender on the planet knows his name and what he drinks.
He never introduced himself as 007
It's more suspicious if a spy doesn't introduce themselves. "The name's... wait, I can't tell you, it's a secret"
Not if you kill everyone you speak to like Bond generally does. He's not a spy, he's a government hitman.
Isn't that just his code name though?
James name the bames
Almost as bad as those assassins with barcodes on their shaved heads.
The bond's name, james name
“Because most secret agents don’t go around telling every harlot from here to Hanoi that they are secret agents” “Then why be one”