Saturday, September 3, 2022

Character Analysis: James Bond (Feat Swan)

 


Background 


James Bond is probably the most accomplished secret agent in history. Working for MI6, he has saved the world countless times from terrorists and megalomaniacs alike. His parents, Andrew and Monique Delacroix Bond died in a climbing accident when he was young. After shuttling between various colleges, he joined the Ministry of Defense shortly before World War 2, and then joined the war effort as a sailor in the Royal Navy, eventually rising to the rank of Commander. After the war, he joined the Secret Services, and after making his first two successful assassinations, achieved his license to kill - become a 00.


As 007 he is one of Britain’s most experienced spies, and has been all over the world on every type of mission imaginable. As with his parents, though, tragedy has also followed him just as closely. Though he may be a playboy, both of his major attempts at romance - Vesper Lynd and Tracy di Vicenzo, both ended with their deaths at the hands of enemy spies. These hardened Bond’s heart against love and a “happy ending,” leaving him to fully submit to his MI6 lifestyle. In some iterations, Bond is arguably a sociopath who enjoys the violence he gets to perform against enemies of the state.


Arsenal 


Guns


Walther PPK/S


Bond’s sidearm of choice is the Walther PPK, replacing his initial Beretta (which Q chided as being too effeminate). Its first appearance is in Dr. No.

  • (Dr. No, 13:25) 7.65mm, “delivery like a brick through a plate glass window,” and comes with a silencer.


He gets an updated version in Skyfall known as the PPK/S.

  • (Skyfall, 40:16) Walther PPK/S 9mm short, comes with a micro dermal sensor in the grip that has been coded to Bond’s fingerprint so only he can fire it.

  • (Skyfall, 1:04:22) His pistol does not fire when used by someone else.


He has also been given special ammunition that will break apart upon entry, creating eight exit wounds. Even an off target hit will render the enemy unable to properly respond.



Miscellaneous


Though they aren’t always standard, Bond has also used essentially every kind of firearm known to man, including: 

  • magnum revolvers

  • shotguns

  • sniper rifles

  • assault rifles

  • submachine guns

  • rocket launchers

  • bazookas


He’s also carried more unique guns, like: 


https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

  • (30:46) Sleeper Dart gun that immediately renders victims unconscious.


https://youtu.be/YkmvAA4U_3I?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (9:57) Serum gun that mind controls targets briefly, causing them to stop fighting.


Blades


Bond usually carries a knife with him for close quarters combat if he’s been disarmed.

  • (Thunderball, 1:20:09)

  • (Never Say Never Again, 4:10)

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1:50:45)

  • (Quantum of Solace, 1:19:20)


He often likes to use them for silent stealth kills.


He’s also a talented knife thrower.


Also has carried a machete that is balanced for throwing.



Bombs


Bond also carries a variety of explosives, including grenades  that he can carry with him.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 1:49:30) Grenade.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 3:14) Flashbang grenade.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

    • (5:58) Frag grenade disguised as a coin. 

    • (30:36) Strobe grenades, essentially coin flashbangs.

    • (2:11:45) EMP coin grenade.


As well as explosives he can plant and remotely detonate.

  • (Goldfinger, 2:00) C4 and a detonator.

  • (GoldenEye, 5:47) Bombs that have a timer attached.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:49:37) Limpet mines that are set with his watch.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

    • (11:59) Limpet mines.

    • (12:08) Mines cause a humongous explosion.


As well as one of his classic gadgets, the rocket cigarette, which is an ostensibly normal cigarette that will launch a deadly rocket projectile when lit.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 1:43:56) Kills a man with his rocket cigarette.


Armor


Bond usually goes into missions undercover and thus can’t afford the luxury of obviously bulky body armor, though in certain scenarios (combat or infiltrations where he doesn’t need a tux) he will use a kevlar vest. In the From Russia With Love video game, it’s referred to as Q Armor.


https://youtu.be/jCzXGWxNpaY?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (3:32) Possesses body armor.


https://youtu.be/r-1veXpF88Y?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (0:05) Q-armor is what his body armor is called.

  • (7:51) Body armor protects him from gunshot wounds.


https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-2017/Issue-5?id=116362#6

Can resist knife slashes


Gadgets


Attache Case


In From Russia With Love, Bond gains an attache case that allows him to secretly carry extra weapons and gadgets.

  • (From Russia With Love, 21:37) Carries 20 rounds of extra ammunition, ejectable flat throwing knife, AR-7 folding sniper rifle w/ infrared telescopic sight, and a tear gas cartridge that releases if the suitcase is opened incorrectly.


In the video game of the same name, it also carries all the weapons and gadgets he carries throughout the game, and can even sprout a machine gun turret that he can place to fire upon enemies.


Drones


Bond has a couple of drones designed by Q Branch that he can remotely control to perform surveillance and attack enemies without placing himself in harm’s way.


Q Spider

https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

  • (9:54) Q Spider is a remote drone that can crawl along surfaces and detonate.

    • (1:11:42) Q Spider can explode.

    • (2:39:45) Q spider now has a nerve toxin dart that will insta KO. #Arsenal

    • (2:40:03) Q spider can also turn invisible.


Q Copter

https://youtu.be/zxZ4KEr7v5M?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (1:32) Controlling the Q copter remotely through air vents and then detonating it. 



Nanosuit


Bond has gained access to the nanosuit, which allows him to turn his normal suit totally invisible for a period of about 30 seconds or so. Quick movements will distort its light-bending effects, however, so it’s better for stealth.


Keychain


(The Living Daylights, 34:11) Whistle-activated key chain that releases stun gas. Has a range of 5 feet and disorients an average person for 30 seconds. Also contains an explosive and a key that opens 90% of the world’s locks.

  • (1:27:09) Stun gas keychain stuns two goons.

  • (1:28:37) Key unlocks his handcuffs.

  • (2:04:10) Uses his exploding keychain to kill Whitaker, who was using body armor in order to avoid being shot.


Earbuds



Sonic Cufflinks


https://youtu.be/r-1veXpF88Y?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (6:57) Sonic cufflinks that let out a debilitating ultrasonic wave. 


Smartphone


https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-2017/Issue-1?id=111506#18

  • Smartphone that can see through walls and clone hard drives


Watches


  • (Die Another Day, 1:22:35) Watch can fire a laser.

    • (3:22) Watch contains a detonator pin for C4, and can be remotely set. #Arsenal

    • (8:38) Remotely detonates C4 with his watch.

  • (Thunderball, 59:58) Geiger counter watch - waterproof, underwater camera that takes 8 rapid pictures with infrared film, miniature flare pistol, rebreather that lasts four minutes, radioactive homing pill.

  • (Live and Let Die, 10:50) Magnetic wristwatch. Creates a hyper intensified magnetic field that can even deflect bullets at long range.

    • (12:08) Can use this field to attract or repel metal, as he does with opening a door and pulling down a zipper.

    • (1:23:52) Watch magnet works on metal that’s several meters away.

    • (1:53:57) Buzz-saw watch.

  • (Moonraker, 1:29:33) Watch carries a super strong explosive wire.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 1:43:49) Laser watch that can cut through chains.

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1:39:15) Glass shattering watch.

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 1:04:38) Grappling hook watch.

  • (Spectre, 26:34) Exploding watch.

  • (No Time to Die, 1:53:40) Watch that comes with an EMP.

    • (2:00:04) Watch shutting down a security system with EMP. 

    • (2:23:21) Blows up Primo’s mechanical eye with the watch EMP. 


Pens


  • (Moonraker, 1:23:40) Has a pen that extends into a thin blade.

  • (Octopussy, 40:13) Nitric + hydrochloric acid-spewing fountain pen. According to Q it dissolves all metals.

    • (53:44) Dissolves a metal jail cell bar with his acid pen.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 40:54) Rocket launcher pen.

    • (1:29:00) Blows up Fatima Blush with his rocket pen, completely disintegrating her. 

  • (GoldenEye, 52:13) Class 4 grenade in a pen. Set off with three clicks. 

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBTmcbdOwg

    • (2:01:24) Pen with three different kinds of darts: aural distraction, sleeping, and electric stunning.


Miscellaneous


  • (Goldfinger, 1:10) Grapple gun.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 1:34:35) Suction cup suit for climbing shear surfaces.

  • (Diamonds Are Forever, 4:06) Pocket mouse trap.

  • (Diamonds Are Forever, 1:11:35) Grappling hook that is attached to his belt.

  • (Moonraker, 10:49) Wrist-mounted dart gun activated by nerve impulses, comes with 5 armor piercing tips and 5 cyanide coated tips.

    • (1:54:20) Shoots Drax with a cyanide dart after feigning surrender.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 2:19) Zipline.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 2:24) Garrotte.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 2:38) Poison blow dart.

  • (License to Kill, 1:13:17) Plastic explosive kept in a toothpaste tube.

    • (1:18:12) Cigarette pack detonator for the toothpaste explosive.

  • (License to Kill, 1:14:14) Laser camera.

  • (License to Kill, 1:20:59) Briefcase sniper rifle that only Bond can use.

  • (GoldenEye, 2:15) Grappling hook.

  • (GoldenEye, 51:27) Belt with 75 foot rappelling cord in the buckle that can fire a grappling hook.

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 4:57) Exploding cigarette lighter.

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 29:34) Cell phone comes with a fingerprint scanner, taser, and a remote control for the car.

    • (48:51) Zaps a security door login port with his phone and it gives him entry. 

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 2:21) Exploding gun detonated by sunglasses.

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 22:20) Inflatable safety bubble jacket.

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 42:44) X-ray shades lets him see through people’s coats and what they’re concealing.

  • (Die Another Day, 2:13) Surfboard containing gun, knife, silencer, what looks like a mine, and C4.

  • (Die Another Day, 1:05:25) Has a ring that can shatter bullet proof glass via vibrations.

  • (Die Another Day, 1:30:17) Shatters the glass floor with his ring.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

    • (21:29) Thermovision lets him see enemies in darkened areas.



Vehicles


Aston Martin DB5


His most classic car, and one of cinema’s greatest cars of all time is the Aston Martin DB5, complete with tons of weapons and gadgets and armor like a tank. If we want to use a car, this is the one we should go with, but I’ll list his other vehicles below as well.


(Goldfinger, 23:15) The debut of the Aston Martin DB5. Comes with bulletproof windows, revolving number plates, homing device and radar, smoke screen, oil slick, rear bulletproof screen, left and right front wing machine guns, and ejector seat.

  • (37:30) Aston Martin also comes with tire shredders.

  • (44:55) Smoke screen. #Arsenal

  • (45:22) Oil slick. #Arsenal

  • (46:22) Bulletproof screen. #Arsenal

  • (48:28) Ejector seat. #Arsenal

  • (49:35) Machine guns.

  • (Thunderball, 4:32) .Back bumper riot hoses.

  • (Skyfall, 1:55:41) AMDB5 has front facing machine guns. #Arsenal

  • (1:55:50) It’s also bulletproof.

  • (No Time to Die, 19:45) Aston Martin DB5 has explosive mines. #Arsenal

  • (20:17) DB5 tanks being jackknifed. #Arsenal

  • (20:25) DB5’s glass is bulletproof, survives being surrounded and shot at all angles with machine guns, including multiple times in the same spot before starting to weaken. #Arsenal

  • (21:41) Front mounted gatling guns + spinning the car in place to take out a group of guys. #Arsenal #SkillFeat

  • (22:02) Can release smoke. #Arsenal

https://youtu.be/OWuBj94zkk8?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (2:18) Aston Martin has 30 lock-on missiles, machine guns, and a tire punch.

https://youtu.be/cJ6sN0aPAzE?list=PL-zOWmGvo0G-1jjSmG-m1EvLKOquWZ6KH

  • (1:03) Aston Martin can tank machine gun fire and be jackknifed by another car (so hard the other one explodes).


Other Cars


(The Spy Who Loved Me, 1:01:53) Lotus Espirit.

  • (1:12:41) Back bumper spray that can cover an entire windshield. 

  • (1:14:55) Lotus Espirit is amphibian, and can swim as a submarine. 

  • (1:15:37) Can fire a missile directly above itself that can destroy a helicopter. 

  • (1:17:30) Can fire missiles from its front as well. 

  • (1:18:05) Can survive indirect missile fire. Also has an ink screen for concealment, and a depth charge.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 23:33) Lotus Esprit will explode if someone tries to break in.


(The Living Daylights, 45:15) Bond’s new Aston Martin has a laser that shoots out of the tires.

  • (46:10) Has a display that helps him target opponents as well as other factors like distance, temperature, etc. #Arsenal

  • (46:19) Can fire two front-facing missiles. #Arsenal

  • (46:41) Bulletproof glass. #Arsenal

  • (48:05) Skis that pop out of the car. #Arsenal

  • (48:13) Spiked tires. #Arsenal

  • (48:37) Rocket in the back of the car for a speed boost. #Arsenal

  • (49:05) Self-destruct button. #Arsenal


(GoldenEye, 50:54) New car, BMW: agile, five forward gears, all-points radar, self destruct system, stinger missiles behind the headlights, and parachute out the back.


(Tomorrow Never Dies, 29:00) BMW 750 comes with machine guns, rockets, GPS.

  • (56:27) Electric shock in case the car isn’t unlocked properly. #Arsenal

  • (56:55) Glass strong enough to resist sledgehammers. #Arsenal

  • (57:19) Bulletproof car as well.

  • (59:50) Remote controls the car to release a cloud of smoke, and drive out of a parking structure while being shot at.

  • (1:00:41) Roof missiles that are strong enough to send a car flying forward. #Arsenal

  • (1:01:03) Releases caltrops. #Arsenal

  • (1:01:50) Self-repairing wheels???? #Arsenal

  • (1:02:56) Extremely specific wire cutter on the hood of the car. 


(The World Is Not Enough, 21:34) New BMW: titanium armor, multi-tasking heads up display, and six beverage holders.

  • (1:30:55) Can turn on and command his new car to drive with his keys. #Arsenal

  • (1:31:31) Can aim and fire guided missiles via a monitor in his steering wheel.


(Die Another Day, 1:06:16) Aston Martin Vanquish (Vanish): can turn invisible, ejector seat, torpedoes, and target-seeking shotguns on the hood.

  • (1:37:15) Vanish also comes with machine guns, a laser, mortar, targeting, radial thermal energy, and something called traction. #Arsenal

  • (1:37:53) Tanks machine gun rounds, though enough hits will damage the adaptive camouflage. #DurabilityFeat #Weakness

  • (1:38:43) Driving backwards while firing torpedoes at Zao’s car, which is also firing torpedoes at him. #Arsenal #SkillFeat

  • (1:39:19) Vanish tanks a missile hitting it - Bond is unfazed. #Arsenal

  • (1:39:31) Uses the ejector seat to flip his car right side up while also dodging a torpedo. #SpeedFeat #Arsenal

  • (1:39:40) Front facing machine guns. #Arsenal

  • (1:42:15) Adaptive camouflage will restore itself after a while - seems to be more of a battery thing. #Arsenal

  • (1:42:20) Traction = spiked tires.


(Spectre, (25:57) New Aston Martin, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, fully bulletproof, etc. 

  • (44:31) New car is bulletproof. 

  • (45:27) Can lock on to oncoming cars and fire behind. 

  • (49:47) Can shoot fire out of the exhaust.

  • (50:11) Ejector seat.


Little Nellie


(You Only Live Twice, 52:55) Toy helicopter, with two fixed machine guns, two rocket launchers - heat seeking air to air missiles, 60 a minute, flame guns with a range of 60 yards, and smoke guns.

  • (56:25) Explodes a helicopter in seconds with back-facing flame throwers.

  • (57:10) Obliterates a helicopter from above by dropping aerial missiles.

  • (57:50) Destroys a helicopter with rockets.

  • (58:25) Destroys two helicopters with heat seeking missiles.




Abilities


Spycraft


  • Despite often being caught and then fighting his way out of trouble, Bond is an accomplished spy who knows the tools of the trade, including infiltration: 

  • (Dr. No, 1:38:58) Infiltrates Dr. No’s lab, and sabotages it dressed as one of No’s scientists.

  • (Thunderball, 1:17:24) Bond sneaks into Largo’s compound.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 4:37) Although it was staged, it took Bond 1 minute 47 seconds to infiltrate a hostile compound filled with enemy combatants.

  • (License to Kill, 40:21) Sneaking aboard Krest’s ship.

  • (Casino Royale, 28:54) Does actual investigative spy work by sneaking into a hotel’s security room and viewing the security tapes. 

  • (Casino Royale, 41:03) Tracks Demetrios down, following him internationally.

  • (License to Kill, 1:30:10) Sneaks off of Sanchez’s island without him or anyone but Lupe knowing it, then later sneaks back on.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Complete-Warren-Ellis-Omnibus/TPB-Part-2?id=172662

    • (pg. 33) Sneaking aboard a submarine without being spotted. 

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Body/Issue-1?id=129121

    • (pg. 12) Does some actual spying, infiltrates wait staff for a party and discovers a killer based on his body language, dilated pupils, and behavior.


He has also made use of impromptu disguises:

  • (Octopussy, 1:52:52) Bond disguises himself in a clown outfit and makeup in only a few seconds...somehow.

  • (License to Kill, 1:15:31) Sneaks into the service elevator disguised as a waiter.



“Bond Sense”


In one of the games, Bond can activate something known as “Bond sense” to slow down time, allowing him to better aim and fight. This essentially can be justified as his spy instincts kicking in, similar to adrenaline.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

    • (8:01) Can enter “Bond sense” that slows down his perception of time, allowing him to detect, target, and shoot enemies much faster.

    • (1:38:00) Bond sense shown activating during hand to hand fights.


Martial Arts


Bond is a master martial artist - not in the sense of a karate master, but of a professional killer that has fought off hordes of enemies across his career. He doesn’t have any stated martial arts, aside from judo:

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-Origin/Issue-1?id=139259

    • (pg. 12) Trained in judo from boyhood.

  • (Dr. No, 20:54) Catches a kick from Mr. Jones, then beats the shit out of him effortlessly with judo throws.

  • (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 5:31) Fights that same guy in the ocean waves. Throws wild haymakers and uppercuts, as well as his traditional judo flips. 


But aside from that we can make some guesses. For instance, Daniel Craig stated to have trained in krav maga and muay thai to prepare for the role in various movies. And Ian Fleming has said that Bond likely knows some forms of boxing and jiu jitsu from his time in the service. The modern SAS teaches a combined form of these martial arts in a defense system developed in Wales known as Goshinkwai, so that’s also a candidate.


Though ultimately, Bond’s best showings are against the people he’s fought. He often fights trained assassins one on one:

  • (From Russia With Love, 1:35:44) Strangles Grant in a manner of seconds with his own garrote.

  • (Thunderball, 3:00) Flips Bouvar over with a somersault.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 1:16:57) Bo staff fighting, gets disarmed, then when his assailant tries to stab him with it, he instantly reverses it and kills him instead.

  • (Diamonds Are Forever, 22:13) Super close quarters elevator fight.

  • (Octopussy, 1:19:20) Catches one of the assassins’ punches and redirects it.

  • (Octopussy, 2:05:11) Fights with Gobinda while hanging onto an airplane.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:59:53) Fights Alec Trevelyan, former 006.

  • (Die Another Day, 11:36) Fights master martial artist Colonel Tan Sun Moon in hand to hand and wins fairly easily.

  • (Casino Royale, Spins around and grabs Demetrios’s knife before he can stab him, then stabs Demetrios with it.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 18:57) Hand to hand fighting with an assailant with a knife. Bond beats him pretty easily. 

  • (Skyfall, 49:16) Fights the assassin Patrice in hand to hand.

  • (Skyfall, 2:09:01) Gets one of Silva’s men in a headlock and strangles him under freezing water.

  • (Spectre, 10:00) Fighting a SPECTRE agent and his pilot aboard an out of control helicopter. 

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Complete-Warren-Ellis-Omnibus/TPB-Part-1?id=172660

    • (pg. 86) Blocks a punch with his elbow, breaking the guy’s hand.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-2019/Issue-3?id=167543#19

    • Blitzes a gunman before he can fire and then disarms him


He’s also fought multiple assailants at once and come out on top:

  • (Dr. No, 29:45) Fights off Quarrel and Puss Feller, who is strong enough to wrestle alligators. 

  • (Thunderball, 2:05:50) Takes on three guys by himself aboard the Disco Volante, including Largo. 

  • (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 21:36) Fights three men at once, even though he was at gunpoint.

  • (The Man with the Golden Gun, 18:25) Fights off three men at once in a small room.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 32:20) Fights off two guys pretty easily at the same time, overpowering them.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 57:11) Defeats three hockey player assassins.

  • (Octopussy, 1:18:40) Fights off two axe-wielding assassins and the buzzsaw assassin at the same time.

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 2:22) Takes out three men in five seconds, including two with one hit each.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 1:19:35) KOs three MI6 agents in seven seconds in an elevator while handcuffed. 

  • (Skyfall, 1:20:00) Defeats four armed guards, one of whom has a gun pointed directly at Bond, while unarmed and surrounded.

  • (Spectre, 2:03:14) Kills two men with one of their guns with a bag over his head and that gun to his head.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Complete-Warren-Ellis-Omnibus/TPB-Part-2?id=172662

    • (pg. 83) Kills two CIA agents in an elevator in hand to hand in seconds. 

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-2017/Issue-6?id=118356#5

    • Killing a bunch of armed guards


He can also fight in prone positions, where he might be disadvantaged or focused on something else:

  • (A View to a Kill, 50:16) Fights a man and beats him while on horseback.

  • (License to Kill, 2:06:20) Fighting with Sanchez while hanging onto the back of a speeding truck.

  • (Octopussy, 1:13:13) Dodges a thrown knife while partially blinded.

  • (Die Another Day, 1:24:24) Fights Mr. Kill while dodging several moving industrial lasers.

  • (Casino Royale, 13:56) Catches a gun thrown at him, then throws it back.

  • (Casino Royale, 14:16) Beats a guy in hand to hand while hanging onto the edge of a suspended construction crane.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 1:23:28) KOs an armored SWAT agent. 

  • (Skyfall, 9:55) Fistfight with a guy aboard a moving train.


He has also routinely fought and defeated superhuman opponents in unarmed combat:



Marksmanship


Bond is an incredible marksman, able to consistently land headshots, make shots from great distances, fire incredibly quickly, and shoot strategically to gain an advantage.


Acrobatics


Bond is also an accomplished acrobat, performing countless stunts in his fights.


Ingenuity


Bond’s greatest ability is arguably his intelligence, and natural knack for coming up with schemes, reading his enemies and manipulating them in fights, and using his gadgets to his advantage against superior forces.

  • (Dr. No, 17:35) Immediately figures out that the car sent for him was a ploy to kill him.

  • (Dr. No, 58:24) Knows how many bullets Dent has left by the type of gun he has; counts bullets.

  • (From Russia With Love, 10:20) In a more general sense, SPECTRE’s plan was devised by a chess champion (who seemingly chose to win his match the instant he was called by Blofeld), and he specifically says that he has anticipated every possible counter move. And yet, Bond ends up foiling his plan.

  • (From Russia With Love, 1:33:30) Subtly tricks Red Grant into opening his booby trapped suitcase.

  • (Goldfinger, 4:07) Sees an assailant in a woman’s eye, then spins her around to take the hit for him.

  • (Goldfinger, 1:08:58) Tricks a guard into coming into his cell and setting him free.

  • (Goldfinger, 1:42:34) Tricks Oddjob and electrocutes him.

  • (Goldfinger, 1:47:05) Defeats Goldfinger by using Gf’s gun to break a window and suck Gf out.

  • (Thunderball, 2:24) Discerns that Jacques Bouvar is still alive and in disguise.

  • (Thunderball, 1:26:25) Knocks over a homeless man’s alcohol and pushes Volpe’s cigarette lighter into it to create an explosion distraction and escape being held at gunpoint. Incredibly clever and quick thinking.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 23:50) Disguises himself as his assailant (after killing him with his own knife) to trick his partner.

  • (Diamonds Are Forever, 1:56:45) Recognizes Mr. Wint from the smell of his aftershave.

  • (The Man with the Golden Gun, 1:52:26) Tricks Scaramanga and defeats him by using his own fun house against him - disguising himself as the Bond mannequin.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 43:25) Tricks Jaws into destroying the scaffolding and crushing himself.

  • (A View to a Kill, 53:53) Survives underwater for longer than he should by sucking the air from a car tire.

  • (The Living Daylights, 14:30) Accurately deduced that Kara was not a real sniper just by the way she handled her rifle.

  • (The Living Daylights, 47:56) After getting his tire blown off, he uses the metal of the hub cap to slice a hole in the ice to trap his pursuers.

  • (The Living Daylights, 1:14:39) Staged Pushkin’s death in order to trick Necros.

  • (The Living Daylights, 2:04:10) Uses his exploding keychain to kill Whitaker, who was using body armor in order to avoid being shot.

  • (License to Kill, 43:25) Steals a dead guy’s oxygen tank in order to pretend like he’d drowned.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:44:02) Uses a distraction to hook Xenia to her helicopter, shoot the pilot from ground level, thus causing the copter to spin out and pull Xenia into the trees, breaking her back.

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 58:41) Tricks the Doctor into shocking himself with the cellphone.

  • (Casino Royale, 53:34) Clipped the bomb onto the terrorist without him realizing it while they were fighting. 

  • (Casino Royale, 59:30) Good at reading people - it’s why he was selected to win this poker game with Le Chiffre.

  • (Skyfall, 9:27) Uses an excavator atop a train to bridge two trains together to continue chasing a guy.  

  • (Skyfall, 1:41:50) Shoots fire extinguishers in order to cover Silva’s line of sight and prevent him from shooting M.

  • (Skyfall, 1:52:48) Sets up several Home Alone-esque booby traps in Skyfall manor in anticipation of Silva and his men coming to execute M. Results of their traps happen around (1:56:00).

  • (Skyfall, 2:04:00) Lights gas tanks on fire in order to blow up Skyfall and use the debris as projectiles to take out Silva’s gunship.

  • (Skyfall, 2:08:03) Grabs a gunman’s gun aimed at him and gets him to fire it at the ice below them in order to fall through and escape.



Driving


  • (Dr. No, 50:48) Expert driver: escapes from a car chasing him.

  • (Goldfinger, 49:13) Maneuvering his car in an incredibly tight space.

  • (The Man with the Golden Gun, 1:26:42) Drives over a broken twisted bridge and aileron rolls the car in mid-air.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1:11:46) Dodges a missile while driving the Lotus.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 24:55) Intentionally swerves the car in order to drive over a bag of concrete to blind the drivers behind him chasing them.

  • (Octopussy, 4:07) Pulls the parachutes open on armed guards in order to escape. 

  • (Octopussy, 1:35:09) Drives a car on two wheels.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 1:22:44) Bond motorcycling.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 1:23:30) Bond drives his motorcycle down some stairs.

  • (License to Kill, 20:00:03) Dodges a stinger missile with his gasoline truck.

  • (License to Kill, 2:03:10) Pops a wheelie with a truck.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:20:43) Pilots a tank through the city in order to catch up to Ourumov and Natalya. 

  • (Die Another Day, 1:38:43) Driving backwards while firing torpedoes at Zao’s car, which is also firing torpedoes at him.

  • (Casino Royale, 11:46) Drives a construction digger through a site, smashing everything in his way, to catch this guy.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 1:22) High speed chase, expert driving in a tight tunnel.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 29:24) Expert motorcycle rider.

  • (Skyfall, 5:00) Motorcycle chase over rooftops and through the Istanbul Grand Bazaar.

  • (Skyfall, 6:38) Crashes a motorcycle against the guard rail of a bridge in order to launch himself onto a moving train.

  • (No Time to Die, 17:00) Rides a motorcycle through the crowded streets of Matera.

  • (No Time to Die, 1:49:19) Uses the winch of the truck to take out another truck.


Skiing


  • (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1:34:09) Skiing while escaping from henchmen with machine guns.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 7:09) Spins around while skiing down a mountain and fires his gun/skiing pole at his assailant, killing him. 

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 48:30) Avoids shots from an olympic marksman sniper, and does a jumping spin in mid air.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 48:44) Makes a ski jump that even an Olympic skier fumbles.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 52:24) Avoids being shot at from behind by motorcyclists while skiing.

  • (A View to a Kill, 2:03) Avoiding being shot by gunmen while skiing.


Boating


  • (Live and Let Die, 1:36:39) Piloting a speedboat over land.

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 8:35) Pilots an experimental speed boat to chase an assassin.


Piloting


  • (You Only Live Twice, 50:55) Pilots a self-destructing, nose-diving plane into a safe landing.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 57:27) Avoids being shot up by multiple SPECTRE helicopters.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 6:03) Hooks Blofeld’s wheelchair with the helicopter he’s flying. 

  • (Octopussy, 5:13) Piloting a miniature jet.

    • (6:09) Maneuvers out of the way of a heat seeking missile.

    • (6:28) Flies his jet through a busy hangar and fits it through just as the doors are closing. Superhumanly good piloting. 

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 9:10) Ejects the backseat pilot into a jet above them, destroying the two of them. 

  • (Quantum of Solace, 1:08:03) Piloting an airplane while being dogged by fighter planes and manages to destroy them.

  • (Spectre, 1:12:03) Took out one of the enemy cars by bumping it with the airplane.


Sword Fighting


  • (Moonraker, 46:34) Sword fights a kendo practitioner with a rapier.

  • (Die Another Day, 54:48) Duels and defeats expert swordsman Gustav Graves in a fencing, then a real broadsword, match.


Climbing


  • (For Your Eyes Only, 1:48:52) Climbing up the mountain to St. Cyril’s abandoned monastery.

  • (License to Kill, 1:57:32) Climbing around the underside of a speeding truck.

  • (Casino Royale, 12:36) Climbing up an unfinished building.


Horseback Riding


  • (Octopussy, 2:02:52) Horse riding.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 1:47:06) Horse riding.

  • (A View to a Kill, 50:04) Manages to overcome several of Zorin’s booby traps while horse riding - of note, other seemingly experienced horse riders fail.


Seduction


One of Bond’s techniques as a secret agent is seduction, usually to get information, but mostly for pleasure.

  • (Casino Royale, 37:28) Seduces Demetrios’s wife in order to get information on him and his location.


His proficiency is actually somewhat superhuman, as his sexual prowess has literally changed women’s personalities, defying logic and good taste.

  • (Goldfinger, 1:45:22) Bond had sex with Pussy so well that she became good.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 26:00) Immediately woos a woman presumably there to assassinate him, and makes her fall in love with him so thoroughly, she begs her partner not to kill him. This happens in literally minutes. 

  • (GoldenEye, 16:58) Seduces his MI6 driving evaluator despite having almost gotten her killed in a car accident.

  • (Spectre, 35:35) Seduces Sciarra’s wife despite having essentially signed her death warrant from SPECTRE.


Superhero Shit


I couldn’t really fit some of these feats in the above categories because they’re so absurd that they might as well make Bond some kind of comic book superhero.

  • (Octopussy, 1:02:38) Commands a wild tiger to sit and it obeys.

  • (Die Another Day, 26:14) Can meditate to stop his own heart and restart it immediately, and does this in order to trick his doctors into escaping.

  • (Die Another Day, 1:34:17) Parachute surfs on a giant tsunami created from a glacier melted by a space laser.

  • (Casino Royale, 16:57) Invades a consulate, beats up a diplomat, and captures the bomb maker. Then somehow escapes despite having a small army all pointing guns at him.

  • (Casino Royale, 1:38:47) Poisoned by Le Chiffre, then vomits up the poison and defibrillates himself, then returns to the poker game no biggie.

  • (Spectre, 1:54:55) Somehow remembers Madeline despite receiving a lobotomy that would wipe his memory??

  • https://youtu.be/OWuBj94zkk8&t=589

    • Fought his way through a Russian compound single-handedly and blew up a Russian tank with a mounted machine gun.

  • https://youtu.be/sq6hKpaz1xM&t=1170

    • Defeats Red Grant’s gigantic octopus mech.


Some of these feats specifically involve him leaping off of cliffs, falling through the air, and doing something impossible.

  • (Moonraker, 3:58) Bond catches up to a skydiver mid drop and steals his parachute.

  • (GoldenEye, 9:39) Rides a motorcycle off a cliff, catches up to a plane in freefall, climbs aboard, and steers it away from crashing before it hits the ground.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c?t=3820

    • In order to save his love interest after she’s thrown off a cliff, he leaps after her, dodging missiles and machine gun fire while in free fall, catches up to her, and stops their fall with a grappling hook.


And in some instances, he has a jetpack?? And it comes with machine guns and a rocket launcher??



Feats 


Strength


  • Has made an overwhelming habit of knocking men out in one blow:

    • (Dr. No, 1:45:50) KOs a guy in one punch.

    • (Dr. No, 1:46:50) KOs another guy in one punch.

    • (From Russia With Love, 1:04:55) KOs a guy with a single chop to his neck.

    • (Goldfinger, 1:20) Knocks out a guy with a single kick to the face.

    • (Goldfinger, 1:09:48) KOs a guard in one kick.

    • (Thunderball, 56:56) Knocks a guy out with a very casual punch. Felix wondered if Bond had actually killed him

    • (You Only Live Twice, 45:52) Knocks out five guys in a row with one punch each in about 20 seconds. 

    • (You Only Live Twice, 1:34:50) Knocks out another guy with one punch.

    • (You Only Live Twice, 1:44:01) KOs two guys in one hit each.

    • (Live and Let Die, 27:08) Knocks out two guys in one hit each.

    • (Live and Let Die, 1:48:00) Knocks out two guys in one hit each.

    • (The Man with the Golden Gun, 55:20) KOs a guy with a single kick to the head (while he’s bowing lol). 

    • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1:35:46) KOs two guys in one hit each.

    • (Moonraker, 1:52:45) KOs a guy with one kick to the face. 

    • (For Your Eyes Only, 22:10) KOs two guys in one hit each.

    • (Octopussy, 2:48) KOs a guy with a single karate chop to the back.

    • (Octopussy, 37:19) Distracts a knife wielding assassin and then KOs him in one punch. 

    • (Never Say Never Again, 1:34) KOs a guy with one punch.

    • (Never Say Never Again, 1:46:15) KOs a guy in one hit.

    • (GoldenEye, 3:02) KOs a guy with one punch while hanging upside down.

    • (GoldenEye, 1:06:48) Knocks Xenia out with a karate chop to the neck.

    • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 5:15) KOs a guy in a single hit by slamming his head against a truck. 

    • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 5:28) KOs a guy with a single hit from the butt of his rifle.

    • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 5:34) KOs a guy on the ground with one punch. #StrengthFeat

    • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 5:38) KOs a guy with one hit from a helmet. 

    • (The World Is Not Enough, 2:22) 2:22) Takes out three men in five seconds, including two with one hit each. 

    • (Die Another Day, 40:36) KOs a guy in one hit.

    • (Spectre, 1:09:11) KOs a guy in one hit. 

  • (You Only Live Twice, 25:00) Fights a guy using a sofa.

  • (You Only Live Twice, 1:50:24) Fights one of Blofeld’s henchmen - at first this guy is so tough he can take blows from Bond with shrugging, but Bond starts to do damage.

  • (The Man with the Golden Gun, 50:39) Beats up a sumo wrestler very easily. 

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 4:36) Holds onto the side of a helicopter as Blofeld controls it to fly around and spin wildly.

  • (Octopussy, 35:39) Throws a bladed weapon so hard it embeds itself in a wooden door dozens of meters away (while he’s driving in the opposite direction).

  • (Octopussy, (2:03:16) Holds onto an airplane as it’s taking off, and continues to hold on even as it dives and spins in the air.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 2:00:37) Pushes a giant boulder off a cliff. 

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 1:58:14) Fights Renard, a man that feels no pain and is stated to have superhuman strength (gets stronger every single day).

  • (Casino Royale, 15:35) Smashes through drywall.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Body/Issue-3?id=132149#16

    • Crushes a man’s skull in his flip flops.


Speed


Bond has numerous feats of bullet-timing:

  • (Thunderball, 1:31:24) Spins Fiona Volpe around to catch a bullet intended for him.

  • (A View to a Kill, 4:24) Dodging bullets after they’re fired from a helicopter.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:58:24) Leaps out of the way of bullets being fired at him

  • (The World Is Not Enough, 7:39) Dodges bullets as they’re being shot.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-Hammerhead/Issue-3?id=98018#10

    • Dodges a bullet fired at him after it’s fired and headshots the assassin.


He can also dodge missiles:

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1:56:09) Dodges a missile fired at him by Stromberg.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:12:15) Ejects himself and Natalya from the cockpit before heat seeking missiles can hit them.

  • (Die Another Day, 1:39:31) Uses the ejector seat to flip his car right side up while also dodging a torpedo.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c?t=3820

    • Leaps off a cliff and dodges missiles as he’s freefalling.


He once even lightning-timed:

https://youtu.be/RWIE85IX__0

  • (3:16:46) Dodges bolts of electricity.


And even dodged light!

  • (The Man with the Golden Gun, 1:56:30) Moves relative to a laser beam.

    • (1:57:16) Dodges a laser beam. 

  • (Moonraker, 1:53:41) Avoids a laser blast (unclear if he even knew it was there, but he does move relative to it).


Though to be fair, these last few are strong outliers for a character that is only roughly superhuman, and it’s obvious from the feats that the intention isn’t to portray Bond as dodging light.


Durability


  • (Thunderball, 1:04:49) Survives multiple hand grenade explosions underwater, which amplifies their strength, in a row.

  • (Thunderball, 1:26:37) Keeps running without stopping even after being shot.

  • (Moonraker, 22:45) Survives 13Gs of pressure without passing out.

  • (For Your Eyes Only, 1:39:13) Dragged across coral underwater by a boat. 

  • (Octopussy, 35:32) Fights a goon off after being stabbed in the chest.

  • (Never Say Never Again, 18:30) Has his neck crushed by ~ 100 kg of weight.

  • (GoldenEye, 1:41:35) Hit by a stinger missile while in the cockpit of a plane, then crashes, and survives.

  • (Tomorrow Never Dies, 13:55) Survives a long fall from an air balloon. Only dislocated his collar bone.

  • (Die Another Day, 16:44) Survived being tortured in a North Korean prison for 14 months.

  • (Die Another Day, 1:59:55) Shocked by Graves’s 100 volt exosuit.

  • (Casino Royale, 1:46:59) Survives being in a car crash where the car flips seven times.

  • (Casino Royale, 1:49:29) Tortured by having his nuts smashed by a rope whip.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 13:39) Tackles a Quantum agent off a bell tower several stories through a glass ceiling and onto some rafters.

  • (Quantum of Solace, 1:32:09) Hit by the shockwave from a nearby gas explosion. 

  • (Skyfall, 12:01) Shot in the chest by an assault rifle and fell hundreds of feet off a bridge into a river, then over a waterfall, and survived.

  • (Skyfall, 2:09:33) Spends over a minute submerged in freezing water.

  • (No Time to Die, 13:41) Tanks a nearby explosion that blows up a stone mausoleum.

  • (No Time to Die, 2:21:13) Blown back by several grenades and immediately got back up.

  • (No Time to Die, 2:26:25) Shot in the gut and continues to fight Safin.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Complete-Warren-Ellis-Omnibus/TPB-Part-2?id=172662

    • (pg. 5) Survives in a room that was heated to 300 C.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Body/Issue-4?id=133286

    • (pg. 5) Crashed a car off a bridge at 17 kph and walked for 17 km while losing a litre of blood and then passing out.

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-Hammerhead/Issue-1?id=92400#11

    • Tanks a nearby explosion

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-2019/Issue-1?id=164413#4

    • Tanks an explosion with no scratch

  • https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-Agent-of-Spectre/Issue-4?id=185259#6

    • Survives an explosive launched by a helicopter.



Scaling


Dr. No

  • (1:32:42) Dr. No crushes a metal statue with his robot hand (looks like gold - compressive strength of gold is 2-205 mPa, avg. ~ 112.5 mPa).

  • (1:44:15) Choked by Dr. No’s metal hands - is not crushed like the metal statue No was earlier able to crumple with ease.


Blofeld


Red Grant

(From Russia With Love, 1:34:15) Able to physically hurt Red Grant and get him to react with punches and kicks. Earlier Grant took a brass knuckle punch to the gut without reacting at all. 

  • (13:50) Red Grant tanks being surprise punched in the gut with brass knuckles and doesn’t even flinch. 


Oddjob

(Goldfinger, (33:10) Oddjob is strong enough to crush a golf ball in his hand.

  • (1:40:44) Oddjob can snap a huge log of wood in half.

  • (1:41:40) Tanks a chop to the back from Oddjob.



Jaws

  • (43:33) Jaws survives being crushed by tons of rock and wood.

  • (44:15) Jaws is strong enough to tear apart the steel roof of a van. 

  • (44:58) Jaws is strong enough to stop a speeding van. 

  • (45:17) Jaws survives being crushed between a van and a wall.

  • (45:29) Jaws can lift the back end of the van.

  • (1:13:05) Jaws survives crashing a car off a cliff into a cottage.

  • (1:59:02) Jaws manages to defeat a shark underwater.

  • (Moonraker, 5:54) Jaws survives a fall out of an airplane, the only thing briefly breaking his fall being a circus tent (which he rips through).

  • (Moonraker, 1:09:31) Jaws survives a gondola lift crashing at top speed into a small building, destroying it.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1:57:39) Staggers Jaws with an elbow to the side.

  • (The Spy Who Loved Me, 58:19) Crushed and manhandled by Jaws.

  • (Moonraker, 1:07:55) A headbutt actually stuns Jaws. 

  • (1:08:17) Hurts Jaws with a kick.

  • (1:07:48) Survives having his face crushed by Jaws.


Despite being physically inferior to Jaws, Bond has managed to hurt him with punches and kicks.

  • https://youtu.be/qPA9W1xd09c

    • (22:25) Stuns Jaws with his punches.

    • (24:30) Jaws survives this train crashing and a huge explosion (he’s revealed to have lived at the end of the chapter).


Count Lippe

  • (Never Say Never Again, 19:10) Fights off one of Fatima Blush’s henchmen, who is strong enough to shrug off dumbbells being thrown at him. 


Mr. Hinks

  • (Spectre, 1:32:59) Fights Mr. Hinks, a superhumanly strong SPECTRE assassin.

  • (1:33:20) Mr. Hinks was strong enough to KO Madeline Swann with a backhand. 

  • (1:33:58) Mr. Hinks punches through a train support pole. 


Dharma Reach

https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Complete-Warren-Ellis-Omnibus/TPB-Part-1?id=172660

  • (pg. 39) She’s strong enough to jettison a car door several yards through the air.

  • (pg. 49) Her arms are strong enough to shatter stone.


Hawkwood

https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/James-Bond-The-Complete-Warren-Ellis-Omnibus/TPB-Part-2?id=172662

  • (pg. 55) Hawkwood easily snaps a man’s neck - superhuman strength. 

  • (pg. 88) Breaks a metal elevator button panel with his elbow.









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