James Bond: Superhero or Government Agent?
I ask this question to a lot of my friends, James Bond: Superhero or just a Government Agent?
The reactions are mixed, lots of people who grew up on comics and reading Ian Fleming's books tell me that he is just a government agent and doing her majesty's work, he is just really good.
So I ask what makes a superhero? When we think of superheroes, we tend to think of Batman, Superman, Spiderman, the Avengers; so what makes them superheroes?
Batman & Ironman - In the cases of Batman and Iron Man we have playboy billionaire orphans who have a mission. Their mission is to fight injustices that are happening in their jurisdictions, Batman has Gotham City and Iron Man well he has everywhere. These two superheroes have technology that aids them in their quests. Batman has lots of help, primarily he has Alfred, Robin and Wayne Enterprises always there assisting him with his inventions and schemes. These inventions are what helps him be successful in his crime fighting ways. Iron Man also has a multi-billion dollar company at his disposal where coupled his great intellect he creates his suit that keeps him crime fighting.
James Bond is also a playboy orphan with endless resources, he has the British Government (a multi-billion dollar organization) supplying him with their best technology to keep him safe in the field. He has an array of people who help him like Alfred helps Batman. From Dr. No to Spectre: M, Q, Moneypenny, and a Bond girl usually have a role in assisting him at one point or another. While he has missions he is supposed to follow he usually ends up doing what he feels is right and works to correct the injustices he sees while out in the field.
Black Widow - Another great comparison is Black Widow, she is also an orphan and a former KGB sleeper agent turned Avenger. Her great superpower is her amazing fighting skills, which she learned from her government teachers. She also relies on her charm to assist her in her missions.
James Bond has gone against his government to do what he feels is right on several occasions, it always leads to good results. He also possesses amazing fighting skills that were taught to him through his training and relies on that and his charms to successfully complete his missions.
There have been so many different occasions, throughout the Bond movies where the audience thinks "He will never make it out of this!" But he always does, he always wins and survives. This is simply not the case with regular government agents. Over and over again he is tested to his limit and always comes out on top. He uses his wit, strength and tools from the government to get him out of the worst jams.
I first realized this in Diamonds are Forever, during this movie he is placed alive into a cremation furnace and he escapes. How is that possible? Additionally, in many movies he is almost thrown off of moving trains, helicopters, exploding buildings, strapped down with blades and needles hanging over him, constantly being shot at (even as he is skiing down a mountain). These are not situations in which normal people survive, time and time again. You never need to worry in Super Hero movies about the Super Hero dying, because they simply will not die. Just as in Bond movies, he simply will not die, he will live on to fight for his Queen and country.
One last word on Bond, if you haven't seen Spectre yet, I strongly suggest re-watching the other Daniel Craig movies as they all play into this one. That is all I am going to say right now, as I don't want to spoil anything.
Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading!
The reactions are mixed, lots of people who grew up on comics and reading Ian Fleming's books tell me that he is just a government agent and doing her majesty's work, he is just really good.
So I ask what makes a superhero? When we think of superheroes, we tend to think of Batman, Superman, Spiderman, the Avengers; so what makes them superheroes?
Batman & Ironman - In the cases of Batman and Iron Man we have playboy billionaire orphans who have a mission. Their mission is to fight injustices that are happening in their jurisdictions, Batman has Gotham City and Iron Man well he has everywhere. These two superheroes have technology that aids them in their quests. Batman has lots of help, primarily he has Alfred, Robin and Wayne Enterprises always there assisting him with his inventions and schemes. These inventions are what helps him be successful in his crime fighting ways. Iron Man also has a multi-billion dollar company at his disposal where coupled his great intellect he creates his suit that keeps him crime fighting.
James Bond is also a playboy orphan with endless resources, he has the British Government (a multi-billion dollar organization) supplying him with their best technology to keep him safe in the field. He has an array of people who help him like Alfred helps Batman. From Dr. No to Spectre: M, Q, Moneypenny, and a Bond girl usually have a role in assisting him at one point or another. While he has missions he is supposed to follow he usually ends up doing what he feels is right and works to correct the injustices he sees while out in the field.
Black Widow - Another great comparison is Black Widow, she is also an orphan and a former KGB sleeper agent turned Avenger. Her great superpower is her amazing fighting skills, which she learned from her government teachers. She also relies on her charm to assist her in her missions.
James Bond has gone against his government to do what he feels is right on several occasions, it always leads to good results. He also possesses amazing fighting skills that were taught to him through his training and relies on that and his charms to successfully complete his missions.
There have been so many different occasions, throughout the Bond movies where the audience thinks "He will never make it out of this!" But he always does, he always wins and survives. This is simply not the case with regular government agents. Over and over again he is tested to his limit and always comes out on top. He uses his wit, strength and tools from the government to get him out of the worst jams.
I first realized this in Diamonds are Forever, during this movie he is placed alive into a cremation furnace and he escapes. How is that possible? Additionally, in many movies he is almost thrown off of moving trains, helicopters, exploding buildings, strapped down with blades and needles hanging over him, constantly being shot at (even as he is skiing down a mountain). These are not situations in which normal people survive, time and time again. You never need to worry in Super Hero movies about the Super Hero dying, because they simply will not die. Just as in Bond movies, he simply will not die, he will live on to fight for his Queen and country.
One last word on Bond, if you haven't seen Spectre yet, I strongly suggest re-watching the other Daniel Craig movies as they all play into this one. That is all I am going to say right now, as I don't want to spoil anything.
Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading!
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