There are some behaviours James Bond is going to have to give up to keep up with the times (Picture: Getty Images)
James Bond has been a pop culture touchstone for decades.
As rumours continue to swirl about which actor will take on the role of 007 in the franchise’s next iteration, many are beginning to wonder just how much the iconic character will have to change to make sense in 2024.
With 25 official films spanning nearly six decades, Bond has always reflected the times – specifically, the cultural position on masculinity at the moment each film was made.
And unfortunately, beneath the charm, sleek gadgets, and one-liners, the superspy has routinely been more than a little toxic.
As society has evolved, so too have expectations around representation, respect, and sensitivity and Bond has struggled to keep up.
Here are some of the most concerning aspects of Bond’s character and actions throughout the franchise’s history that the film makers will have to address if the next Bond outing is to be a success.
James Bond has been known for his womanising since the franchise began (Picture: Shutterstock)
James Bond’s treatment of women
One of the most glaring issues with James Bond’s character is his treatment of women, particularly in earlier films.
Bond’s seduction skills are a major part of his appeal. Still, he’s often crossed the line into coercion or predatory behavior, disregarding consent or using his status to pressure women into sexual encounters.
Take Goldfinger (1964), for instance, where Bond’s interaction with Pussy Galore is, by today’s standards, a clear cut assault.
In one scene, he forces himself onto her during a fight, which leads to a forced kiss that transforms her suddenly into an ally.
Much of Bond’s seduction over the years has verged on predatory (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)
The implication that women need to be overpowered into submission or that resistance is merely part of the game is a powerful testament to the prevalence of rape culture.
Similarly, in Thunderball (1965), Bond encounters nurse Patricia Fearing, whom he blackmails into sex after threatening to expose her for a mishap at her clinic. This coercion reinforces the idea that Bond’s charm is irresistible – even when it borders on harassment.
In more than one instance in the franchise’s history 007 has forced himself on a woman (Picture: Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock)
If these same tactics were to be imitated by audience members, they could lead to dangerously nonconsensual situations.
Besides, morality aside, its just boring and trite to place Bond in the same situations with the same archetypal women over and over again.
Hopefully, the next Bond movie will take time to invest in a more complex – and therefore sexier – dynamic between the spy and his love interest.
Racial appropriation and insensitivity
The early Bond films also suffer from a heavy dose of racial insensitivity and appropriation, particularly when Bond ventures into non-Western countries.
Live and Let Die (1973), for instance, features a storyline steeped in racial stereotypes about the Black community and Voodoo culture.
The Bond film’s have an unfortunate legacy of cultural insensitivity (Picture: Getty Images)
The film’s depiction of Harlem as a gangster-ridden, dangerous place populated exclusively by criminals is a deeply reductive portrayal of Black communities.
In You Only Live Twice (1967) Bond undergoes a cringeworthy transformation where he disguises himself as a Japanese man, complete with prosthetic eyelids and makeup. The scene reeks of exoticization, where non-Western cultures are treated as little more than backdrops to Bond’s adventures.
The films have always been known for transporting audiences to beautiful vistas and far away destinations, but respectfully engaging with the cultures in these areas will be key if Bond is to keep up with the times.
Women as motivation
Women in Bond films often exist solely to further the protagonist’s story, either as motivation, objects of desire, or disposable casualties.
Rarely do they get full character arcs or lives of their own, and when they do, they are often cut short in order to add tragedy to Bond’s story
Meaningful female characters in the Bond film’s have been scarce (Picture: Getty Images)
Take the character of Tracy di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).
Despite being one of the few women Bond actually marries, Tracy is murdered shortly after their wedding, with her death serving as Bond’s emotional motivation for vengeance. Rather than engaging with Tracy’s story, her character exists primarily as a plot device to propel Bond’s narrative.
A modern example of this phenomenon is Vesper Lynd’s death in Casino Royale (2006). Lynd’s death is another example where a woman’s tragic demise shapes Bond’s arc, rather than allowing her full autonomy as a character.
The moral absolutism of James Bond
James Bond’s character operates within a black-and-white moral framework that leaves little room for nuance or gray areas.
His job is to eliminate threats to the British government and its interests, which often leads to Bond taking an unyielding stance on justice, no matter the consequences.
This stance is decidedly colonialist and can paint complex situations as oversimplified good vs. evil scenarios, reducing the complexity of international politics to Bond’s personal vendettas.
The new Bond films will be far more interesting if they allow for more moral grey areas (Picture: Shutterstock)
For example, in Licence to Kill (1989), Bond goes rogue to seek revenge for his friend Felix Leiter, dismissing the rules and anyone who gets in his way.
His willingness to operate outside the bounds of international law reflects his self-perception as a force of moral rightness, despite often blurring the ethical lines himself.
While this can be fun in the fantasy world of a movie, watching Bond struggle with the complexities of the global stage – and the legacy of the British empire – would be an exciting new direction for the franchise.
Xenophobia
Throughout Bond’s cinematic journey, there has been a clear trend of ‘othering’ non-Western characters, often depicting them as morally inferior, sinister, or primitive.
Villains from Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are often caricatured as dangerous, untrustworthy, and uncivilized.
The film’s have an unfortunate history of dealing with exotic lands with a xenophobia (Picture: Getty Images)
In From Russia with Love (1963), the enemy is Soviet intelligence, and the film perpetuates Cold War stereotypes of Russians as scheming and deceitful.
Likewise, Octopussy (1983) portrays India as an exotic, dangerous place filled with circus performers and criminal masterminds, reducing an entire culture to a series of stereotypes.
By positioning Western characters as inherently good and capable, while villains from the ‘East’ are portrayed as menacing threats, the Bond films engage in xenophobic undertones that align with colonial attitudes of the time.
Mr. Bond, I’m just trying to get to work…
While action films are often filled with explosions and car chases, Bond takes it to another level with his habitual destruction of property – whether it’s cars, buildings, or public infrastructure. In the Bond universe, no car chase is complete without crashing through a fruit market or demolishing a few parked vehicles.
And given how long it takes just to fix a pothole in London in 2024, Bond is going to have to cut this out.
In Spectre (2015), Bond’s reckless behavior causes a massive car chase through Rome, leading to multiple destroyed vehicles and millions in damage. Similarly, in Skyfall (2012), Bond’s chase across London causes untold damage to the city’s underground system, halting public transportation and causing chaos.
It would be great if Bond would stop ruining roads (Picture: Getty Images)
The collateral damage Bond leaves in his wake often serves as a symbol of his disregard for anything beyond his immediate mission, despite the real-world consequences of such careless destruction. After all, Mr. Bond, we are in a cost-of-living crisis and some of us are just trying to endure our commute.
e of the longest-running franchises in film history, the James Bond series has undoubtedly made an impact on global culture. However, many of Bond’s behaviors – from his treatment of women to his racial insensitivity – remain deeply problematic when viewed through a modern lens.
While recent iterations of Bond have attempted to evolve the character, the legacy of these troubling elements lingers.
If the new Bond films are to remain fresh and exciting for new audiences, they will have to engage with every part of 007’s legacy. Otherwise, modern audiences will simply lose interest and seek out more creative, urgent storytelling elsewhere.
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