# Are we meant to believe James Bond (aka 007) is one person or several people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 4, 2021, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484 "2021-12-04T04:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/41 "2021-12-06T20:48:28Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > But it never even crosses our mind that, in universe, at some point “Bruce Wayne” say “OK, I’m done being Bruce Wayne, I retire”, and then another younger guy gets to be “Bruce Wayne” for a while, while the previous Bruce Wayne is still alive, but has gone back to his original birth name, and is off fishing somewhere. That’s (a) nonsensical and (b) unneeded I do not want to hijack this thread but weren’t there more than one Robin? As in, different people (not just actors but Robin was a different person…Nightwing???..I admit I am lost at how that all worked out)? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/42 "2021-12-06T20:52:43Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not want to hijack this thread but weren’t there more than one Robin? As in, different people (not just actors but Robin was a different person)? I was going to point this out. There have actually been several examples of this, where a different person takes up the mantle of the superhero, after the original dies or retires. Robin is one such character, Captain America is another. Hell, there was a whole streaming series about just that - replacing the old Captain America. The CW show Green Arrow has had several people at least temporarily playing the role of “Green Arrow” just within the normal run of the show. So, no, we wouldn’t get a new “Bruce Wanye”, but we could get a new “Batman”. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/43 "2021-12-06T21:12:19Z")
It even happened with Batman himself, temporarily. Remember the “Knightfall” storyline? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/44 "2021-12-06T21:29:35Z")
I personally think James Bond is a Time Lord. You don’t question the fact that Doctor Who has had a variety of faces over the years, do you? I think the moviemakers are being remiss in failing to show Bond’s regeneration. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d07c76/32.png) [@Hermione1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/45 "2021-12-06T21:33:10Z")
I see the Craig movies as their own separate continuity, like the Nolanverse Batman films. So: Dr. No through Die Another Day, same guy on Comic Book Time. Casino Royale through No Time To Die, separate timeline/continuity/parallel universe. And when James Bond, as promised, returns, I’m guessing it’s going to be a reboot. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/46 "2021-12-06T21:43:53Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > It may not be NEEDED or ESSENTIAL for all the Bond films to be in a single continuity with “James Bond” being an alias, but it would (a) fit, and (b) be kind of cool. I agree that this would be kind of cool. The idea that “James Bond” is a code name or alias appeals to me, because it emphasizes the notion of a lone-wolf spy who left his previous identity behind when he joined the agency. I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, though. One problem is the presence of continuing characters; it would be quite a stretch to say that “Miss Moneypenny” and “Felix Leiter” are also aliases. There’s also the backstory supplied in the Craig movies, which suggests that Bond was always Bond. > [@Hermione1](#): > > So: Dr. No through Die Another Day, same guy on Comic Book Time. Casino Royale through No Time To Die, separate timeline/continuity/parallel universe. > > And when James Bond, as promised, returns, I’m guessing it’s going to be a reboot. Yes, I agree that this is probably the correct view. If the owners of the Bond IP ever explain it (and I doubt that they ever will), this is approximately what they’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2021, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/47 "2021-12-06T22:27:35Z")
[![](https://i.redd.it/q7l53htn4x381.png) ](https://i.redd.it/q7l53htn4x381.png) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/48 "2021-12-07T01:20:31Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > There’s a _Goon Show_ episode where Neddie Seagoon receives a call from Agent 003162874. (“Ah, **premium** Bond!”) This reference may be lost on non-Brits, and even some younger Brits. [Premium Bonds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premium_Bond) are a British lottery, with a twist. The difference is, you can buy a bond, and your number gets entered into every monthly draw forever. You can win prizes from £25 to £1Million. You can cash out your bond at any time. If you don’t win a prize, you don’t even lose your money. All you lose is the interest your money generates. They aren’t as well known or as popular as they once were. Oh, and Bond is definitely one person. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/49 "2021-12-07T16:57:31Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Oh, and Bond is definitely one person. Well, then he moves pretty spryly in NTTD for a 90 year old man. Maybe they should have called it Too Old To Die. He’s been a double naught spy almost as long as Elizabeth has had her present position with the British government. They should hang out, compare experiences. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/50 "2021-12-07T17:19:26Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, then he moves pretty spryly in NTTD for a 90 year old man. Maybe they should have called it Too Old To Die. Maybe they should do a WWII-era prequel, with a guy who looks kind of like Sean Connery getting a life-extending dose of healing elixir from the Holy Grail. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/51 "2021-12-07T17:31:02Z")
> [@Hermione1](#): > > I see the Craig movies as their own separate continuity, like the Nolanverse Batman films. > > So: Dr. No through Die Another Day, same guy on Comic Book Time. Casino Royale through No Time To Die, separate timeline/continuity/parallel universe. > > And when James Bond, as promised, returns, I’m guessing it’s going to be a reboot. I think that’s pretty obviously true, almost beyond reasonable dispute. I would say, though, that I think the _Dr. No_ through _Die Another Day_ movies are only in a very loose continuity with each other, even by Comic Book Time standards. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/52 "2021-12-07T17:31:12Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Maybe they should do a WWII-era prequel, with a guy who looks kind of like Sean Connery getting a life-extending dose of healing elixir from the Holy Grail. HA! I can see it. It SINGS! “I’m going to work on His Majesty’s Secret Service.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/53 "2021-12-07T21:22:10Z")
Ultimately, questions like this are unanswerable and meaningless. All you can do is look at the context of the story. Sometimes they might suggest that it’s all one person; sometimes they might suggest that there are multiple people. The novels, for example, are generally read to suggest that James Bond is just one person throughout the stories. Ambiguity is inherent to fiction. As I have said before, a work of fiction is not a fake documentary. Storytelling is not about trying to tell you a set of consistent facts about a world that doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484/54 "2021-12-07T22:26:21Z")
The trope is called the [Floating Timeline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_timeline), or Sliding Timescale. In the earliest novels, Bond is in his mid 40s, and on the verge of mandatory retirement. In the later novels, retirement is not mentioned, and he engages in more physically strenuous adventures. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-meant-to-believe-james-bond-aka-007-is-one-person-or-several-people/955484.md?page=2)