Spectre heralds the return of a legacy Bond character, and one who hasn't been seen in over 30 years.
With 24th James Bond film Spectre releasing in North America on November 6, we take a no-spoilers look at three unusual aspects of the franchise legacy: a mysterious returning character who hasn't been seen in ages, the apparent fate of the latest Bond's girlfriends, and the actor with an inside line who has racked up an impressive 16 Bond film cameos.
A menacing comeback
Spectre heralds the return of a legacy Bond character, and one who hasn't been seen in over 30 years.
For enthusiasts of the Bond universe, the character's identity was known well in advance, after Bond film studio EON Productions acquired the rights to this particular personage, then confirmed for good once the name of Bond film 24 -- Spectre -- was unveiled.
Of course, Spectre has to operate on the assumption that little to no previous knowledge should be required of its audience, but cinema goers who hold a passing acquaintance with Bond movie history may be in for a surprise when they discover who it is that's made a comeback in earnest.
And bringing back the character is a canny move; the villain is well suited to a suspension-of-disbelief succession that's already seen Bond played by seven different actors, Q by five, and M by five as well.
Dangerous liaisons
Daniel Craig's Bond has survived a clutch of situations, and 007 is still known for his appetite for amorous encounters just as much as his sharp suits, cars, and wit. But who would have thought that he was as deadly for his lovers as for his enemies?
Solange and Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace, Sévérine in Skyfall -- all four named characters slept with Craig's Bond, and all four met with an untimely fate before their film finished.
One partner from Skyfall made it out alive, but she was never named, neither in the film's dialogue nor in its credits.
Will Madeleine Swann of Spectre live to die another day?
Where's Waldo?
Bond franchise producer Michael G Wilson has become something of a film legend in his own curious way. Not only is he the stepson of original franchise producer Albert Broccoli, and therefore the stepbrother of current overseer Barbara Broccoli, he also co-wrote all five of the 1980s Bond films.
But Wilson has also managed to insert himself via cameo into an astonishing 16 of EON Productions' 24 Bond films.
He's appeared in each of the three previous Bond films -- a policeman in Casino Royale, a newspaper-reading hotel resident in Quantum of Solace, and a pall bearer in Skyfall -- and is hiding out somewhere in Spectre too.
Just one more Bond cameo and he'll move ahead of "Q" icon Desmond Llewelyn as the actor with the most Bond films on their resume.
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