James Bond (Daniel Craig)

"I've always hated this place"

- Bond's preaction to destroying Skyfall Lodge

Commander James Bond, C.M.G., R.N. (born April 13, 1968) is a Senior Operational Officer of the 'Double-O' ('00') Branch, an ultra-covert Black Ops unit within the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). As an agent of MI6, Bond holds code number "007". The 'double-O' prefix indicates his discretionary licence to kill in the performance of his duties. He is the main protagonist of the reboot 007 films.

For the 2006 "reboot" of the Bond film franchise, English actor Daniel Craig was cast in the role. He appeared in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). In addition he also provided his voice and likeness for several James Bond video games.

Youth and Meeting Blofeld
James Bond was born on April 13, 1968, in London, England, United Kingdom. His father Andrew Bond of Glencoe, Scotland, was a Senior Accounts Manager for Vickers Defence Systems (now BAE Systems Land & Armaments Group), while his mother Monique Bond (nèe Delacroix) was originally from Yverdonm Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. Until age 11, Bond was educated in Switzerland and Germany, where his father was stationed as a Vickers executive. Both parents died tragically in a climbing accident while attempting to scale northeast ridge of the Aiguille de la Persévérance. After the death of his parents, he was privately tutored by his aunt and guardian, Miss Charmain Bond of Pett Bottom, Kent. He also lived at the family's estate in Scotland, Skyfall Lodge.

From age 12 to 13, Bond attended Eton until he was expelled for repeated curfew violations and 'trouble' with one of the maids. He then attended his father’s alma mater, Fettes College. While there he won numerous athletic competitions and twice boxed for the school as a light weight. He also formed the first intermural judo league for the public school circuit. During his teens, he spent time studying both climbing and skiing with local Austrian instructor Hannes Oberhauser of Kitzbühel during term breaks at Fettes. Bond's one strong relationship, this friendship ended when Oberhauser disappeared mysteriously. Bond has referred to Oberhauser as a second father. During a stint at the University of Geneva under an exchange program with Fettes, Bond led an expedition to the very mountain where his parents had died. Bond climbed it with friends and never told them of his personal and tragic link to the location.

After graduating from Fettes at the age of 17, Bond began attending the Britannia Royal Naval College. While there, Bond excelled in all areas of training. Bond matriculated from his coursework at BRNC with passable marks. However, whilst excelling at athletic competitions, strategic operations, and counter-intelligence courses, his unconventional approach to his education, his diffident attitude to some of his superiors, and a lack of respect for curfew drew him many demerits. On more than one occasion, a fellow candidate was strongly suspected of lying to protect Bond from punishment. In his later teens, Bond lost his one surviving close relative, his aunt Charmain Bond.

Military Service
Bond conducted his year of Sea Service with high recommendations from his Chief Petty Officers and Warrant Officers. He applied for and was uniformly recommended for work in Naval Intelligence. Bond served as an intelligence officer on HMS Exeter both before and during Operation Granby, and later was able to transfer to submarine service, touring on the HMS Turbulent. His natural abilities, mental quickness and confidence impressed his commanding officers. Within the year of being assigned to HMS Turbulent, it became apparent that Bond was not being sufficiently challenged with his duties, so Bond volunteered for the Special Boat Service. Bond excelled at SC3 and Underwater and Aquatic Warfare training. He constantly equaled or bested his superior officers and instructors in all areas after nominal experience.

Bond earned the distinction of being the only candidate to entirely escape detection during the night limpet placement operation at Plymouth. There was some doubt as to whether Bond had actually accomplished the mission per the assignment until he demonstrated his rather ingenious method of eluding the underwater infra-red cameras and sonar systems in-place. His techniques were rapidly included in future training.

Upon completion of UAW training, Bond commenced Advanced Commando Parachute training at Brize Norton. A very dramatic incident occurred when Bond participated in the first group free fall exercise. At 900 meters the third jumper Lieutenant Cameron's ripcord pins jammed causing the main chute to malfunction, and he panicked. As the fourth jumper, Bond spotted Cameron, and at great personal risk, re-positioned himself to aerially intercept Lt. Cameron at approximately 450 meters, and deploy Lt. Cameron's chute. Bond deployed at 250 meters. Lt. Cameron shattered his hip upon landing, although Bond escaped without serious injury.

Bond's record with training earned him placement with the 030 Special Forces Unit, rather than deployment as a swimmer-canoeist with the standard SBS Units in Poole. During further training with 030 SFU, Bond earned certifications for the operation of assault helicopters, Harrier-class jets, fixed wing aircraft, hovercrafts, marine assault vessels, armored vehicles, and other crafts. Bond served with distinction in the 030 Special Forces Unit. He proved adept at training other candidates, initiating athletic competitions, and fostering a creative environment. During his three-year tenure with the 030 SFU, Bond rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He saw covert service in Iraq, Somalia, Iran, Libya, and active service in Bosnia. Upon completion of his duties in Bosnia, where Bond was credited with saving the lives of nearly 100 men from a Serbian militia in one village. Bond was recruited by the RNR Defence Intelligence Group and awarded the rank of Commander.

Bond's work with the Defence Intelligence Group at Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, Chicksands, proved highly satisfactory, although his fellow officers noted Bond's rather casual attitude toward command structure and protocol. Bond's work provided vital intelligence during key moments with Libya, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Indonesia, China (during the Hong Kong handover) and North Korea. In Libya, Bond was able to secure detailed assessments of the status of the Libyan government's reputed financial ties to numerous terrorist organizations, as well as crucial information related to the settlement of issues related to the Pan Am 103 case. In Iraq, Bond was able to monitor Iraqi counter-moves to the UNSCOM (now UNMOVIC) inspections process during one key period. Bond undertook a particularly hazardous mission into Afghanistan to rescue a researcher deemed important to Her Majesty's government who was being imprisoned by the Taliban government. During the S-300 missile crisis in Cyprus, Bond helped undermine the Republic of Cyprus government's confidence, and, it is felt, helped bring a peaceful resolution to the matter. During his tenure at the RNR DI Group, Bond attended specialized courses at Cambridge (where he achieved a first in Oriental Languages), Oxford and other institutions. Bond left the RNR DI Group after recruitment by MI6 at the age of 30.

MI6
Bond completed all orientation and MI6 Covert Operations training in eight weeks. He received exceptionally high marks for physical endurance, logic, and Psychological Ops exercises. His first assignment was at the British Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. His duties there included: translation of Haitian, French and Dutch West Indies communiqués, interdiction efforts with gun and drug smuggling between Kingston and London (resulting in a letter of commendation from his superior, Charles DaSilva), and four days of Black Ops reconnaissance in Cuba, penetrating military compounds.

Bond then was appointed Senior Advisor at the British Embassy in Rome. He was promoted to Ops Specialist simultaneous with this posting. Although based nominally in Rome, his duties took him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, France, Spain, China and the United States. He worked back-channel sources to aid in solving a minor crisis between the U.S. and China. Bond worked with his former Special Forces unit to penetrate and gain intelligence on Iraqi military and suspected unconventional weapons installations in late-2002 and early-2003. Afterwards, Bond was posted to the MI6 headquarters in London, where he continued to work as a Mission Specialist (within Black Ops) in such locations as Cuba, the United States, Austria, Spain, Russia, the Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the Sudan, and the UAE.

Casino Royale
At the age of 38, Bond was promoted to 'Double-O' ('00') status. The ultra-secret '00' Branch is the elite of the Secret Intelligence Service. These covert agents, known as 'double-Os', have proven themselves capable enough in the field to be entrusted with the license to kill -- the authorization to, at their own discretion, commit assassination and acts that might be otherwise considered murder in order to complete their missions, without having to seek permission from headquarters first.

Bond earned his stripes in the '00' Branch by killing two people, Section Chief Dryden - who had been selling secrets from within MI6 - and Dryden's contact. After Bond killed Dryden's contact in a bathroom in Lahore, Pakistan, he flew to the Czech Republic, where he killed Dryden in the Section Chief's office. Bond was consequently granted '00' status and awarded the infamous code number "007".

On his first mission as agent 007, Bond and an agent named Carter worked cooperatively in an attempt to capture international bomb-maker, Molloka. At a mongoose/cobra fight in Madagascar, Bond and Carter conducted surveillance on Molloka but, due to a foolish mistake made by Carter, the suspected criminal realized he was being watched and attempted to escape. Bond pursued Molloka through the jungle, up an enormously high construction site and finally to the Nambutu Embassy, where he attempted to arrest the suspected bomb maker. However, Bond found himself surrounded by Nambutu soldiers, who died after he shot Molloka and caused an explosion that partly also destroyed the embassy. The incident infuriated the British government, as Bond had only been instructed to capture Molloka, but the criminal's cell phone led Bond to discover a terrorist plot to blow up a gigantic prototype Skyfleet airliner at Miami International Airport. Bond managed to stop the terrorists from succeeding and killed a man named Carlos, who had replaced Molloka as the criminal responsible for destroying the airliner.

Following this success, M informed Bond that the mastermind of the incident was a man known as Le Chiffre, who served as private banker to terrorists. Le Chiffre had been using his clients' money to short sell successful companies and then would engineer terrorist attacks to sink their stock values so he could make a fortune. When Bond foiled Le Chiffre's plan to destroy the Skyfleet, the banker was left with a major loss since he had shorted the company's shares.

Needing to recoup his clients' money, Le Chiffre had set up a high-stakes poker tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. Hoping that a defeat would force Le Chiffre to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors, MI6 entered Bond into the tournament. He was assisted in the mission by a fellow MI6 officer named René Mathis and Vesper Lynd, a foreign liaison agent from HM Treasury's Financial Action Task Force. She was sent to make sure that Bond adequately managed the funds provided by MI6. Bond went on to win the tournament and since then James Bond has proven himself to be one of the most capable officers in MI6's employ.

Bond loses his stake and Vesper refuses to give him a $5 million to continue playing. Because of his loss, Bond decides to assassinate Chiffre, until a fellow player, Felix Leiter, reveals himself to be a C.I.A agent. Leiter offers to fund Bond in exchange for custody of Chiffre. Back in the game, Bond begins to win so Le Chiffre has his girlfriend Valenka poison his drink. He goes into cardiac arrest, but is saved by Vesper. Bond wins and has his money put into a Swiss bank account, but Chiffre abducts Vesper and uses her as bait to capture him.

Chiffre interrogates Bond for the account password by whipping his testicles. Chiffre's employer, Mr. White, arrives and kills him for being untrustworthy. Bond awakes in a hospital where he finds that Mathis has been falsely identified as a double agent. Bond tells Vesper he's in love with her and he resigns from MI6.

Bond and Vesper travel to Venice where he learns that the winnings were never transferred to Vesper's account. Meaning that Vesper stole the winnings he pursues her and the men he gives the money to. In the ensuing firefight the inflatable supports holding the building are punctured and Bond kills the men. He tries to rescue Vesper, but she locks her self in an iron fame lift and allows herself to drown.

Bond discovers from MI6 that Vesper had a French-Algerian boyfriend who was kidnapped by the organisation behind Le Chiffre and Mr White to blackmail her into co-operation. Bond also learns that she agreed to deliver the winnings in exchange for Bond's life. He then finds a text message from Vesper with Mr White's name and phone number. He rings White and is asked who he is. Bond then shoots Mr White in the leg and takes him captive, introducing himself: The names Bond-James Bond.

Quantum of Solace
After shooting Mr. White in the leg, Bond has captured Mr. White and manages to evade pursuit by his various minions in a chaotic car chase in his Aston Martin DBS V12 painted in black. After interrogating him with M at a closed off location, Bond and M are both betrayed by a disguised minion who, after a toss and tumble, is later dispatched and killed by James. Mr. White takes this time to vanish and is never seen or heard from again. Bond then makes it his mission to go after Dominic Greene when he realizes his connection to Vesper's death. He is forced to go rogue after one of M's assistants, Strawberry Fields, who is killed off by mysterious assailants (in a similar manner seen in Goldfinger). He is aided by Camille Montes in his raid on Greene and his organization in Bolivia where he foils his plan on controlling the nation's water supply. After bidding farewell to Camille after Bond interrogates Greene about the Quantum organization, Greene is left by Bond to die in the desert. Bond then finds Vesper's former lover and member of Quantum, Yusef Kabira and is reinstated by M.

Skyfall
James Bond, six years after the Bolivian mission, is in Istanbul, Turkey, teamed up with Miss Moneypenny and Sebastian Ronson to protect a computer drive later revealed to contain the identities of every NATO agent embedded in terrorist organisations the world over. A French mercenary called Patrice eludes Bond and ransacks the safehouse, where he fights and kills Ronson and steals the computer drive. Bond, armed with his standard-issue Walther PPK, finds Ronson's body and briefly tries to save the latter, but M coerces him into pursuing the Frenchman.

Leaving Ronson to die, Bond and Moneypenny briefly pursue him in a van, but they eventually corner him in the Grande Bazaar. The local police try to defuse the situation. Patrice unsheaths a machine-gun and mows down the police, cornering Bond. Moneypenny distracts him and Patrice tries to escape on a motorbike, but Bond steals a motorbike himself and gives chase, going over the rooftops of the Bazaar. The chase drives the two of them to a bridge, where Patrice boards the top of the train and Bond heroically severs the motorbike in an attempt at boarding the train too. After a destructive chase, Bond corners Patrice and they fight. Patrice manages to hold out against the 00 agent and soon manages to gain the upper hand, despite the use of a knife, a machine-gun and a brilliantly convenient chain. In the ensuing brawl, Bond is about to beat Patrice before Moneypenny unwillingly shoots him. Bond is thrown from the train, into the waterfall, allowing Patrice to escape with the computer drive.

It is revealed that Bond has survived the bullet, the fall, the water and the asphyxiation. He is somewhere in the Caribbean, engaging in gambling, alcoholism and prostitution almost obsessively. When news arrives of the attack on MI6 headquarters, Bond finally decides to go back to England and protect M. He breaks into her flat one night and reveals his survival. He and M argue fiercely and then Bond decides to rejoin MI6, since being officially dead means he isn't part of MI6 anymore. He is taken to the new MI6 headquarters in the War Rooms and immediately engages in training. Meanwhile, Bill Tanner tells him about the situation with M's attacker. He then engages in psychological tests, where he scornfully labels M as 'bitch'. Then, after digging into his biography, the examiner mentions 'Skyfall'. The examiner repeats several times, but Bond remains extensively silent. Then, with a callous gesture of disinterest, he mutters 'Done' and leaves the room.

He actually fails the tests because of his sexual engagement, excessive use of drugs and alcohol. He was also unhinged by the mention of Skyfall, triggering immense childhood trauma. He then removes the bullets that Patrice gave him during the chase on the train, gets them analyzed. He identifies Patrice as a serial killer-for-hire and is assinged to pursue and apprehend the mercenary so they can discover the identity of his paymaster. He meets Gareth Mallory, who coldly suggests that Bond 'stays dead' since very few agents get the opportunity to retire so peacefully. Bond makes it clear that it is because he puts his country before his ego. Mallory, whom Bond deduced to be a former prisoner of the IRA (A feat that expresses extreme bravery and patriotic loyalty), leaves with a sarcastic demand not to 'cock it up'. He then meets wiht his Quartermaster, a teenager who is also an intellectual genius, as he liked to boast, who gives him a specially adapted Walther PPK, modified so only Bond can use it. He also gives him a distress signal device, and M dutifully sends him to Macau, where he hunts down Patrice.

He corners Patrice at the top of a building, where he is about to make a kill. Bond stalks the man right up to the moment where Patrice completes the kill. Then Bond tries to sneak-attack him. Patrice recognises him from the motorbike chase and turns around and fires just as Bond attacks. But Patrice misses, Bond smashes into him and they fight briefly, ending with the French mercenary hanging over the edge of the building. Bond angrily interrogates him, but Patrice remains silent and commits suicide, falling to his death. Bond reacts furiously, scolding himself. And then he spots a woman in a backless black dress, staring at him malevolently. He then tracks the woman to a casino, where Moneypenny reveals that the man who stole the list has put the first handfull of names on YouTube. Later, she accompanies him as he tracks the woman in the backless dress into the casino, where she reveals herself to be Severine. They flirt until he deduces that her 'bodyguards' are using fear to manipulate her.

He deduces that she was once a teenage prostitute at the age of twelve when the man who stole the list saved her and used her as a contact and, for his own means, sex slave. She reacts angrily, but he remains calm to her. She reveals that her bodyguards are going to kill him if he tries to leave. She tells him the location of her boat, and that she will take him to her employer. Bond lets her leave then attempts to leave, himself. Severine's bodyguards stand in his way. Bond sarcastically replies, then fights back. The skirmish takes him and the surviving thug into the sandpit, where a Kommodo dragon is circling them. The thug regains consciousness and they fight brutally. After using Q's cunning devices to survive, Bond finally manages to kill the thug, who is later eaten by the Kommodo dragon. Bond escapes and has sex with Severine.

They sail to a deserted island, which the man revealed to be Raoul Silva tricked the settlers ot retreat after a faux gas leak. Bond is left alone in a church hall and Silva reveals himself. They talk for a long time and Silva reveals that he attacked M's headquarters and hired Patrice. He then unearths that M lied and that he failed all the tests, but M sent him anyway because she trusted him to save the day. Silva later makes it clear that he hates M, and then takes Bond out where a bloodied Severine is held captive against a pillar. Silva challenges him to a marksmanship contest, places a glass of scotch on Severine's head and challenges Bond to shoot the glass off without hitting her head. Bond deliberately misses in an attempt to save her life, but Silva arrogantly sees through him and shoots her in the head, killing her and spilling the scotch. Bond shows no emotion to this, but he is clearly devastated. He then attacks, killing Silva's thugs in a matter of seconds, and then holds Silva at gunpoint. Bond reveals he called MI6 after arriving on the island and Silva is overpowered and arrested. Silva is interrogated, where he reveals his affairs with M and that she left him for dead with the Chinese after his illegal cyberterrorist activities. M reluctantly reveals that Silva's real name was Tiago Rodriguez, that he was an excellent agent if it hadnt been for his sexual appetites and criminal habits. Bond and Q then try and hack Silva's computer, and Silva then outthinks them and escapes. Bond leaves and starts a lengthy chase through the London Underground, which leads to several accounts of violence and illegal activity. Silva outmatches Bond several times and storms M's trial. Bond arrives just in time and an intense shootout breaks out. Mallory, Moneypenny, M and Bond himself overpower Silva's men, during which Mallory is injured, and Silva escapes. M is led to a car to take her to a safehouse, but Bond "takes her hostage" and they escape to Skyfall Lodge.

Bond is traumatized by his return to his childhood home, and eventually meets Kincade, who helps to arm Bond with several minor weapons, but they make up for it with several traps and explosives. Silva's men arrive and they easily overpower them. Then Silva arrives with a large amount of mercenaries and a climatic battle ensues. Bond duels Silva, who arrives by helicopter. He holds out lengthily against the cyberterrorist, but then decides to destroy the lodge and kill Silva's men and, he hoped, Silva himself. He sets up numerous explosives and, before he leaves through a priest's hole he used as a boy, he remarks that 'He always hated this place', then he leaves, setting off the explosives. The helicopter and all but two of Silva's men are incinerated, but Silva narrowly survives.

Bond then confronts Silva on the frozen lake, but Silva tries to kill him, ending with Bond and one of Silva's men fighting under the lake.Bond gains the upper hand and arrives just in time to kill Silva, once and for all, by hurling a meat-cleaver at him from the other end of the chapel. Silva's spine is severed, he begins to bleed internally. Bond reveals himself and sarcastically remarks Last rat standing, remembering their conversation back on the island. Silva dies and Bond is left to be the last person M sees before she dies of injuries she suffered during the battle.

With M dead, Gareth Mallory takes her position. Bond returns to London, traumatised, exhausted and triumphant, but still alive. He briefly confronts Moneypenny, who reveals that M left her Churchill bulldog, an ornament that survived Silva's attack, to Bond in her will. Bond accepts Moneypenny as his secretary and goes in to meet Mallory. After the battle, Mallory was left with his arm in a sling. He is now head of MI6 and remarks that he was unused to field work, considering his injury a trophy. Mallory hands him a file with his name and serial number on it.

Mallory asks Bond if he is ready to get back to work. Eager for the next chance to save the day, Bond replies: With pleasure, M. With pleasure.

Spectre
On a mission in Mexico City, unofficially ordered by the previous M, James Bond tracks down Marco Sciarra, kills him and steals his ring, which is emblazoned with a stylized octopus. Upon returning to London, Bond is indefinitely suspended from field duty by the current M. M is in the midst of a power struggle with C, the head of the privately-backed Joint Intelligence Service, consisting of the recently merged MI5 and MI6. C also campaigns for Britain to join "Nine Eyes", a global surveillance and intelligence co-operation initiative between nine member states. C uses his influence to close down the '00' section, believing it to be outdated.

Bond travels to Rome to attend Sciarra's funeral. That evening he visits Sciarra's widow Lucia, who tells him about Spectre, a criminal organization to which her husband belonged. Bond infiltrates a Spectre meeting, where he identifies Spectre's leader, Franz Oberhauser. When Oberhauser addresses Bond by name, he escapes, pursued by Mr. Hinx, a Spectre assassin. Moneypenny informs Bond that the information he collected leads to Mr. White, former member of Quantum, a subsidiary of Spectre. Bond asks her to investigate Franz Oberhauser, who was presumed dead years earlier.

Bond travels to Austria to find White, who is dying of thallium poisoning. He admits to growing disenchanted with Quantum and tells Bond to find and protect his daughter, Dr. Madeline Swann, who will take him to L'Americain; this will in turn lead him to Spectre. White then commits suicide. Bond locates Swann, but she is abducted by Hinx. Bond rescues her and the two meet Q, who discovers that Sciarra's ring links Oberhauser to Bond's previous missions, identifying Le Chiffre, Dominic Greene and Raoul Silva as Spectre agents. Swann reveals that L'Americain is a hotel in Morocco.

The two travel to the hotel and find White's secret room where they find co-ordinates pointing to Oberhauser's facility in the desert. They travel by train to the station nearest to the coordinate. Mr Hinx confronts them on the train, and Bond throws him off after a fight. After arriving at the station, Bond and Swann are escorted to Oberhauser's facility. There, he reveals that Spectre has been staging terrorist attacks around the world, creating a need for the Nine Eyes program. In return, Spectre will be given unlimited access to intelligence gathered by Nine Eyes. Bond is tortured as Oberhauser discusses their shared history: after the younger Bond was orphaned, Oberhauser's father became his temporary guardian. Believing that Bond supplanted his role as son, Oberhauser killed his father, staged his own death, and adopted the name Ernst Stavro Blofeld before going on to form Spectre. Bond and Swann escape, destroying Blofeld's facility.

Bond and Swann return to London where they meet M, Bill Tanner, Q and Moneypenny; they intend to arrest C and stop Nine Eyes from going online. Swann leaves Bond, telling him she cannot be part of a life involving espionage. On the way, the group is ambushed and Bond is kidnapped, but the rest still proceed with the plan. After a brief struggle in C's office, he is accidentally killed. Bond is taken to the old MI6 building — which is about to be demolished. He meets a wounded Blofeld, who tells him that he has three minutes to find Swann and escape the building before the explosives are detonated. Bond finds Swann and the two escape by boat; Bond shoots down Blofeld's helicopter, which crashes onto Westminster Bridge. Bond leaves Blofeld to be arrested by M and leaves with Swann, presumably retiring from his 00- status.

Trivia

 * In the 24th film in the franchise, it was revealed that Bond's powerful archenemy who is also the head of SPECTRE Organization, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is actually Bond's own stepbrother.
 * Craig said that he has finished with portraying 007 and starring in Bond films, and he even refused to a deal of 38 million euros in order to reprise his role.