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It's just you modern agents and your slavish regard for "realism." We weren't realistic in the sixties, particularly the Americans.

- Sir James

James Bond, also known as "Jimmy" and "Sir James" is a British secret agent for MI-6. In 1958, he was tasked with arresting Mina Murray and Allan Quatermain, and retrieving the Black Dossier, but failed in his mission. By 2009, Bond became M.  

History[]

Early life[]

James Bond was born around 1919[1] as the grandson of Campion Bond, whom had been a messenger for the 19th Century League.[2] It is implied that, through Campion, James Bond is named after James Moriarty, who was on first-name terms with Campion.

During his childhood he received a scar from a pen-knife.[3]

Sold to the Americans[]

In the 1950s "Jimmy" began secretly working as a double agent for the United States.

Bond claims to have aided Felix Leiter in preventing Dr. No, a supposed descendant of The Doctor, from conquering the world in Jamaica with thermonuclear warheads. In reality Bond assassinated John Night - whose industry was competing against the United States over contract rights in supplying a United Nations intelligence department - during this time by poisoning his dessert.

Dr. No was revealed to have been a hoax created by Bond's American employers - clued by the name, indicating there was "no doctor". Most if not all of his adventures are believed to have been manufactured for British morale.[2]

The Black Dossier[]

In 1958, Bond visited a tavern in London which has just recovered from the reign of Big Brother. Bond was attracted to a woman and reveals his status as a spy and takes her to the former Ministry of Love attempting to rape her. The woman subdues him, and reveals that she is Mina Murray. She and her lover Allan Quatermain then steal the Black Dossier from the headquarters. A tied-up Bond tries to kill the two with a pen gun, but the device explodes in his mouth rather than fire at its targets.

The maimed Bond had his teeth replaced and was ordered to retrieve the Dossier by the new M, Harry Lime. Bond is accompanied on his task by Hugo Drummond and Emma Night, daughter of the murdered John Night and Drummond's goddaughter. Night and Bond quickly find themselves in a mutual attraction, though Bond views her merely as another sexual conquest.

After tracking Murray and Quatermain to Scotland, Bond attempts to apprehend them, but Quatermain's superior skills as a marksman allow the two to escape on a robot-piloted rocket.

Night and Bond then try to apprehend Murray and Quatermain right before they are about to escape to the Blazing World, but they are again defeated by the Galley-Wag. Drummond was told of Bond's treachery and privately attempted to kill him, but Bond was able to grab his gun and shoot Drummond. Before killing him Bond boasted that he shall have sex with his goddaughter and is unrepentent of killing Night. Afterwards Bond lied to Night, claiming that her godfather was killed by Quatermain and Murray.[2]

Later operations[]

At some point in Japan Bond was known as Mr. Kiss-Kiss Bang-Bang.[3]

The Tempest[]

Jimmy Bond 2009

Sir James Bond, 2009

In 2009, Bond has aged to a elderly old man confined to a wheelchair, known as Sir James. According to Night, he is dying from a combination of cirrhosis, emphysema, and syphyllis. Because of the legend he's inspired, MI5 continues to use "younger stand-ins" (the most recent of which is J6). Night, meanwhile, eventually became M, but retired in disgust and joined Mina Murray's team, after learning the truth about the deaths of her father and godfather from a disenchanted CIA operative.[1] When MI5 learned of Night's defection, Bond became the latest M.

Invested in finding Night's whereabouts, Bond was very surprised to find security footage showing a very youthful Night accompanied with Mina Murray and Orlando. He then realized that Murray's "fantastical League" was all true, including stories about Murray's journey to the mythical Uganda city of Kor and its Pool of Fire that granted them of their youth. Now believing about the Pool of Fire, Bond and the J-Series boarded a Spectrum Jet for the lost city.

Upon arriving there, Bond has the reserve agent J-R4 take him to the Pool of Fire, where he bathed in it and regained his youth. Bond celebrated his rejuvenation and begin his "endless fun" by first killing J-R4 and destroying the Pool of Fire and what remains of Kor with a nuclear bomb.[3]

After studying the British Intelligence documents on the history of the League (including the Black Dossier), Bond discovered the existence of the Blazing World and its use as a hideaway for fantastic beings. He commissioned Spectrum to build him a nuclear submarine, which he sailed to the Blazing World. Once there he fired a nuclear warhead at the Blazing World in an attempt to destroy it.[4]

Death[]

Source material[]

First appearing in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, Jimmy Bond is clearly a thinly-veiled version British secret agent James Bond of Ian Fleming's novels and the associated film series, though he is only referred to by his first name due to copyright limitations. The appearance of Bond is modeled after actor Sean Connery (the first actor to portray the character on film), who had played Allan Quatermain in the film adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, to the chagrin of writer and co-creator Alan Moore.

Bond's incompetence as a spy and his disloyalty are aspects that are not present in the original character. Alan Moore stated that he intended to present the character as he originally was, "warts and all"; it is well-known that Moore was never a great fan of Bond, writing in an introduction to Frank Miller's Batman miniseries The Dark Knight Returns that Bond in modern context is nothing but a misogynist (he similarly said that the modern perspective of Allan Quatermain makes him as nothing more than a European Imperialist). Some fans and critics of the series have considered this portrayal of James Bond to be a parody of the character, since the James Bond of Fleming's canon is always portrayed as loyal to his country and a very capable spy. The portrayal of Bond as a misogynist is a view held by some, but not clearly supported in the source materials.

Bond's portrayal as a double agent for the United States could be a satirical depiction of the American co-aquisition of the Bond film franchise, which some believe has led the character to live past the intentions of his original creator.

Jess Nevin's annotations note that the name "Jimmy Bond" was shared by a nephew of James Bond in a spoof film adaptation of Fleming's Casino Royale. In the film "Jimmy" is the true villain, though he is an incompetent spy.

The "romance" between Bond and Emma Night is somewhat fitting as Diana Rigg, the actress for Mrs. Peel in the The Avengers, would later play Tracy Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, becoming one of James Bond's only true loves. 

MI5 using younger stand-ins to replace the original Bond after he retires is based on a common speculation popular among James Bond fans that there is not just one James Bond, but that the name along with the 007 title has been used by multiple successors over the years. This theory is used to explain why Bond has remained around the same age throughout his long movie career (as well as compensate for his change in appearence), while other characters around him have physically aged. Incidentally, each incarnation of Bond is numbered to correspond with the actors who portrayed him on film (J1/Sean Connery, J2/George Lazenby, J3/Roger Moore, J4/Timothy Dalton, J5/Pierce Brosnan and J6/Daniel Craig). These different Bonds are each seen staffing the MI5 headquarters, with the exception of the original Bond.

References[]

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