Skyfallwas Daniel Craig’s billion-dollar-grossingJames Bondfilm where M (Judi Dench) emerged as the true Bond Girl who became 007’s mission to protect. Directed by Sam Mendes,Skyfallwas a global box office hit in 2012 that tookDaniel Craig’s James Bondback to basics.Casino Royalerebooted 007 with Craig and refreshed multiple aspects of his James Bond.Skyfallmelded Craig’s new style of Bond with some more traditional tropes, and one of them wasreplacing Judi Dench’s M with a male supervisor, Mallory (Ralph Fiennes).
007’s Bond Girlshave traditionally been romantic foils, and sometimes enemies, of James Bond. Traditionally, a Bond Girl is a beautiful woman who 007 must protect or team up with and becomes his love interest for the duration of a film. Sometimes, Bond Girls can be a villain trying to kill 007, like May Day (Grace Jones) in 1985’sA View to a Killor Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) in 1995’sGoldenEye.Judi Dench’s M is certainly not a love interest for James Bond, but there is mutual trust and even affection as 007 protected M inSkyfall.
M Was Daniel Craig’s True Bond Girl In Skyfall
Protecting M Was 007’s True Mission
Skyfallintroduced Eve Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) toDaniel Craig’s James Bond timeline, and there was a more traditional Bond Girl named Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe) that 007 briefly romanced as well. ButJudi Dench’s M was the real Bond Girl inSkyfallbecause she became James' true mission. Skyfall’s villain, Raoil Silva (Javier Bardem), was a former MI6 agent who was loyal to M and targeted her to"think on your sins.“Silva was a funhouse mirror reflection of James Bond out to kill"mother"for betraying and abandoning him.
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With M facing inquiry and the potential end of her career, Silva’s attack placed her life in danger. The third act ofSkyfallinvolves James Bond fleeing with M to his ancestral home in Scotland, where they make their last stand against Silva and his armed forces. Despite his best efforts,James couldn’t save M from Silva,and he killed the villain too late. M died in Bond’s arms, severing the most important relationship 007 had with the British Secret Service.
Why M Was So Important To Daniel Craig’s James Bond
M Was More Than Bond’s Immediate Superior
M was James Bond’s boss inCasino Royale,Quantum of Solace, andSkyfall,but their relationship goes much deeper. Although the Bond movies don’t elaborate on the reasons behind M’s profound interest in James, she showed considerable favor toward 007 during her tenure as head of MI6.M showed Bond tough love, but the operative word is’love.“Daniel Craig’s James Bond was, in turn, receptive to M’s guidance, and he ultimately sought her approval even when they disagreed.
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Daniel Craig’s James Bond was more emotionally vulnerable than theversions of 007played by his predecessors. M understood what made James tick, and she knew how to motivate him even during his dark periods. Even after her death inSkyfall,James Bond still followed M’s marching orders.Spectre’s plot was predicated on M leaving Bond a posthumous video message, instructing him to finish an investigation into a far-reaching global conspiracy, which turned out to be the existence of Spectre run by Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz).
M had a bulldog figurine with a Union Jack that became an important keepsake for James Bond.
SpectrerevealedJames Bond’s historyas an orphan who was adopted by Hannes Oberhauser and raised alongside his son, Franz, who grew up to become Blofeld. M likely knew this information and, in turn, had a greater understanding of James Bond’s psyche. M subtly used this knowledge to push James' buttons. Yetthere was more than professional respect between James Bond and M, and she was as important to him as the two key Bond Girls in his life, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) and Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux).
M & Vesper Lynd Are Two Of Daniel Craig’s James Bond’s Biggest Regrets
Two Women James Bond Couldn’t Save
Daniel Craig’s James Bond always wins and accomplishes his mission, but he cannot always save the girl, even if it’s M. InSkyfall, M took her place as the second of James Bond’s biggest regrets after he failed to save Vesper Lynd inCasino Royale.Vesper was the first great love of Craig’s 007, but she betrayed him to Quantum. Even in his fury, Bond tried to save Vesper from drowning in Venice but failed. In a way,M benefited from Vesper’s duplicity because it hardened Bond into a colder, more effective killer.
When James Bond sacrificed his life in No Time To Die, he was at peace with Vesper and M.
It took untilNo Time To Die, and Madeleine Swann’s urging, for James Bond to move past his anger and regret over Vesper.Bond, however, was able to reconcile M’s death by the end ofSkyfallas he chose to go back to work, with Mallory taking over as the new M. With M presenting the puzzle that Bond solved inSpectre,007 was also able to honor M by apprehending Blofeld at the end, which marked the beginning of the end of Spectre as an organization. When James Bond sacrificed his life inNo Time To Die, he was at peace with Vesper and M.
Judi Dench Played Two Different Ms In James Bond Movies
M In Pierce Brosnan’s Movies Wasn’t The Same As Daniel Craig’s
Judi Dench was the bridge between the original James Bond continuity and the new, rebooted universe that began withCasino Royale, but because they are two different timelines,Dench didn’t portray the same version of M in both. When Dench first became M inGoldenEye,she was introduced as"the evil queen of numbers"who was no great admirer of James Bond (Pierce Brosnan). M referred to 007 as a"sexist, misogynist dinosaur… a relic of the Cold War,“but she gradually came to respect and regard Bond as her top agent.
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Interestingly, Judi Dench’s M was also a damsel in distress in 1999’sThe World Is Not Enough. M was targeted by the diabolical Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), and she was even kidnapped and held hostage - a first for M in anyJames Bond movie. M’s predicament inThe World Is Not Enoughforeshadowed how she would be victimized by Silva inSkyfall’s rebooted 007 canon, only this time,Daniel Craig’s James Bond couldn’t save M the way Pierce Brosnan did.
It’s evident that M is the most important woman in Skyfall, and she is the film’s true Bond Girl.
UponM’s death inSkyfall,her real name was revealed as Olivia Mansfield, whereas in Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond continuity, it was suggested M’s identity was Barbara Mawdsley. M’s status as James Bond’s superior, as well as Judi Dench’s own stature as an actress, didn’t make her an obvious Bond Girl. Yet both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig’sJames Bondmovies turned M into a woman who needed saving by 007, andCraig’s Bond also explored a deeper relationship where 007 saw M as an ersatz mother figure. It’s evident that M is the most important woman inSkyfall,and she is the film’s true Bond Girl.
