The James Bond franchise is in the midst of a major transformation as Amazon MGM Studios takes the reins of the brand and gears up for a major reboot. This means a new type of Bond and new stories that will elevate the character for the next generation of fans, and even his latest adventure, the video game, 007: First Light, teases how villains could evolve, too.
One of the game’s main antagonists is an AI known as THEIA. While it’s designed to aid MI6, it also becomes the source of major issues that push the plot forward and mark Bond’s growth as the agency’s next 00 agent. But THEIA also proves the perfect kind of villain the upcoming Bond reboot needs.
007: First Light Shows How AI Can Be a Risk in Espionage
When Bond begins his time at MI6, he already feels outdated in 007: First Light. Though he’s in his 20s, the 00 program feels like a relic because of systems like THEIA. The idea behind this AI is that MI6 can avert threats to world peace before they happen, thanks to algorithms meant to be flawless. However, M believed that it doesn’t hurt to have an agent in the field either way.
Through Bond, players see that THEIA is, in fact, not perfect, and any mistakes made by the company that created it were quickly made to look correct through a covert black ops team. By the final act, it’s up to Bond to stop this system from getting more powerful and the people behind it from taking advantage.
There’s an allure to a universe where espionage relies so much on algorithms that agents in the field feel like an unnecessary risk. It’s a concept that has been teased in past Bond films but never seen to the same level as First Light. AI has the potential to blow the lid off of espionage, and that’s what makes the game so interesting.
It’s a true David and Goliath story and one that gives Bond a good reason to do what he does and justify the human element of espionage. THEIA also shakes up the genre and offers yet another story where humanity is shown as the only thing worth relying on in a world of technological growth.
AI Has Never Been Explored as a Villain in the James Bond Franchise
Spy movies often take on all manner of villains, but AI is a rarity. As of now, Mission: Impossible made its major and final enemy sentient AI, and it was nothing short of terrifying, as even though humanity won, it took everything to do it and not without casualties. But James Bond is one of the most important spies in the medium, and yet his villains have always revolved around the same ideas.
From the start, Bond’s villains are often campy or use their own spy tactics against him for a selfish goal. Some villains want to take over the world economy, while others are ghosts from the past that aim to get revenge, like in Skyfall. But his most famous villain is Blofeld, the man behind Spectre.
Blofeld has proven time and again to be Bond’s most formidable foe, and it’s because he understands him so well. This also led to some of the most personal attacks on him, including gunning down Bond’s wife on his wedding day. Between a feud or bioweapons, tangibility has always been a major factor in Bond’s villains, and AI is one of the most intangible concepts to face.
Unfortunately, the years haven’t been kind to Bond in terms of villains because, no matter how compelling they can be, they are never very memorable. Save for Skyfall, no enemy has left an impact on the audience like Javier Bardem had, and before that, it was possibly GoldenEye when an enemy stood out. There’s a void that the James Bond films have had for decades, and it’s time to take control of it and deliver something fresh.
James Bond has proven to be an iconic spy for decades, and that’s nothing to scoff at. But Blofeld shouldn’t be the only iconic and scary Bond villain out there. There’s room for more, and AI could be the tipping point.
A New Type of Villain Is Exactly What Amazon’s James Bond Reboot Needs
Whether it was the intention or not, 007: First Light has already set a new status quo for James Bond fans. In fact, the game’s popularity has more or less cast Patrick Gibson as the next, like, action Bond for many. Whether Gibson returns or not also establishes the status quo of the franchise, as AI has already been used as a villain, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be explored in other ways.
AI is a great choice for an antagonist in the Bond franchise because it shows, once more, the importance of a human element in a world so advanced that algorithms can “predict” the future. With so many people using the technology, there’s no stopping a future film from having Bond try to stop an entire world from using a system that could potentially end it in an instant, and it’s a seemingly unwinnable situation.
Seeing James Bond take on rival spies and evil organizations never gets old, but at a certain point, it’s time to adapt, and First Light already gave viewers a taste of how that could be done. If First Light was a proof of concept for how the future of James Bond could be, then the future looks bright, and if the movies are tied to games at all, it could offer a chance to bring back THEIA and make her more dangerous than ever.
James Bond is a timeless spy, and decades of history have proved that in the best way. With a reboot on the way, it’s another opportunity to reintegrate the character back into the modern space just as Daniel Craig did with Casino Royale. It’s a chance to get back to basics in a world where spycraft is harder than ever, and to make AI a challenge that would help establish why James Bond is the best spy ever.
- Cast
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Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, David Niven, George Lazenby
- Created by
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Ian Fleming
- Latest Film
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No Time to Die