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James Bondchanged the reasoning behind M ’s name inCasino Royale , but the retcon could cause problem afterNo Time To choke . One of the key disputation fence in theJames Bondstory is whether that famous name is real , or merely a code name passed down from factor to agent . While this discourse will belike rage on with the release ofNo Time To Dieand a bruit female person 007 , it ’s also worth noting that like muddiness exists over Bond ’s fellow MI6 confrere , especially his ever - present boss , M.
First portray by the seminal Bernard Lee , the role hang to Judi Dench for 1995’sGoldeneye , gender - flick the previously male role . Dench was a constant lustrous spot through Pierce Brosnan ’s patchy era of Bond and was truly hold when every other component of the enfranchisement was overhauled forDaniel Craig ’s debut inCasino Royale . While Dench kept her position as Bond ’s superior for the stylistic reboot , there was a slight variety to her character . The up - and - coming Bond boldly states " I thought " M " was just a designation , I had no estimate it suffer for … " thereby establishing the " M " was actually an initial , rather than a code name . This serve to make Dench ’s character more personal and Bond ’s premise that the letter was merely a appointment directly mirrored the intellection of most watcher .
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This history thread was complete inSkyfall6 geezerhood afterwards , where M ’s name is bring out to be Olivia Mansfield , substantiate that her MI6 title was an abbreviation of her actual last name , as deduced by Bond 2 film antecedently . Skyfallseemingly goes on to cement the surname theme by appointing Ralph Fiennes ' Mallory as Olivia ’s successor and the next M. Since his family name begins with the same initial , Bond can continue refer to his boss as " M " and the franchise continues as it always has done .
However , the M retcon inCasino Royalecould raise problematic for succeeding picture afterNo Time To Die . It ’s an unwritten rule that Bond ’s hirer mustalwaysbe called " M , " since the fictional character has been a part of the franchise since the early years . If Fiennes ' eventual replacement were titled under a dissimilar initial , this would feel like an unnecessary and odd deviation from the traditionalBondformat . Problematically , the dealership has now compose itself into a turning point where MI6 leader use the first alphabetic character of the surname as a title . This means any and all next James Bond bosses will have to have a family name begin with M to both extend franchise tradition and mystify with the persistence of the retcon .
The whim that MI6 can only hire hirer with a certain surname is such a strange precondition and a weird caveat forJames Bondto be using , and is perhaps even more unrealistic than flipping cars and punching people on top of train . The number also applies retroactively . Does the Craig - era ’s last name rule entail that Bernard Lee and Robert Brown ’s iterations of M also had cognomen starting with that alphabetic character ? The betting odds of this occurring naturally are astronomic and for certain MI6 ’s recruitment insurance policy isn’tthatstrict . buff of Ian Fleming ’s original book will know that the graphic symbol ’s existent name was originally Sir Miles Messervy , so the naming trope does derive from the origin material . But the book were n’t required to recast the role on a semi - regular basis , so sticking to this piece of canon on cinema is perhaps more trouble than its worth .
Having made its bed , James Bond ’s respectable move once Ralph Fiennes tread forth work the serial publication would be to just not mention the next M ’s substantial name , and to keep such details a secret , leaving fans to reflect whether the last name rule still go for rather than corroborate for certain either way . Of course , fans who treat each incarnation ofBondas a separate tale wo n’t encounter this persistence pip at all have-to doe with , since the next actor or actress to take on the use will be starting a whole new rendition of the character and story , and " M " is spare to become a mere appellative once again . For those who viewJames Bondas a singular , coordinated continuity , however , this wrinkle could demonstrate a nagging question brand every time a unexampled M is introduced afterNo Time To Die .
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