Why is bond called 007

No hit theaters, Fleming had published ten Bond stories, the first being Casino Royale. By , the books had established a fairly firm backstory for their suave protagonist, including the explanation of the "00" status as designating an agent of the Secret Service who had been granted a license to kill in the line of duty.

In the movies, 's Casino Royale was the first time audiences were given an on-screen Bond origin story , even if it did differ from the books. In Fleming's Casino Royale , Bond - a former Naval commander now working for MI6 - gives a full account of how he became , explaining that he'd "killed two villains" in the years prior, for which he was "awarded a Double O number in the Service. In the movie, Bond actually becomes in the opening scenes, by dispatching corrupt MI6 section chief Dryden and his "contact.

Bond still needs his double kills to become a "double-O," but these aren't the same "two villains" from the book. Things get a little more complex when it comes to the meaning of the double-O designation itself.

It seems Fleming was still working out the details by his third book in the series, Moonraker. Not until this novel was it confirmed that "00" agents carried the famous license to kill. Prior to these revelations, Fleming had simply established that two successful kills in the course of a job led to the "00" promotion - and even that remains somewhat unclear. It seems the numerals are the most likely alternative.

But if Bond fan forums are any indication, the idea of the double letter 'o's persists. Many believe the double-o represents a double operative, while some point out that other branches of the Secret Service are referred to by letter — Q-Branch being the most obvious.

Perhaps the confusion comes down to an un-cited line on the Wikipedia article for "00 Agent", which claims Fleming originally used the letter 'o'. The author wasn't always the most fastidious about the small details — Bond's signature weapon being one example — and doesn't seem to have put this issue to rest during his lifetime.

Joe Roberts is a writer and producer that has worked in national news, tech journalism, and production. He currently writes features for ScreenRant. The James Bond Debate Explained. By Joe Roberts Published Jul 16, Share Share Tweet Email 0. Key Release Dates. Related Topics SR Originals james bond. After saving Tracy from some goons, only to have her run off on him, Lazenby's Bond quips, "This never happened to the other fella.

There are several other major holes in the codename theory, with one of the biggest being that several other characters also change actors throughout the series. The biggest offender of this is Blofeld, with the character being portrayed by a different actor every time he appears on-screen before Daniel Craig's Bond films. While no explanation is given for these changes, it seems pretty clear that these are supposed to be the same characters throughout the series.

Skyfall clears up the codename theory once and for all by bringing audiences to Bond's family home and even showing off the graves of his mother and father. While the film is set in the rebooted universe of Daniel Craig's Bond films, this still seems to be a pretty clear inclination that the character of James Bond is and has always been intended to be one person.

With the soon-to-be-released No Time To Die serving as Craig's final outing as , a recast is imminent.