Daniel Craig’sJames Bondromanced a handful of Bond Girls in his five 007 movies, butthe most underrated is Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux). Craig rebooted 007 in 2006’sCasino Royaleand became the longest-tenuredJames Bond actorwith his final film, 2021’sNo Time To Die.As James Bond, Craig took the 007 franchise to new heights of box office success and popularity, with 2012’sSkyfallgrossing over a billion dollars worldwide.
Part ofDaniel Craig’s reinvention of James Bondwas changing Bond Girls for the 21st century. Bond Girls have traditionally been sex objects and eye candy. While often partnering with 007 on his adventures, Bond Girls were also portrayed as sexual playthings for James, who moved onto the next one in each movie. Just asCraig’s James Bond moviesplumbed his emotional depths and vulnerabilities,his Bond Girls were given more agencyand heavily factored into James' growth as a character. But Craig’s final Bond Girl is ultimately his most important, even if she is overshadowed by his first.
Why Dr. Madeleine Swann Is Daniel Craig’s Most Underrated Bond Girl
There’s No Bond Girl Quite Like Madeleine Swann
Dr. Madeleine Swann is the most pivotal yet underrated Bond Girl of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies. Introduced in 2015’sSpectre, Madeleine was a psychiatrist in a private clinic in the Austrian Alps. Unlike most Bond Girls,Dr. Swann had an intriguing backstory: Madeleine was the daughter of 007’s nemesis and Spectre agent,Mr. White (Jesper Christensen).No Time To Dierevealed that the young Madeleine survived an assassination attempt by Lyutsifer Safin (Ram Malek), another of White and Spectre’s enemies.
Lashana Lynch
No Time To Die
Madeleine rejected the life of thieves and assassins she was born into, but she was also a tough and capable match for James Bond. Naturally, Bond and Madeleine fell in love, andDr. Swann is the only character in James Bond history to have a child with him, a daughter named Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet). Madeleine was an ideal foil for Daniel Craig’s Bond, and the fact that she was the main Bond Girl in two 007 films proves her impact. Yet Madeleine isn’t hailed as Craig’s best Bond Girl and isn’t as fondly remembered as his original, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green).
Why Vesper Lynd Is Daniel Craig’s Most Popular Bond Girl
Vesper’s Memory Still Haunts Bond In No Time To Die
Vesper Lynd seems destined to remain the definitive Bond Girl of Daniel Craig’s James Bond era. Introduced inCasino Royale, Vesper was a Treasury Liaison sent to oversee the funds Her Majesty’s Government granted 007 for his high-stakes poker game operation against Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).Vesper was the first woman Craig’s Bond ever truly loved, and he was devastated whenVesper lied to and betrayed Bondbecause she was being blackmailed by Quantum. Bond was unable to save Vesper, who died in Venice, and this turned 007 into a cold-blooded assassin.
Vesper was a tragic figure who still haunted Bond in No Time To Die.
Eva Green ignited the screen opposite Daniel Craig inCasino Royale, and it’s certainly understandable why Vesper is seared into audiences' minds - as well as 007’s heart - as Craig’s ultimate Bond Girl. Vesper was a tragic figure who still haunted Bond inNo Time To Die, with James trying to put her memory to rest at Madeleine Swann’s request.Vesper was also far more emotionally complex than previous Bond Girls. The fact that James Bond couldn’t save Vesper makes her a fundamental aspect of Craig’s version of 007, and it’s safe to say audiences loved Vesper just like Bond did.
M Was The True Bond Girl Of Skyfall
Daniel Craig’s Bond Loved M
Skyfallwas the zenith of Daniel Craig’s James Bond as a box office blockbuster, and it was the swansong of Judi Dench’s tenure as M. WhileSkyfallhad a traditional Bond Girl in Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe and introduced Naomi Harris as therebooted version of Eve Moneypenny, it was Dench’s M who wasSkyfall’s true Bond Girl. James spent the latter half ofSkyfallprotecting M from Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a cyberterrorist who once worked for M. Ultimately, Bond couldn’t save M, and it was the tragic end of their relationship whereM was as much an ersatz mother figure to James as she was his supervisor.
Every Pierce Brosnan James Bond Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Pierce Brosnan was the fifth actor to play James Bond, with his run as 007 often considered one of the long-running series most divisive.
Judi Dench crossedJames Bond timelinesto return as M inCasino Royale.Dench became M in 1995’sGoldenEyeand played the head of MI6 in all four of Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond movies. However, M took a harsher stance on Brosnan’s 007, initially referring to him as a"sexist, misogynist dinosaur.“In turn, M was labeled"the evil queen of numbers.“Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies reinvented M to be much closer to and more supportive of 007while still maintaining professional distance and objectivity. M’s death was a loss for James Bond that almost equaled his heartbreak over Vesper Lynd.
Ana De Armas’ Paloma Stole No Time To Die From Madeleine Swann
Everyone Fell In Love With Paloma
No Time To Diebrought back Madeleine Swann as the mother of James Bond’s daughter and introduced Nomi (Lashana Lynch) as the new MI6 agent with a license to kill designated 007, butit was Paloma (Ana De Armas) who stoleNo Time To Diefrom every other woman in the film. Introduced as a CIA agent fresh from five weeks of training, Paloma helped Bond crash and fight their way through a Spectre party in Cuba. Ana De Armas was an effervescent delight as Paloma, and she was equal parts sexy and deadly taking out Spectre agents alongside Bond. It was actually rather disappointing that Paloma only had that small part to play inNo Time To Die.
2006
$606,000,064
2008
$589,580,694
2012
$1,108,561,013
2015
$880,674,609
2021
Cary Joji Fukunaga
$774,153,007
Ana De Armas was so popular inNo Time To Die,audiences clamored for a Paloma spinoff.Instead, Ana De Armas plied her skills as a secret agent as new characters in 2022’sThe Gray Man, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, and the upcoming spinoffFrom The World Of John Wick: Ballerina, directed by Len Wiseman.Paloma was such a giddy and unforgettable presence inNo Time To Die,it’s understandable that she overshadowed Madeleine Swann and her more serious role in Daniel Craig’s final Bond film. Still, the underrated Dr. Madeleine Swann not only became the mother toJames Bond’s child, butNo Time To Diethankfully spared her the tragic death that Tracy Bond (Diana Rigg) suffered inOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
