James Bond: More Morally Responsible Than Superman

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James Bond: More Morally Responsible Than Superman

Written by Arya Ponto

Wednesday, 05 November 2008

I know what you're thinking. "How can you say a cold-hearted assassin like Bond is more moral than an inspiring boy scout like Superman?" Well, actually, I'm referring specifically to the Daniel Craig and Brandon Routh versions, though perhaps we should attribute their moral standing to the producers instead.

Quantum of Solace director Marc Foster told New York Mag that writer Paul Haggis offered an idea that was rejected for the film, one that would've made 007 a daddy.

"Haggis had an idea they weren't fond of, and I didn't know if it would work or not," says Forster. "The idea was that Vesper in the last movie, maybe she had a kid, and there would be an orphan out there. It wasn't anything to insult the franchise. But they felt it wasn't particularly Bond — him looking for the kid. I think Paul thought he just leaves the kid, he doesn't deal with it. But [the producers] thought that would be really nasty, too, because Bond was an orphan himself. If he would find a kid, would he just leave it? They were so vehemently against it. That was the only time I saw, really, 'No, we can't do that.' They said, 'Once he finds the kid, Bond can't just leave the kid. It's not right.'"

This is the same problem that made that subplot in Superman Returns so mind-boggling. Why introduce a son for him when you know it could only end with one of two bad choices? Of course they have to reboot the series now, because otherwise we'd get a sequel called Man of Steel, But No Reliability. Makes you glad that the Broccolis are smarter than them with Bond.

It's a dumb idea for a movie franchise character because it's a no-win situation. If he takes care of the kid, then future movies would have an irresponsible father who willingly puts himself in extreme danger, jetsetting around the world bedding women for days on end while a kid waits at home. If he doesn't take care of the kid, then he's an absent dad. Either way, it makes him a skeevy asshat. Now, Craig's version of Bond isn't exactly a thoroughly moral character and is kind of a dick, so although it's questionable and up for debate, abandoning a kid wouldn't be completely out of character for this guy. The problem is, who wants to see a James Bond movie where every once in a while it cuts from the action to a sad kid playing blocks by him/herself? Or having the lingering knowledge that somewhere out there is a kid yearning for to meet their biological dad? That's just depressing.

November 06, 2008, Lex Walker said:

Hahaaha the idea of cutting to a sad kid playing with blocks makes me laugh. Also fun: twisting the exploding pen slightly too far while trying to learn cursive.

Votes: +1

November 07, 2008, Ben Redwood said:

Also the fact that babies tend to take a lot of time to incubate, last I heard. Vesper and Bond didn't have sex until sometime after Le Chiffre was disposed of. Now, they did indeed have their honeymoon period, Bond quitting the service etc. But how long could that have been? Can we really believe the bad guys (not to mention the British Treasury) would allow them to sit on all that cash for more than nine months? Can we really believe Bond, a spy, would not have noticed a large bump appearing on Vesper's abdomen? Can we really believe Bond, a sex maniac, would forgo his sex life in those crucial final months? And when did Vesper have this baby? Was it a water birth?
I didn't even know Paul Haggis was involved with this movie. Now I'm somewhat worried. Suddenly Bond and all his enemies will decide, 'oh, why do we kill each other, we're all human beings!' and next you know it he'll be saving Blofeld from some car wreck. And this after he left the helpful Jaws and his innocent german midget to die on an exploding satellite. It's no wonder he drinks so much, harbouring all that guilt...

Votes: +1