French actress Lea Seydoux has wowed fans and critics once again thanks to her role in the David Cronenberg movie Crimes of The Future. Horror fans will love Seydoux’s character Caprice but fans of the James Bond franchise will always appreciate her for her performance as Agent 007’s love interest Madeleine Swann.
In the Craig era, Seydoux redefines the Bond girl role in several ways but how iconic is her character compared to others that have once before her? Most of the Bond girls in the franchise have had memorable arcs but according to Reddit, only a select few can be considered iconic.
Tracy Bond – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Tracy meets Bond when she is trying to get away from her overbearing father Marc-Ange Draco. The two go on to wed but she gets killed in a drive-by shooting conducted by Blofeld and Bunt. Redditor composer describes her as “3-dimensional,” adding that “she also holds her own against Bond.”
Marriage is never part of Bond’s plans but Tracy wows Bond so much that he proposes to her. As the only Bond girl to ever get married to the titular character, Tracy’s legacy in the franchise remains firm. And apart from being the only Mrs. Bond, Tracy towers above her counterparts because of her proactiveness in moments of danger. She is shown to be an incredibly good driver, even outmaneuvering the much more experienced SPECTRE henchmen.
Natalya Simonova – GoldenEye (1995)
A Russian Space Forces programmer, Natalya starts working with Bond after Trevelyan attacks her station. About her, riegspsych325 says she’s “vulnerable but not a total damsel in distress” adding, “she didn’t fall for Bond’s whims right away.”
Natalya’s appeal is tied to the fact that she is the most heroic character in the movie. She is the one who gets to destroy the GoldenEye and also the one who stops Trevelyan’s planned terrorist attack on London. Bond owes her much gratitude for being alive too. In one of the moments where James Bond would have died, Natalya arrives to stop Xenia Onatopp from crushing the MI6 agent with her thighs.
Octopussy – Octopussy (1983)
The jewel smuggler leads the Octopuss Cult, a woman-only secret organization. Arkeolith notes that “she has a criminal edge and lives on a palace on an island surrounded by women, what’s not to love?”
Octopussy is undoubtedly the most accomplished Bond girl. Her business acumen is unrivaled as apart from her illegal jewel operations, she has investments in the shipping, carnival, and circus industries. And she isn’t without her peculiarities. Among her possessions is her pet Blue Ringed Octopus which has enough venom to take out 50 people. Moreover, Octopussy isn’t just a boss. She is a fighter too. When assailants attack her island, she successfully defends it.
Vesper Lynd – Casino Royale (2006)
Redditor bored-designer thinks of Eva Greene’s character as “so much turmoil masked by so much beauty and poise.” The liaison agent for the HM Treasury’s Financial Action Task Force is tasked with monitoring Bond’s financial activities at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. The two then develop a relationship before QUANTUM blackmails her into betraying him.
Bond’s job means everything to him but Vesper oozes so much charm that she makes him contemplate quitting so that he can elope with her. It’s indeed one of the most questionable choices Daniel Craig’s Bond makes since he had only been a Double-O agent for a few months before meeting her. Moreover, Bond is rarely fooled either but Vesper outsmarts and betrays him easily when QUANTUM pushes her to a corner.
Solitaire – Live And Let Die (1973)
The psychic works for Dr. Kananga, predicting the future for him but loses her powers after sleeping with Bond. Pedro-Bonnucci describes her as being “morally ambiguous, exotic, and mysterious.”
As the only Bond girl that is in touch with the supernatural, Solitaire is one of a kind. And she gets easily switches from unlikable to likable by ditching the weird Dr. Kananga and his goons. Through her, Bond gets a lot of work to do as she constantly finds herself in danger by being targeted by Kananga. Luckily, she survives.
Jill Masterson – Goldfinger (1964)
Zealousideal_Bag2654 explains that Masterson is a beloved character because of “the gold paint scene, which is one of the most iconic scenes in the history of “modern” cinema.” Masterson starts as Auric Goldfinger’s employee, helping him cheat in card games, but gets killed by Oddjob for helping Bond.
Masterson has limited screen time but her character benefits from a brilliant plot turn. Her demise is one of the saddest James Bond movie deaths but the image of her body painted in gold has remained the best image overall in the Bond franchise. It’s so iconic that the writers of Quantum Of Solace tried to recreate it, only that they used oil instead of liquid gold.
Holly Goodhead – Moonraker (1979)
Goodhead is sent by the CIA to spy on Hugo Drax and while on her mission, she meets and falls in love with Bond. Spockodile says “she’s intelligent, has an influence on the plot, and she kicks some a** in space.”
The Redditor is right about Goodhead’s intellect since she even figures out how to fly a rocket, despite never having done so. She also gets to have more fun too by not only beating baddies in space but also having one of the most wholesome romantic moments where she and Bond make love while doing a final 90-minute orbit around Earth.
Madeleine Swann – Spectre (2015) & No Time To Die (2021)
Shohei-The-Money feels “the writers nailed the Madeleine Swann character to a tee, ” adding that she’s “the perfect mix of strength and gentleness.” The daughter of Mr. White gets to know Bond when her father directs him to her.
Swann is a titan in the franchise because she is the only character that gets to be a Bond girl in two consecutive movies. Additionally, she is the only person that gets to turn Bond into a family man by having a child with him. And even though Swann is a doctor who enjoys spending time indoors, she has impressive fighting skills. As a child, she shows courage while facing off against Safin and as an adult, she can blind Primo during a brawl.
Anya Amasova (Agent XXX) – The Spy Who Love Me (1977)
The KGB agent tries to outdo Bond after she realizes he is chasing the same targets as her. 747boeingjet says Anya is “a great spy in her own right” and “can hold her own.”
Anya is shown to be just as skilled as Bond when it comes to spy work. Apart from being great at impersonation. she has intel about everything, including Bond’s doomed marriage. She knows how to get ahead of her competitors. This is something she proves when she gets to the microfilm before him. She is granted proper character development too since she first tri to kill Bond before falling for him.
Paloma – No Time To Die (2021)
Jack_Sandwich thinks of Paloma as the “complete package of action, beauty, lightness, and fun.” In the movie, the Cuban intelligence operative works together with Bond to infiltrate a SPECTRE Bunga-Bunga party.
A common franchise trope is that Bond always gets to sleep with the Bond girl but Paloma distinguishes herself but not adhering to this template. Their relationship is purely work-related. She is quite the badass too since she tells Bond she’s only had 3-weeks of training yet she goes on to make a meal out of SPECTRE goons.
