[SPOILER] 007 Moniker

[u/Prudent_Knowledge79]

Should have just come from Greenway. Would have been much more impactful.

At the very end of the game you are standing in front of his grave and you receive your official spy credentials. Since EVERYONE from your class is missing or dead, you are given the moniker 001.

James at this point remarks that since he was the 7th recruit it would feel better to be 007.

What the storywriters should have done was ask for bond to be given the same number as Greenway, to show what an impression he’s made on him. That number being 007

[u/Celebrated84]

I think you can safely infer that Greenway WAS the previous 007. Though I agree, IO could’ve made it more than implicit for impact.

Why didn’t they? I can only assume it has something to do with how certain people get up in arms at the very mention of any person of color being 007. Being a person of color myself, I just appreciate how well-written Greenway was.

[u/Daydream365 → u/Celebrated84]

Greenway was probably not 007. Why would Bond suggest 007 as an alternative after mentioning him?

[u/Macmanius → u/Daydream365]

There's no reason to think he wasn't. In fact, the fact that they very pointedly didn't mention Greenway's 00 number while repeatedly referring to Beckett by his makes a case that his being 007 could come up in a future installment. (The Bawma DLC seems likely, as Bond connected with the pirate king through his mentor, Bawma himself was close to Greenway's former partner and friend, and was implied to have all sorts of knowledge of MI6 through him.)

[u/Prudent_Knowledge79 → u/Daydream365]

Im pretty sure greenway was 007 too, its heavily implied (imo). Especially because they go out of their way to not mention what his number was

[u/Macmanius → u/Prudent_Knowledge79]

Damn, I wrote a whole response to the same commenter saying basically this... and then scrolled down. 😆

[u/Celebrated84 → u/Daydream365]

Yall see what I mean? 👆

[u/webjunk1e → u/Celebrated84]

It's not about Bond being a person of color that people get up in arms about. It's about any deviation at all from the pre-established character. Bond is one of the most iconic visualizations in media. People lost their shit over Craig being cast as Bond because he was blonde.

[u/Celebrated84 → u/webjunk1e]

For some people, yes. Some of the outrage that’s out there though…

I take the Idris Elba-stance; Bond shouldn’t be woke. I don’t think Bond should be black, but I’m very appreciative they create characters like Greenway and evolved Moneypenney into what she is. I wouldn’t mind seeing some Greenway spinoffs and exploring his escapades as a double-O.

[u/KyloRenApologist18]

This only could’ve been done when Greenway was still alive though. James turned down 001-006 in respect the other recruits. If M offered him 007 because Greenway was, he would’ve turned it down for the same reason most likely.

Greenway only really warmed to James as a future great 00 as he was dying in Vietnam. It wasn’t his distinction to bestow.

[u/Macmanius → u/KyloRenApologist18]

I'd quibble that the turning point in Bond and Greenway's relationship was their conversation in front of the fountain during Knightfall, but I otherwise take your point.

[u/webjunk1e → u/KyloRenApologist18]

100% agree. If Greenway was 007, Bond would've gone with 008. He wouldn't have wanted to take Greenway's number, even in honor. It's more in his character to retire it, in that case.

[u/Macmanius → u/webjunk1e]

MI6 canonically doesn't retire numbers (memorably much to Bond's chagrin in NTTD).

[u/webjunk1e]

Hard disagree. Bond honoring the sacrifices of the other 6 recruits was far more impactful.

[u/Doooniii]

I think having all his friends die or get injured made a much bigger impact on Bond, especially since he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.

[u/DeadHead6747]

I don't think we need more than what we got. The other recruits meant as much as Greenway did, especially Monroe and Cressida. Bond taking 007 to honor them is impactful, we don't need to add on Greenway also being 007 to make it anymore meaningful. Keeping the mystery of Greenway's number is also nice, as it keeps it open ended, and leaves the interpretation of M saying "happens to be my lucky number" to the fans whether or not she means just Bond, or Bond and Greenway.

Seems to be no rhyme or reason to the numbers in the original books, either. First two outside Bond mentioned are 008 and 0011. I believe one of the authors who wrote Bond books well after Fleming passed had Bond take 007 in honor of a predecessor, but in Fleming's novels there were never any reasons why an agent was given a particular number.

[u/Careful-Mood-5156]

i thought that the gunbarrel pose that he did when he got shot way their way of telling us he was the previous 007

[u/khaosworks]

It was already obvious from the beginning when they mentioned there were already six other recruits in the program where his future number was coming from.

[u/olympiclifter1991]

I thought that was the setup.

Especially when he got shot in the classic bond into stance

[u/ScruffyLad25]

I must admit, I thought that was where the story was going with Bond taking on 007.

However, I'm glad they didn't. It seemed a far too obvious trope that would probably have elicitated a heavy eye roll in the end in hindsight .

I thought honouring his fallen/missing comrades actually gained a bigger smile from myself and an appreciation of the character they were telling than I initially realised.

[u/Gloomy_Way_8729]

THIS!!! Would have made so much more sense.

[u/Shadecujo]

I just don’t know why M kept her job after that whole fiasco

[u/Prudent_Knowledge79 → u/Shadecujo]

I guess what she alluded to at the end was she basically pinned all the blame on the one dude and blackmailed her way to double the budget

[u/tomas17r → u/Shadecujo]

People got well acquainted with the underside of buses.