Scientists in the Bond film franchise

Abstract

The James Bond film franchise (1962-ongoing) has always relied on science and technology for topicality and spectacle. Over the years, the scientist figure has also made regular appearances in the Bond films, most often within the confines of some of the established character types and functions defined by the formula aspects of the series-the villain, the Bond girl and the Quatermaster, better known as Q. This article uses Bond scholarship to consider key examples of each of these depictions of the scientist in relation to the heroic masculinity of James Bond, and in the broader context of research examining images of scientists in popular fiction. In so doing the article contributes to ongoing debates about the representational politics of Bond and scientist stereotypes in popular culture.