20 Ways James Bond Has Evolved Over the Years: Then vs. Now

You know, the very best description of James Bond continues to be the one that M gives in Goldeneye: a sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War with boyish charms. Damn, M, now tell us how you really feel. But seriously, for all of James Bond’s flaws (of which, as comedy writers, we refuse to count his initial dad bod), the character and his universe have also changed a lot during their almost 70 years of existence (and we don’t mean only because he apparently has a cartoon nephew). Sure, the real world has made him obsolete, yet it would be unfair to think he remains the same sexist, misogynist dinosaur he once was. He has become, erm, a respectful sexist and misogynist dinosaur? Well, he had to eventually.

The point is that Bond has evolved. The character, his novels, and his movies have changed a lot throughout seven decades, and we’re big fans of his awful, just awful spy skills. After all, it was this franchise that first acknowledged Michelle Yeoh’s ass-kicking awesomeness in the West, so even its worst tendencies can still end up bringing about interesting cultural changes. With this in mind, we’ve taken a look at the evolution and major landmarks in the history of James Bond, so we bring you 20 ways in which the character and his franchise have been transformed. We then add another entry to our ongoing collection of facts about Bond, because he is indeed our favorite psychopathic douchebag (who also happens to peddle fried chicken) See? Our dad bod is absolutely justifiable, former girlfriend reading this.