Spanning the franchise’s history, from Sean Connery’s iconic swagger to Daniel Craig’ visceral interpretation of the superspy, James Bond Will Return offers both academic readers and fans a comprehensive view of the series’ transformations against the backdrop of real-world geopolitical intrigue and sweeping social changes. In the six years between the film Spectre (2015) and No Time To Die (2021) so much happened that Bond, as a character, felt grossly challenged. It was a fractious period: the first Trump presidency was transforming the world between 2017 and 2021, and Brexit had its influence on Europe in 2020. Gender relations were changing too.

Cary Fukunaga believed, “You cannot change Bond overnight into a different person”. As someone who directed Daniel Craig in No Time To Die, Fukunaga argued that while you can definitely change the world, you could not change the way Bond had to function in such a world. In theory, this was acceptable, but not in practice. Never were there as many vocal calls for substantive changes to the franchise. The general feeling was that Bond would become ‘redundant’ they were not incorporated. The world had definitely changed at all levels. That 007 has remained a perennial feature of many adulthoods over six decades must owe much to the character’s ability to remain relevant. Still, it is now difficult to ignore the fact that the models of masculinity and femininity presented by the series strike many viewers as outdated. But even harder to explain is why some critics, scholars, and even fans continue to be glued to these movies despite their vehement belief that they are sexist, elitist, and racist.

Change is inevitable; more so in the case of Bond. Perhaps the films owe some of their success to how newness is served up in each fresh outing. Surprisingly, Bond has demonstrated his ability to shift social and political coordinates while retaining his core constitutive elements. But why James Bond has remained an icon of a certain sort of rugged masculinity is an enduring mystery. It seems increasingly certain, though, that it will be a challenge to retain even that essence.

Barbara Broccoli didn’t shy away from saying that the next Bond film would be “a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time.” Perhaps it is true that James Bond matters not just to the entertainment industry but also to contemporary society and popular culture that’s negotiating ways of looking at the emerging world.

The 25 chapters in this book that engages with how the Bond franchise has achieved historical and cultural impact, navigating repetitions and innovations over the years, make for interesting reading. Hold on to this volume at least until 007 returns, hopefully in a blaze of glory.

Sudhirendar Sharma is an independent writer, researcher and academic.