3. Brought Bond into the Modern Age
Whether you liked or hated Licence to Kill, it can't be denied that the vision Dalton brought with him to the role helped bring the franchise into the modern age. Corny jokes and hokey villains were soon to be a thing of the past (to be seen again in some of Brosnan's flicks if only in brief glimpses). After Roger Moore retired the role the series needed a new direction in which to go. Dalton provided the answer. He changed the mood to be one that was much darker. While Brosnan related more to Connery, but with gadgets, the tone and style of the new Daniel Craig films is definitely tied with Dalton. Would audiences have been as accepting of Craig's portrayal if the producers had skipped over Dalton as a choice and had gone straight to Brosnan instead? Probably, but that still doesn't change the fact that it was Dalton who paved the way for a darker, edgier James Bond.