Film Theory: New Bond Villain Is SECRETLY Dr No

2. SPECTRE's Role

Spectre's main narrative goal was to tie everything from Casino Royale onwards to SPECTRE as an organisation, as a means to prove just how far Blofeld's influence spread. It wasn't ENTIRELY successful, but it appears they're going that way again with No Time To DIe.

If they weren't Blofeld wouldn't be here. To put it plainly: Blofeld's very presence confirms that this is also a SPECTRE story. In the old timeline, of course, Dr No worked for SPECTRE, so there's a link there, but there could be more to this that could also tie into the devastating secret Blofeld hints is in Madelaine's past that would change everything for Bond.

First, though, we have to examine Safin's relationship with SPECTRE and how that could confirm he's a new take on Dr No. In the novel and the film, Dr No betrays a Chinese Tong organisation, robbing them to fund his own work - he's punished for it in the novel but seemingly gets away with it in the film.

What if the organisation Safin initially worked for and then ripped off to fund his own new technology plans was actually SPECTRE? What if he was one of Blofeld's men who over-stepped and was punished with the injuries we see? That would certainly explain why he's still active while SPECTRE was brought down.

And what if Safin's new target isn't Bond but Madelaine and perhaps even Blofeld, who ends up playing a Hannibal Lecter style role advising Bond on how to take him down?

But why Madelaine and why would that draw Bond into the web even further?