Spectre Ending: 8 Potential Ways It Sets Up Bond 25

8. James Bond's Left MI6 (But Will Return)

The big development to James Bond as a character in Spectre was his decision in the final minutes to turn his back on MI6; he chose to spare the villain's life and ran away with Madeline Swann (although not before picking up a humorous old memento). How much of an impact this will have on the future of the franchise depends on whether Daniel Craig returns for Bond 25 - if he doesn't then we'll probably just reset to basic Bond set-up, but if he does then, as Spectre created such a strong link between all his other films, a Craig-starring sequel would have to deal with this. Of course Bond will go back to MI6 (the credits had the classic "James Bond will return" coda), most likely due to something that ties into Madeline or the spectre of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., but it'll be how it shapes the idea of the film that will be most interesting and ground-breaking. Both Skyfall and Spectre put a lot on how far removed from humanity Bond as a person is, but with this addition to events it's possible Bond 25 will do the reverse and see how a well-adjusted Bond fits into his world of alcoholism and excessive sex. And, naturally, it will also allow for a more classical distance between him and the rest of the MI6 gang. This isn't the first time Bond's turned his back on the world of spies (or, as Spectre realigns him, being an assassin), but previously those film ended with him returning - in both On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Casino Royale running away for a real life with his woman of choice (Tracy Bond and Vesper Lynd) ended in tragedy, with the romantic interest killed (incidentally both vaguely at the hand of Spectre), sending Bond on a mission of vengeance...