The Dark Bond Girl attacks Bond somewhere we dont expect it his capacity as a womaniser. Surely there doesnt exist an intelligent, sexy female who wouldnt eagerly jump into bed with him at the first opportunity? Actually, apparently there doesnt almost all the Dark Bond Girls sleep with him before ineffectually trying to turn on him. But at least they humanise him to an extent at the end of the day, its the people we trust who can hurt us the most. Which is why Vesper Lynds semi-betrayal at the end of Casino Royale affects Bond so much, after Neil Purvis and Robert Wade toyed with the idea in two of their other films Miranda Frost in Die Another Day and Elektra King in The World is Not Enough. The Dark Bond Girl works so well because it takes a character we recognise, the Bond girl, and then subverts her. Thunderball was the first film to introduce the character - with Fiona Volpe - and Bonds semi-romantic, semi-antagonistic relationship is played with throughout the whole film. In fact, she dies while theyre on the dance floor together (a henchman mistakenly shoots her while aiming for 007; Bond isnt that bad a dancer.) Theres always the sense that the character is redeemable in a way that the male antagonists arent. Bond offers Elektra King a chance to undo her wrongs with a phone call to Renard, and then, after shooting her when she refuses it, he cradles and kisses her dead body, seeming to feel genuine regret. Examples: Elektra King, Fiona Volpe, Xenia Onatopp.
Laurence Gardner was born in Canterbury, England. After moving around various cities during his childhood, and spending some time travelling in Europe and America, he studied English Literature at Oxford University. Since then, he’s been living abroad, teaching English, learning a range of languages, and writing in his free time. He can currently be found in Heidelberg, working as an English Tutor and Translator and studying at the University. If you liked this article, follow him on Twitter to get automatic updates on his work.
The Dark Bond Girl attacks Bond somewhere we dont expect it his capacity as a womaniser. Surely there doesnt exist an intelligent, sexy female who wouldnt eagerly jump into bed with him at the first opportunity? Actually, apparently there doesnt almost all the Dark Bond Girls sleep with him before ineffectually trying to turn on him. But at least they humanise him to an extent at the end of the day, its the people we trust who can hurt us the most. Which is why Vesper Lynds semi-betrayal at the end of Casino Royale affects Bond so much, after Neil Purvis and Robert Wade toyed with the idea in two of their other films Miranda Frost in Die Another Day and Elektra King in The World is Not Enough. 
