#NerdsUnite: Is James Bond a Superhero?

Talk Nerdy To Me’s: @StaffWriter

A superhero can be defined as a mythic figure who possesses great strength or abilities, typically portrayed as fighting evil or crime. With this definition in mind, does James Bond qualify as a superhero?

Let’s find out.

The case for James Bond being a superhero:

There are many good reasons James Bond is a superhero.

James Bond is known for his exploits. James Bond is the archetypical fictional protagonist, complete with an assortment of faults and virtues. Certainly, James Bond takes on some of the characteristics of a superhero.

James Bond is known as "Bond, James Bond", and has been for 50 years. This title can be seen as self-referential—as if to say that he is known by his name only without any other identity or individual traits. This can be considered an indicator that Bond is more than a mere mortal, as it is an allusion to the concept of superheroes having secret identities.

James Bond kills people – lots and lots of people – and one might consider this a typical superpower. However, there is also the argument he doesn't kill wantonly but rather lethally dispatches bad guys and villains

In fact, he regularly saves the world from supervillains. In fact, he single-handedly defeats opponents who are older, more experienced, and better equipped. That sounds pretty supherhero-ish to me.

To add to all of that, he has a vast accumulation of knowledge, skills, and techno-gadgets that allow him to solve crimes, defeat criminals, and save the day.

Another reason he is a superhero is that he is clearly indestructible, never ages, and doesn't seem to ever get sick.

The hero usually has some kind of weakness or vulnerability. However, James Bond seems to be completely without any kind of weakness or vulnerability. Sure, he has faults, but never weaknesses.

He also appears to be about 30 years old forever—he shows no signs of aging whatsoever. Because of this, it's possible that he is either immortal or has found a way to halt his aging process.

Finally, each and every James Bond movie is about 007 traveling the world and saving humanity from some nefarious supervillain. And we all know what happens with supervillains—they always lose in the end.

Why James Bond Might Not Be a Superhero:

Despite all this, some might disagree that James Bond is in fact a superhero because of his disregard for British law and rules. However, just because he doesn't follow the letter of the law doesn't mean he isn't a superhero.

In other words, by allowing him to break all sorts of laws and rules, the British government has implicitly sanctioned him to be above the law.

This would make James Bond more of an anti-hero—a protagonist who is unlikeable or lacks traditional heroic qualities who defeats villains through cunning rather than superhuman prowess.

The argument that being licensed to kill makes Bond not a superhero is a too restrictive view. Although he may not be a traditional superhero, his array of talents combined with immunity to the law certainly makes him unique.

Does James Bond Have Superpowers?

He does not have any special powers like Superman or Spiderman. He's on the line of a hero who possesses the skills to defeat whole hordes of attackers all on his own like Batman, Jack Reacher, or Jason Bourne. The difference between those heroes and James Bond is that he has access to an exclusive stockpile of gadgets and high-tech weapons that most heroes don't have.

He may be a superhero in an anti-hero kind of way.

Now, some might argue that Bond's ability to outwit his enemies, shoot with amazing accuracy while avoiding death is a kind of power. This, however, is more of a special talent or skill than a superpower.

Did The Creator of James Bond Intend for Him to Be a Superhero?

The idea of James Bond being a superhero is not too far-fetched when you really think about it. However, at the end of the day, he's still just a character created by Ian Fleming and played on-screen by different actors over five decades—and that makes all the difference in how people view him.

Although Ian Fleming may have intended for James Bond to be a superhero, the real-world perspective, which is vastly different than his imagined perspective, makes it so that he can't be considered one in the traditional sense of the word.

He's definitely not a hero according to everyone's definition – but then again – how many superheroes does everyone know that kill and break laws with impunity?

Is James Bond a Hero?

While Bond may not be superpowered, he certainly fits into the hero (or antihero) category. He displays heroic traits and actions such as bravery, good-natured personality, and willingness to protect others.

But what makes him a hero in the traditional sense is that he always wins against his enemies because of his quick wit and skills. That aspect alone sets James Bond apart from other heroes who may have strong morals but lack the wits and courage to confront their foes.

People look up to others who do what they feel is right, even when it costs them everything and who can overcome any obstacle thrown their way—And that's exactly what James Bond does every time we see him on the silver screen. He never gives up and always gets his mission accomplished.

James Bond may not be a superhero—but then again, he might just be a very special sort of hero who's on par with some real-world superheroes.

For these reasons, James Bond can be considered a hero – even if he doesn't actually have superpowers.

Conclusion: James Bond Is a Superhero

In summary, James Bond has many traits that overlap with superheroes—a secret identity, skills and technology, the ability to save the world from supervillains who have superior knowledge, had is life is constantly in danger.

This may be enough to conclude that, yes, James Bond is in fact a superhero who just happens to work for MI6 instead of The Avengers or The Justice League.

However, he does not possess any superhuman powers like traditional superheroes.

I think we can agree that, even if James Bond isn't exactly like all those other more stereotypical superheroes and anti-heroes, he is still an awesome character and more than qualifies as a hero in his own right.