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{{Short description|James Bond franchise agent designation}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
In [[Ian Fleming]]'s [[List of James Bond novels and stories|James Bond novels]] and the [[James Bond in film|derived films]], the '''00 Section''' of [[Secret Intelligence Service|MI6]] is considered the secret service's elite. A 00 (pronounced "Double O") is a [[field agent]] who holds a [[Licence to kill (concept)|licence to kill]] in the field, at their discretion, to complete any mission. The novel [[Moonraker (novel)|''Moonraker'']] establishes that the section routinely has three agents concurrently; the film series, in ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'', establishes a minimum number of nine 00 agents active at that time.
==Inspiration==
The origins of the Double O title may date to Fleming's wartime service. According to [[World War II]] historian [[Damien Lewis (filmmaker)|Damien Lewis]] in his book ''[[Churchill's Secret Warriors]]'', agents of the [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE) were given a "0" prefix when they became "zero-rated" upon completion of training in how to kill. As part of his role as assistant to the head of naval intelligence, [[Rear Admiral]] [[John Henry Godfrey|John Godfrey]] (himself the inspiration for [[M (James Bond)|M]]), Fleming acted as liaison<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Damien |title=Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII |date=2 October 2014 |publisher=Hachette UK |isbn=9781848668546 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzVhBQAAQBAJ&q=damien%20lewis&pg=PT44 |access-date=17 February 2020}}</ref> to the SOE.
Another theory holds that Fleming, who at one time owned a house in [[St. Margaret's Bay, Kent|St Margarets Bay]] outside [[Dover]], was inspired by the local 007 bus route which ran between [[Canterbury]] and the [[Kent]] coast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/007-bus-goes-through-kent-4004153|title = The 007 bus that goes through Kent and how it inspired James Bond|date = 13 March 2020}}</ref> Having found the codename for his protagonist, it may be that this was then expanded to a host of "00" agents of which Bond was numbered seventh. The 007 route still exists to this day, operated by [[National Express]] as a coach service between [[London Victoria]] train station and Dover.
==Description==
In the first novel, ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|Casino Royale]]'', and the [[Casino Royale (2006 film)|2006 film adaptation]], the 00 concept is introduced and, in Bond's words, means "that you've had to kill a chap in cold blood in the course of some assignment". Bond's 00 number (007) was awarded to him because he twice killed in fulfilling assignments. (This differentiates from deadly force used by non-00 agents in the course of self-defence or offensive action; plus, in the original time frame of the novel—the early 1950s—many MI6 agents would have had recent war service.) In the second novel, ''[[Live and Let Die (novel)|Live and Let Die]]'', the 00 number designates a past killing; not until the third novel, ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'', does the 00 number designate a licence to kill. Thereafter, the novels are ambiguous about whether a 00 agent's licence to kill is limited, with varying accounts in ''[[Dr. No (novel)|Dr. No]]'', ''[[Goldfinger (novel)|Goldfinger]]'', and ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (novel)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]''.
Per Fleming's ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'', 00 agents face mandatory retirement at 45; [[John Gardner (British writer)|John Gardner]] contradicts this in his novels, depicting a fifty-odd-year-old secret agent. Sebastian Faulks's ''[[Devil May Care (Faulks novel)|Devil May Care]]'' features M giving Bond a choice of when to retire.
Fleming himself only mentions five 00 agents in all. According to ''Moonraker'', James Bond is the most senior of three 00 agents; the two others were 008 and 0011. The three men share an office and a secretary named Loelia Ponsonby. Later novels feature two more 00 agents; 009 is mentioned in ''Thunderball'' and 006 is mentioned in ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (novel)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]''. Other authors have elaborated and expanded upon the 00 agents. While they presumably have been sent on dangerous missions as Bond has, little has been revealed about most of them.
In the films, the 00 section is a discrete area of MI6, whose agents report directly to [[M (James Bond)|M]], and tend to be sent on special assignments and troubleshooting missions, often involving rogue agents (from Britain or other countries) or situations where an "ordinary" intelligence operation uncovers or reveals terrorist or criminal activity too sensitive to be dealt with using ordinary procedural or legal measures, and where the aforementioned discretionary "[[licence to kill (concept)|licence to kill]]" is deemed necessary or useful in rectifying the situation. ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'' introduces a special insignia for the 00 Section. Bond's fellow 00 agents appear receiving briefings in ''Thunderball'' and ''The World Is Not Enough''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/james-bond-is-not-a-woman-lashana-lynch-is-not-james-bond-please-all-calm-down-1.887226|title = James Bond is not a woman, Lashana Lynch is not James Bond: Please all calm down|date = 17 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/james-bond-25-female-00-agent-thunderball|title = James Bond 25 Isn't the First Time There's Been a Female 00-Agent|website = [[Screen Rant]]|date = 16 July 2019}}</ref> The latter film shows a woman in one of the 00 chairs. In ''Thunderball'', there are nine chairs for the 00 agents; [[Moneypenny]] says every 00 agent in Europe has been recalled, not every 00 agent in the world. Behind the scenes photos of the film reveal that one of the agents in the chairs is female as well. As with the books, other writers have elaborated and expanded upon the 00 agents in the films and in other media. In ''[[GoldenEye]]'', 006 is an alias for [[Alec Trevelyan]], while in ''[[No Time to Die]]'' the 007 codename is assigned to Nomi after Bond's retirement from MI6. As of 2021, Trevelyan and Nomi are the only 00 agents other than Bond to play a major role in an EON Productions film, with all other appearances either being brief or dialogue references only.
==List of 00s==
The following lists are of the known 00 agents of the British Secret Service who exist in the Ian Fleming novels and short stories, the officially licensed novels, the [[Eon Productions|EON]] movies, or in the official video games or comic strips.
===00 Agents from Ian Fleming's Bond stories===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap;"| 00-agent
! style="width:15%;"| Name
! Description
|-
| ''006'' || Unnamed|| 006, a [[Royal Marines|Royal Marine commando]], is mentioned in the novel ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (novel)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]''.
|-
| ''007''|| [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]] || James Bond is the only agent 007. In the novel ''[[You Only Live Twice (novel)|You Only Live Twice]]'', Bond was transferred into another branch and given the number 7777, suggesting there was no active agent 007 in that time; he is later reinstated as 007 in the novel ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (novel)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]''.
|-
| ''008'' || Bill<ref name="Lore">{{Cite web|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a34590869/james-bond-007-meaning-explained-toxic-fans-lashana-lynch-casting-reactions/|title = Anyone Can be 007. That's Basic James Bond Lore|date = 6 November 2020}}</ref> || In the novel ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'', 008 (called "Bill" by Bond) is mentioned as being on recuperative leave after returning from a mission behind the [[Iron Curtain]].
In the novel ''[[Goldfinger (novel)|Goldfinger]]'', Bond thinks that 008 would likely avenge Bond by killing [[Auric Goldfinger|Goldfinger]]. As Bond thinks this, he ruminates that 008 is "a good man, more careful than Bond".
|-
|''009'' || Unnamed || Referred to in the novel ''[[Thunderball (novel)|Thunderball]]''.
|-
| ''0011'' || Unnamed || Mentioned in the novel ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'' as vanishing while on assignment in Singapore.
|}
===00 Agents from Bond stories by other authors===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap;"| 00-agent
! style="width:15%;"| Name
! Description
|-
| ''000'' || Conrad Harthrop-Vane || Mentioned in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' Chapter 4 as having recently been on a mission with 005. He is nicknamed Triple-O.
|-
| ''001'' || Edward Donne || Appears in the [[Raymond Benson]] novel ''[[Doubleshot]]'' providing security for a peace conference in [[Gibraltar]].
|-
| ''002'' || Elizabeth Dumont || Mentioned in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' Chapter 4 as having recently been killed in Dubai.
|-
| ''003'' || Johanna Harwood || Appears in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' as a main character. She was formerly a surgeon and girlfriend of James Bond before coming to MI-6.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alix |date=2023-07-31 |title=Agent 003 - Johanna Harwood |url=https://www.ianfleming.com/agent-003-johanna-harwood/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Ian Fleming |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|-
| ''004'' || Frederick Wardner, Scarlett Papava, Joseph Dryden || A 004 appears in the Benson novel ''[[The Facts of Death]]''.
In the Sebastian Faulks novel ''[[Devil May Care (Faulks novel)|Devil May Care]]'', Bond girl Scarlett Papava is unveiled as 004,<ref name="Lore"/> replacing the previous agent who was killed in Berlin.
Joseph Dryden appears in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' as a main character. He was formerly an SAS soldier in Afghanistan before being injured and moving to MI-6.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alix |date=2023-08-01 |title=Agent 004 - Joseph Dryden |url=https://www.ianfleming.com/agent-004-joseph-dryden/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Ian Fleming |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|-
| ''005'' || Stuart Thomas, Ventnor || Was 005 until defective eyesight impaired his marksmanship, and he was made head of Station G ([[Greece]]) in the [[Kingsley Amis]] novel ''[[Colonel Sun]]''.
Ventnor is mentioned in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' Chapter 4 as having recently fallen to his death on a mission with 000 Harthrop-Vane.
|-
| ''006'' || Major Jack Giddings <!-- Do not add Alec Trevelyan here. He is listed in the EON table below. --> || In ''[[The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel]]'', 006 is named as Major Jack Giddings and second to Bond in the 00 section.
|-
| ''007''|| [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]] || As above. In the John Gardner novels, agent 007 is the remaining active 00-agent as the section was disbanded in the 1980s. This was later contradicted in the Raymond Benson novels.
In [[Anthony Horowitz]]'s continuation novel, set before the events of ''Casino Royale'', an unnamed agent 007 is murdered, which leads to James Bond taking over the code-number in ''[[Forever and a Day (novel)|Forever and A Day]]'',<ref name="Lore"/> thus marking his first ever assignment as a 00-agent.
|-
| ''008'' || Donovan || Mentioned in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' Chapter 1 as having recently been killed in the Central African Republic.
|-
| ''009'' || Sid Bashir || Appears in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' as a main character. He was personally mentored by James Bond.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alix |date=2023-08-02 |title=Agent 009 - Sid Bashir |url=https://www.ianfleming.com/agent-009-sid-bashir/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Ian Fleming |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|-
|''0010'' || Unnamed<!-- There is no name attached to this character in the novel: please do not add one. Please raise any questions on the talk page -->, Anna Savarin || Unnamed agent referred to in the Benson novel ''[[The Man with the Red Tattoo]]''.
Anna Savarin is mentioned in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' Chapter 4 as having recently been killed in Basra.
|-
| ''0011'' || Harry Mace || Mentioned in the [[Kim Sherwood]] novel ''Double or Nothing'' Chapter 4 as having recently disappeared on assignment in Singapore. This is in keeping with Fleming's use of the code number (see above).
|-
| ''0012'' || Sam Johnston || Although unmentioned on screen, Benson's ''The World Is Not Enough'' novelization has Bond investigating 0012's death at story's start (seen in a photograph of a dark-haired man, in the film).
|}
===00 Agents from the Eon film franchise===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap;"| 00-agent
! style="width:15%;"| Name
! Description
|-
|''001''
|Unnamed
|A 001 appeared in ''Thunderball''.
|-
| ''002'' || Bill Fairbanks<br />John || A 002 first appears in ''Thunderball''. In ''The Man with the Golden Gun'', 002, named Bill Fairbanks, is stated to have been shot through the neck and killed by [[Francisco Scaramanga]], in [[Beirut]], Lebanon, in 1969.
In ''[[The Living Daylights]]'' film, another Agent 002, named "John", played by Glyn Baker; was training at [[Gibraltar]], with 004 and 007. 002 was "killed" and eliminated from the exercise when he landed close to a waiting SAS guard.
|-
| ''003'' || Unnamed || 003 first appears in ''Thunderball'' and is the first 00 agent to be played by a woman. A different 003 (this time played by a man) is found dead, in [[Siberia]], in ''A View to a Kill''.<ref name="Other">{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/james-bond-movies-00-agents-mi6-not-007/|title=Every Other 00- Agent in James Bond Movies Besides 007|website=[[Screen Rant]]|date=27 March 2021}}</ref>
|-
| ''004'' || Unnamed|| 004 first appears in ''Thunderball'', where he is played by [[Frederick Warder (actor)|Frederick Warder]].
In ''The Living Daylights'', either he or another 004 accompanied 002 and 007 to Gibraltar; he is murdered by a false [[KGB]] agent who tags the body with "Death to Spies" in Russian after his support rope is cut and he is sent plummeting down a cliff to his death.
|-
| ''005'' ||Unnamed|| 005 appears in ''Thunderball''.
|-
| ''006'' || [[Alec Trevelyan]]
| A 006 first appears in ''Thunderball'', where he is portrayed by Peter Roy. When 006 was used again thirty years later in ''GoldenEye'' it was not mentioned whether this was meant to be the same character or a replacement.
In ''GoldenEye'' 006 was named Alec Trevelyan, and portrayed by [[Sean Bean]]. He is apparently shot and killed while on a mission with Bond, but later reveals that he faked his death, and is the main antagonist in the film.<ref name="Other"/>
|-
| ''007''|| [[James Bond filmography|James Bond]]<br />Nomi
| See above.<br />Three years after the retirement of James Bond in ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]'', Nomi is assigned the 007 name and maintains it for two years before she temporarily transfers it back to Bond in ''[[No Time to Die]]''.
|-
| ''008'' || Unnamed || In ''Goldfinger'' M threatens to replace 007 with agent 008.<ref name="Other"/> Later in the film, Bond tells [[Auric Goldfinger]], "...if I fail to report, 008 replaces me," and Goldfinger sarcastically replies, "I trust he will be more successful."
A 008 later appears in ''Thunderball''. Whether it is the same one mentioned in ''Goldfinger'' is unknown.
In ''The Living Daylights'', M again threatens to replace 007 saying: "I'll recall 008 from Hong Kong."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.subzin.com/quotes/The+Living+Daylights/It+was+instinct.+-+I'll+recall+008+from+Hong+Kong |title=It was instinct. – I'll recall 008 from Hong Kong &#124; The Living Daylights quotes |publisher=Subzin.com |access-date=12 November 2012}}</ref>
|-
|''009'' || Unnamed || 009 first appears in ''Thunderball''. Either he or another 009 (dressed as a clown) was killed by Mischka and Grischka after the opening credits in ''Octopussy'' by throwing a knife into his back as he tries to escape them. Bond later avenges 009 by killing them both. In ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'', M assigned another 009 to kill Renard; despite putting a bullet in his head, Renard lives, with the bullet slowly killing off his senses.
In ''Spectre'', Q laments that a new [[Aston Martin DB10|Aston Martin]] originally intended to be used by 007, has been reassigned to 009 following Bond's destruction of several buildings in Mexico City. A switch inside the car labelled "Atmosphere" is later revealed to begin playing 009's personal choices in music.
|-
|-
| Unknown || Unidentified || Two films, ''Thunderball'' and ''The World Is Not Enough'', have scenes in which Bond joins groups of other 00 agents for briefings. In ''Thunderball'', only fleeting glimpses of these individuals are provided. In ''The World Is Not Enough'' several are visible as they receive instructions from M and her assistant, Bill Tanner, including one female 00 agent.
|}
===00 Agents from computer and video games===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap;"| 00-agent
! style="width:15%;"| Name
! Description
|-
| ''003'' || Jack Mason || In the ''[[James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing|Everything or Nothing]]'' video game (2004), 003 is Jack Mason, who is shot in the gut and killed by Nikolai Diavolo, a villain connected with the villain Max Zorin from ''A View to a Kill''.
|-
| ''004'' || Aidan Flemmings|| In the ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]'' video game, on the Silo mission briefing, [[Q (James Bond)|Q]] mentions to 007 to "remember to treat the timed explosives with respect – you remember what happened to 004 in Beirut"; it is unclear whether he speaks of another agent or one of the ones in the EON films.
|-
| ''007''|| [[James Bond filmography|James Bond]] || See above.
|-
| ''008'' || Bill Timothy || In the video game ''[[James Bond 007 (1998 video game)|James Bond 007]]'', 008 gives Bond an exploding pen before dying.
|-
| Unknown || Jonathan "GoldenEye" Hunter || A former 00-agent featured in ''[[GoldenEye: Rogue Agent]]''. He was shot in the right eye, and was dismissed by MI6 for "reckless brutality". He joined up with [[Auric Goldfinger]] against the shooter, [[Julius No|Dr. Julius No]], and eventually received a gold-hued artificial eye as a replacement, which granted him several hidden abilities. After killing both Goldfinger and Dr. No, he becomes [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]]'s personal bodyguard.
|}
===00 Agents from other official media===
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap;"| 00-agent
! style="width:15%;"| Name
! Description
|-
| ''002'' || John Winter || Winter, agent 002, is kidnapped and brainwashed by renegade Russian operative Col. Lev Makar in the 1983 Semic Comic ''Liquidate Bond''. Winter is described as tough, ruthless, and cunning, with almost superhuman strength, and is used to assassinate multiple public figures. He almost kills Bond multiple times, before being himself killed by Russian troops.
|-
| ''003'' || Unnamed || A 003 appears in an anthology comic book by [[Dynamite Entertainment]], ''Reflections of Death''. Described as the best due to "always thinking a step ahead of everyone", he is a treacherous entity who gave up state secrets when he was captured and tortured by a rogue group of disavowed operatives and imprisoned in the [[Kuril Islands]]. Bond sets off for his rescue, but eventually finds 003 irredeemable when the latter drops his loyalty to his country.
|-
| ''007''|| [[James Bond filmography|James Bond]] || See above.
|-
| ''008'' || Bill Timothy || 008 is mentioned to have been murdered in the comic book ''[[James Bond 007: VARGR|VARGR]]'' for which 007 himself avenges the death of his colleague by taking the life of the latter's killer.
|-
|''009'' || Peter Smith || The graphic novels ''Deadly Double'' and ''Serpent's Tooth'' feature a fourth Agent 009.
|-
| ''0013'' || Briony Thorne || A female 00-agent appearing in the comic strip ''Fear Face''<ref name="Already">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/james-bond-female-00-agents/|title=James Bond Already Introduced a Female 00 Agent ... 54 Years Ago|date=15 July 2019}}</ref> (published 18 January 1971 to 20 April 1971 in ''[[The Daily Express]]''). Thorne is revealed to be a double agent for China.
|-
| Unknown || Agent York || Killed in the comic strip ''River of Death'' (published 24 June 1969 to 29 November 1969 in ''The Daily Express''). Agent York is a 00 agent but his number is not revealed.
|-
| Unknown || Suzi Kew || A recurring character in the ''Daily Express'' comic strip series of the 1960s and 1970s, Suzi Kew is a 00 agent but her number is not revealed.<ref name="Already"/>
|}
===False 00 Agents from ''Casino Royale'' (1967)===
The [[Casino Royale (1967 film)|1967 film adaptation]] of Fleming's first novel, ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|Casino Royale]]'', spoofed the EON film series. As part of its storyline, Sir James Bond ([[David Niven]]), after having assumed the position of M, mandates that all MI6 agents – male and female – be renamed James Bond 007 in order to confuse enemy agents of SMERSH.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="white-space:nowrap;"| 00-agent
! style="width:15%;"| Name
! Description
|-
| ''007''|| Evelyn Tremble || [[Baccarat (card game)|Baccarat]] master. Portrayed by [[Peter Sellers]].
|-
| ''007''|| [[Vesper Lynd]] || Bond's former lover. Portrayed by [[Ursula Andress]].
|-
| ''007''|| [[Miss Moneypenny]] || Daughter of Bond's retired secretary, with the same name as her mother. Portrayed by [[Barbara Bouchet]].
|-
| ''007''|| Mata Bond || Illegitimate daughter of Bond and [[Mata Hari]]. Portrayed by [[Joanna Pettet]].
|-
| ''007''|| The Detainer || A female agent who ultimately is the one to defeat the villain, Dr. Noah. Real name unrevealed. Portrayed by [[Daliah Lavi]].
|-
| ''007''|| Cooper || An agent who closely resembles the stereotypical image of Bond. Portrayed by [[Terence Cooper]].
|-
| ''007''|| Jimmy Bond || Nephew of Sir James Bond who, tired of being looked down upon (due to his short stature and meek demeanour), creates the persona of Dr. Noah, head of the evil organization SMERSH. As his duplicity is not known until late in the film, he technically falls under his uncle's naming edict. Portrayed by [[Woody Allen]].
|-
| ''007''|| "James Bond" || Prior to renaming all MI6 agents, Sir James mentions that the agency had given "my name and number" to another individual. Two dialogue references are made to this Bond: one has McTerry (M) expressing concern that he may be targeted by assassins; later in the film, it is said that he has left the service and entered the world of television.
|}
==See also==
*[[List of James Bond parodies and spin-offs]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{James Bond characters}}
[[Category:James Bond characters]]
[[Category:Fictional British spies]]
[[Category:Fictional intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Fictional MI6 agents]]