The James Bond franchise is mostly known for its exciting action sequences, but that doesn't mean the plots of these movies need to be ignored. Established as a series of thrilling spy epics during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Bond movies can sometimes have complicated storylines that attempt to keep the audiences on their toes.
While there may be a few instances where fans were genuinely surprised by a Bond movie, these twists are usually pretty easy to see coming. Whether it be false deaths or the reveal of the movie's true villain, these plot twists were perhaps not as clever as the filmmakers thought.
Bond Didn't Die - You Only Live Twice (1967)
You Only Live Twice opens with a scene of Bond in bed with a woman who turns out to be a villain. She sets him up for an assassination, which is apparently successful. Bond is buried at sea, only for his body to be picked up by a British submarine, revealing that it was all a trick to fake Bond's death.
Even with the Bond series still in its earlier days, it's hard to imagine that there was anyone in the audience who actually thought they were bold enough to kill off their hero at the beginning of the movie.
Blofeld Is Alive - Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Though Bond has tangled with a fair share of formidable foes throughout the series, Ernst Stavro Blofeld had always been Bond's archnemesis. He had already faced off with Bond several times leading up to Diamonds Are Forever, which opened with a sequence in which Bond tracks him down and kills him.
From there, the movie switches gears to the main story and a villain who remains off-screen. Given the secrecy of the villain and the fact that Bond stumbled across Blofeld's plays for making a double of himself, it wasn't much of a shock to learn he was still alive and the movie's big bad.
Kananga And Mr. Big Are The Same - Live And Let Die (1973)
For some reason, Bond villains seem very interested in taking on new identities. In Live and Let Die, Bond is made to deal with two potential threats. One is a politician called Kananga, while the other is a drug kingpin named Mr. Big. Eventually, it is revealed that Kananga and Big are the same person.
This twist might have been more effective if it were handled differently. Unfortunately, after meeting Kananga and then meeting Mr. Big, it is painfully obvious that it is just actor Yaphet Kotto in an unconvincing prosthetics mask.
Kristatos Is The Villain - For Your Eyes Only (1981)
For Your Eyes Only is one of the duller James Bond movies, and it is largely due to the unremarkable villain. For much of the movie, a man named Kristatos is helping Bond stop the supposed villain only for it to be revealed the real threat is Kristatos himself.
The problem is that Kristatos was presented as a much different Bond ally. He was not comedic, and there was too much attention paid to his story. It was clear the movie saw him as a more important character than he initially seemed, and his untrustworthy nature couldn't be hidden.
Trevelyan Is The Villain - GoldenEye (1995)
Sean Bean's Alec Trevelyan is usually regarded as one of the best Bond villains. He has a personal connection to Bond and is an equal match for him in most ways. But, the twist about his reveal is one of the few letdowns.
GoldenEye opens with Bond and Trevelyan on a job which results in Trevelyan's apparent death. But, after setting up this obvious report and relationship between the two colleagues, it was obvious that was not the last viewers would see of Trevelyan.
Elektra King Is The Villain - The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Elektra King has the distinction of being the franchise's first female main villain in The World is Not Enough. While the rarity of such a thing would potentially help the inevitable twist, the movie just makes it too obvious.
Though Elektra is set up to be the main mission, a target who Bond must protect, she is revealed to be on a mission of revenge and greed. But, with so little attention paid to the character who is meant to be the villain and hints being dropped that are too obvious, her final reveal as the mastermind doesn't have much impact.
Graves Is Colonel Moon - Die Another Day (2002)
Die Another Day is generally regarded as the low-point in the series, and the ridiculous villain really doesn't help. The movie opens with Bond taking on a North Korean villain named Colonel Moon who is apparently killed despite never seeing a body.
So, when eccentric billionaire Gustav Graves is introduced into the movie and there is talk of face-altering technology, it becomes clear the silly idea this movie is going to pull off. Sure enough, the movie decided to have its Asian villain magically transformed into a Caucasian man.
Silva Wanted To Be Captured - Skyfall (2012)
In the opposite of Die Another Day, Skyfall is seen by many Bond fans as the best of the series. Once again, the villain is directly connected to the movie's quality, as Javier Bardem is excellent as the vengeful Silva.
He is so good that it is easy to ignore the obvious and over-used trope of the villain getting captured on purpose. When Bond manages to take Silva in without a fight with almost half of the movie remaining, audiences know where things are going.
M's Death - Skyfall (2012)
Iconic actor Dame Judi Dench—who actually initially turned down a role in 1995's Goldeneye—brought a wonderful new take on the role of Bond's boss M in the movies. Especially with the Daniel Craig movies, there was a more developed relationship between the two characters, almost like a mother and son.
But, as Dench got older, it was clear she wouldn't stay in the role forever. So, when she was given a very central role in the plot of Skyfall, becoming much more involved in the story than she previously had been, it was no surprise that this ended up being M's last living appearance in the series.
Blofeld Returns - Spectre (2015)
This is a twist that fans had guessed before the movie even made it to theaters. When Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz, perhaps most famous for his roles in several Tarantino movies—was cast as the latest villain in Spectre, fans were very excited about what he would bring to the part. Then, speculation began that he might be playing a familiar Bond villain.
Everyone involved in the movie profusely denied it, but the evidence kept piling up until the denials were drowned out. Once the movie came out and it was confirmed Waltz was the new Blofeld, fans started to wonder why they even tried to hide that secret.