Ana de Armas caught the attention of James Bond fans in No Time To Die, and her portrayal of Paloma shows exactly what 007's franchise future should look like. Gender equality hasn't always been top of James Bond's agenda, but beginning with Casino Royale, the Daniel Craig era has gradually deconstructed the old-fashioned "Bond Girl" concept. No Time To Die continues this process by introducing Lashana Lynch's Nomi as the new 007, but it's actually another new spy who shakes and stirs the traditional Bond formula - Ana de Armas' Paloma.

Investigating a missing scientist on behalf of Felix Leiter, the retired James Bond rendezvous with Paloma in Cuba. Together, they infiltrate a SPECTRE party, escape the ensuing carnage, and successfully pluck Obruchev from Nomi's grasp. Ana de Armas appears in No Time To Die for barely a cup of coffee (or, indeed, a shot of rum) before she slinks off into the night, never to be seen again, but her glorified cameo leaves a powerful impression nonetheless. James Bond die-hards and casual movie fans alike are hailing Ana de Armas' Paloma as a breath of fresh air for the series, and an undoubted highlight of No Time To Die.

Related: Why Ana De Armas Doesn't Return At The End Of No Time To Die

Naturally, calls for her return are out in force, either as part of the upcoming Bond 26 cast, or via her own movie spinoff. Paloma's James Bond future remains uncertain, but whether she lives twice or never says never again, the character shows which path 007 movies must take post-Craig. In terms of continuity, female representation, and overall tone, Paloma is James Bond's future.

Ana De Armas' NTTD Role Shows Bond Movies Don't Need Continuity

Ana de Armas as Paloma hiding by a pillar in No Time to Die

Paloma parachutes into No Time To Die devoid of any canon continuity connections or narrative baggage. Audiences are told she's a CIA agent and a trusted college of Felix Leiter's... but that's all. Paloma is one of precious few characters in James Bond's modern Daniel Craig era to sit completely apart from SPECTRE, Bond, and the overarching story playing out between Casino Royale and No Time To Die - and that simplicity is a welcome tonic.

Classic James Bond movies mostly avoided any meaningful continuity threads. Aside from the Sean Connery era's Blofeld build, 007's past adventures were staunchly standalone, but Daniel Craig's incarnation has followed a distinct 5-movie arc with a clear beginning (Casino Royale), middle (Skyfall) and end (No Time To Die). While Craig's interconnected canon helped James Bond get with the times, his continuity hasn't always been smooth sailing. For example, the Quantum organization was retconned into SPECTRE due to a legal back-and-forth, and revealing Blofeld as James Bond's foster brother was a move widely ridiculed in 2015. As much as James Bond's modern continuity has made Craig's hero a more layered, nuanced proposition (Vesper's death follows him throughout each film), the commitment to long-term canon has sometimes bogged Bond down in heavy exposition and awkward rewrites.

Ana de Armas' Paloma proves James Bond's supporting figures needn't be tied to 007's overarching story. Paloma succeeds purely because she's interesting to watch and holds a sparkling chemistry with her Bond counterpart. She isn't Vesper Lynd's long-lost roommate from college looking for revenge, an ex-SPECTRE agent on the run from Blofeld, or the neighbor of M's dry cleaner. Paloma's just Felix's trusted associate. Future James Bond movies can use her as a template that proves not every side character needs an elaborate link to 007 to be compelling.

Related: Has Paloma Really Just Had 3 Weeks Training Before No Time To Die?

Ana De Armas' Paloma Is An Ideal Female Bond Movie Character

Ana de Armas No Time to Die Paloma

Perhaps courtesy of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's presence on the writing team, No Time To Die's female additions are a marked improvement upon the "Bond Girl" stereotypes of yore. Nomi is an MI6 professional and a consummate secret agent who more than holds her own in partnership with Bond, while Madeleine Swann's motherhood steers her away from the franchise's usual love interest mold, and into territory somewhat more relatable (as much as being the daughter of an international assassin can be relatable). As Paloma, however, it's Ana de Armas who strikes the most damaging blow to James Bond's misogynist reputation.

For starters, she's definitely not a love interest. As a beautiful CIA agent meeting the newly-single Bond in an exotic location, a post-mission midnight romance would've been the safest of bets in any other actor's era. But when Daniel Craig's Bond mistakes Paloma changing his clothes as a come-on, she just laughs. Amusingly, it's then Bond who tells her to turn around while he pulls on a tuxedo. There's a friendly student-veteran dynamic between them, but you'll find more sexual tension between Bond and Q than with Paloma, who takes the "Bond Girl" template and kicks it firmly in the balls.

And that's not all she kicks, as Paloma arguably does the heavy lifting during No Time To Die's SPECTRE action sequence. Paloma isn't the first female ass-kicker in a James Bond film, but she forces Bond to keep up with her, rather than the other way around, and is allowed to be feminine without getting cynically sexualized. There's a genuine intrigue over Paloma's "three weeks training" line that hints toward a larger mystery, and her comic timing makes for that rarest of things in James Bond - a relatable spy. As she guzzles cherry cola, messes up the password, and tries to impress in a new job, Ana de Armas' Paloma proves James Bond is capable of evolving its social attitudes after all.

Ana De Armas' No Time To Die Role Shows How To Balance Bond Movies

No Time To Die Ana de Armas Paloma

There's an eternal struggle between light and dark in Daniel Craig's James Bond movies - and we don't mean the battle between good and evil. Following the ridicule that followed Die Another DayCasino Royale took 007 into dark, violent, intense territory - and was broadly praised for doing so. With each passing entry since, however, Bond fans have questioned whether Ian Fleming's character really needs to act gritty all the time. Public opinion shifted sometime between Skyfall and Spectre, increasing calls for James Bond to lighten up and embrace the spirit of Sean Connery and Roger Moore.

Related: No Time To Die Was Right To Give Ana De Armas Such A Small Role

In response, Daniel Craig's successor will almost certainly take a more jovial approach, but that's a fine line to walk. On one hand, audiences have tired of 007 as a miserable killer; on the other, Bond 26 would be committing franchise self-sabotage by returning to the ludicrous camp of Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore's later efforts. Can a balance be found? Once again, Paloma rides to the rescue, highlighting how James Bond's future can be fun without coming across silly.

Paloma isn't your typical CIA agent. She's intelligent and tough, but also bright and bubbly, never letting the gravity of being surrounded by SPECTRE agents dilute her nervous enthusiasm. The moment she and Bond pause fighting to share a drink and a "salut!" sums her personality up perfectly - deadly, charismatic, larger than life, and doing it all with a smile. It's not a scene Casino Royale would've indulged in, but neither does Paloma succumb to the camp pitfalls of before. Despite having a good time in the midst of a gunfight, Paloma still very much exists within a real-world setting, and Ana de Armas' performance comes across as genuine, rather than a caricature. She gives No Time To Die a touch of escapist fantasy, but she's not Roger Moore wearing a clown costume, essentially.

No Time To Die might've closed one chapter in James Bond's long history, but Ana de Armas Paloma gives a taste of what the future could - and, indeed, should - look like for 007.

More: No Time To Die's Original Ana De Armas Plan Would've Killed The Bond Movie