Why James Bond Hasn’t Seen the Last of Christoph Waltz
By Alex Brannan
Spectre’s main villain, played by Christoph Waltz, may return in future Bond installments, given the nature of the character.
Caution: Plot Spoilers for Spectre ahead.
The new Bond film, Spectre, sports a baddie of epic proportion in Christoph Waltz. Initially dubbed Franz Oberhauser, Waltz plays a man from James Bond’s childhood. After the death of Bond’s parents in a climbing accident, Oberhauser’s father took Bond in as his son. A jealous young Oberhauser then killed his father in what was later reported as an avalanche that killed both father and son.
Only, Waltz’ Oberhauser survived, and he took up a new name originating from his mother’s bloodline: Blofeld.
For Bond fans, this name is resoundingly familiar. But, perhaps for newer fans of the series, Blofeld may not ring any bells.
In Spectre, the eponymous evil organization is run by Waltz. This same organization, SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion), has appeared in many of the Bond films and books prior to the 2015 installment. The leader of this organization, in all accounts, is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and Blofeld is the main rival to Bond throughout many of the early Bond films.
So Waltz has taken up the mantle of Blofeld. What’s the big deal?
To address this question, we have to look at the already convoluted James Bond timeline. Daniel Craig’s first outing as the super spy was in Casino Royale, an Ian Fleming story that depicts Bond’s first major mission as a 00-agent. Thus, Craig’s arc as 007 is a prequel to all of the Bond films that have preceded it.
To put this into perspective, this means that Craig’s Bond films are starting to inch closer in time to the Sean Connery Bond films that first introduced Blofeld as a major villain. This is why Bond could not kill Blofeld at the end of Spectre, because it would be a continuity impossibility.
What this also means is that Eon Productions has the opportunity to milk Waltz for all he’s worth in the role of Blofeld. We very well may see him play the villain again in subsequent films. This, or the company can do what they have done in the past with Blofeld and recast him. Or, they can simply move away from Blofeld and attack other, one-off Bond adventures.
Whatever the case may be, Spectre has left the door open for Waltz and/or Blofeld to return at any point.
As always, thanks for reading!
What do you think? Do you want to see Christoph Waltz reprise his role as Blofeld? What did you think of his performance in Spectre? Let us know in the comments below!