The James Bond films are usually meant to be watched as standalone action movies with little actual continuity between each other. However, Daniel Craig's Bond films have all been fairly tightly connected, with several characters and plot points recurring across each installment. The upcoming No Time to Die, which will serve as Craig's final performance as the English super-spy, also has the task of wrapping up the lingering plot threads created by the other four movies. As such, the film will be bringing back characters from all across Daniel Craig's run as James Bond.
Here is a breakdown of every previous Bond character that has been confirmed to return in No Time to Die.
James Bond
Craig's James Bond has been through a lot over the course of his four movies, but No Time to Die finds the former 007 living a retired and leisurely life in Jamaica. He is located by Felix Leiter, who recruits him to return for one more mission: to locate a scientist who has gone missing under mysterious circumstances. This leads James to Safin, who sees himself as a dark mirror to the spy.
After losing Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Bond closes himself off emotionally to everyone except for Madeleine Swann. Madeleine manages to get beneath his hard exterior in Spectre, but the trailers for No Time to Die have hinted that she harbors a dark secret that may destroy both herself and James.
Madeleine Swann
Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) is the daughter of former Spectre lieutenant, Mister White. After Bond saves her life several times over the course of Spectre, the two team up to defeat Blofeld and his organization's data-collecting plot. Ultimately, she and James fall in love and drive off into the sunset together. Unfortunately, the trailers for No Time to Die have suggested that an ominous secret from her past may tear them apart, as Madeleine seems to have some sort of connection with the mysterious Safin.
Felix Leiter
After skipping Skyfall and Spectre, Jeffrey Wright returns as James Bond's CIA contact, Felix Leiter. He initially met James in Casino Royale, solidifying their friendship by helping 007 beat the crooked banker Le Chiffre in poker. In No Time to Die, Felix returns with a mission that will pull the retired spy back into the field, against a foe unlike anyone they've faced before.
M
After the death of Judi Dench's M in Skyfall, Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) took over her position as head of MI6. Unlike past versions of the character, Mallory is not afraid to get his hands dirty, as demonstrated by his participation in the climax of Spectre. In No Time to Die, M will have his hands full with both Bond and the new 007, Nomi.
Eve Moneypenny
Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) was introduced in Skyfall as an MI6 field agent who aided James Bond in his missions. After accidentally shooting 007 off a train, Moneypenny quits fieldwork and instead begins working as M's secretary. She continues to serve in this role in Spectre. Her status quo will likely be upheld in No Time to Die, although there is a possibility that Moneypenny may return to the field to aid Bond one more time.
Q
As MI6's quartermaster, Q (Ben Whishaw) is the man responsible for distributing technology to agents for use on their missions. He first appeared in Skyfall and returned for Spectre, with Bond growing increasingly comfortable with annoying him in each appearance.
The trailers for No Time to Die have revealed that audiences will be seeing a bit more of Q's home life. Considering he is no longer a member of MI6 by the time of the film, it seems that James Bond will have to visit Q while he's off the clock.
Bill Tanner
Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear) is MI6's Chief of Staff, and the loyal right-hand man to M. He has appeared alongside M in every Bond film since Quantum of Solace, meaning he has shared scenes with both Dench's M and Fiennes' M. His role in No Time to Die is currently unknown. It is worth noting that older drafts of Spectre's script included a reveal that Tanner was secretly a member of the titular organization, so No Time to Die certainly has some interesting places to potentially take the character.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Christoph Waltz returns as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of the worldwide crime syndicate Spectre. He was the main villain of the previous movie, which revealed that he is actually James Bond's adoptive brother, Franz Oberhauser. James foiled Blofeld's plan to blow up the MI6 building with him and Madeleine inside, and MI6 took the scarred villain into custody after Bond refused to kill him.
Blofeld is still in MI6's custody by the time of No Time to Die, and the trailers have indicated that he will be used to obtain information on Safin. In the film's final international trailer, Blofeld describes the new villain as a mutual foe of his and James', suggesting that the movie may reveal some previously unknown connection between the two madmen.
Doctor Vogel
Possibly the most surprising returning character is Doctor Vogel (Brigitte Millar), who last appeared in Spectre. Vogel is a member of Spectre who attends the organization's board meeting in Rome, where she gives an update about their progress in human trafficking and global surveillance. The meeting is interrupted by the arrival of James Bond, and the Spectre members escape in the chaos.
In the trailers for No Time to Die, Doctor Vogel is seen at a party that James attends. The party is disrupted when some sort of gas is released that causes the attendees to fall unconscious, although it doesn't seem to affect Bond.
Directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Daniel Craig, No Time to Die will be in theaters on Oct. 8.