The name James Bond is synonymous with the art of spycraft in various media. After decades of books, movies, video games, and more, he is the gold standard of everything fans expect from a movie spy. But he's also not the only one in the business by far.
Television has had more than its fair share of notable spies of the years, some of whom play the game better than even James Bond. He might be the most famous spy in the history of film and TV, but that doesn't necessarily mean that James Bond is the best of the bunch.
10 Jim Phelps Completed Endless Impossible Missions
Long before Tom Cruise brought Mission: Impossible to movie theaters, this franchise was one of the most popular series on TV. It originally ran for seven seasons starting in 1966 then returned for two more in 1988.
For every season but the first one, the Impossible Mission Force was headed up by Jim Phelps. As the team leader, Phelps was responsible for conducting numerous clandestine operations that would never be talked about by the few people who knew about them. Even Bond would be impressed.
9 Emma Peel Was More Than A Sidekick
There was a time that mentioning The Avengers referred to something completely different. The British espionage series originally focused on David Keel and his sidekick John Steed. By Season 2, Steed was the main character with different sidekicks in the following seasons.
Emma Peel was one of those sidekicks, though the character more than transcended that position. She quickly proved herself to be one of the best spies in the game, one that would certainly put James Bond on the defensive.
8 John Reese Was Cold And Calculating
When Harold Finch created his machine for the government, he had a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't use an artificial intelligence that could find anyone, anywhere the right way. That's why he left himself a backdoor that allowed him to put the information to good use.
Finch recruited John Reese, a former Green Beret and CIA agent to help him save the world. Reese was one part James Bond and one part Punisher. And he could do both parts better than either man, which made him shockingly dangerous.
7 Nikita Was Trained For Every Situation
The overall Nikita franchise has subtly become one of the more successful female-led action properties around. It started with a 1990 film that became two separate TV series, one starting in 1997 and the other in 2010.
Nikita was a young woman on the wrong side of the law who was forced into the secretive world of being a spy and assassin. She proved herself to be as capable at subterfuge as she did violence, something Bond would have to watch out for.
6 Michael Weston Was Creative And Dangerous
When the series Burn Notice started, Michael Weston was a successful CIA agent. Suddenly, it was all taken away from him and Weston found himself stuck in Miami while trying to rebuild his shattered life and career.
James Bond would be smart to not take Weston lightly. Highly intelligent, well trained, and experienced, Michael's true gift was his creativity in tough situations. In that way, he was on a completely different level.
5 Sarah Walker Kept Chuck Alive
Chuck Bartowski accidentally uploaded a lot of classified information into his own brain. This resulted in him suddenly being thrust into a world of espionage and danger, one the man was in no way prepared for.
Fortunately, he had Sarah Walker watching his back. A highly-trained CIA agent with a mysterious past, Sarah was responsible for bringing Chuck up to speed and keeping him alive. It's unlikely that James Bond would have had the patience for her mission.
4 Jack Bauer Got The Job Done
Saving the world is one thing. Doing it on multiple occasions with only 24 hours to get the job done each time is another. That was the terms of pretty much every mission Jack Bauer went on for the CTU.
Without question, Jack's methodology certainly came from the mentality that the ends justified the means. And Jack's means were still questionable even with that in mind. It's unlikely that James Bond is willing to go to the dark places Jack Bauer did.
3 Sydney Bristow Was An Incredible Double Agent
Playing both sides of a fight is no easy task. Many spies have found that out the hard way. Yet, Sydney Bristow played the game of double agent incredibly well. She worked for the CIA, SD-6, APO, and The Covenant, some of them at the same time.
A skilled fighter who was an expert in numerous languages, Sydney could effectively vanish at a moment's notice. James Bond would have trouble keeping up with Sydney, and would likely get his butt handed to him by her if they faced off.
2 Peggy Carter Helped Build S.H.I.E.L.D.
Given all the changes in the MCU over recent years, it can be easy to forget that two seasons of Agent Carter were made for ABC. Frankly, it should still be more as Peggy Carter remains one of the best characters in the MCU.
Peggy was an incredible intelligence operative in World War II. After the war, she put those skills to good use by helping lay the groundwork for what would eventually become S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy Carter could easily outwit James Bond and would not be swayed by his charms.
1 Sterling Archer Has Bond Beat
Throughout the run of Archer, Sterling has long-believed himself to be a better spy than James Bond. While this is something that no one should ever tell Archer given his already ample ego, the man is likely right.
Archer has taken on much stiffer odds than James Bond on a regular basis and consistently comes out on top. Sterling might have trouble beating Barry but it's hard to imagine James Bond even surviving against that deranged cyborg.