Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann has a secret in No Time To Die, but what could this mean for Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie? First appearing in 2015’s Spectre, Swann is a psychologist and the daughter of Mr. White, a villain who has haunted Bond since the Craig era began in Casino Royale. White had fallen out with his past employers, the shady organization known as SPECTRE, and was fearful that they would come for his daughter, as they did for him. White sends Bond to protect the young woman, setting 007 on a path towards taking down Ernst Stavro Blofeld once and for all. With Madeleine’s help, Bond is able to defeat Blofeld, dissolve SPECTRE and enjoy a happy ending in the arms of his former adversary’s daughter.
No Time To Die picks up with Bond and Swann attempting to carve out a quieter life together, with the spy formally retired from MI6. With the departure of original director, Danny Boyle, and question marks over Craig’s involvement, No Time To Die hasn’t enjoyed a smooth production, but after Cary Fukunaga took over the director’s chair and Craig was confirmed for one last ride in the Aston Martin, No Time To Die quickly came together and Bond 25’s first trailer generated a strongly positive reaction from fans.
The No Time To Die trailer revealed Blofeld’s return, showcased Rami Malek’s new villain and featured all of the stunts, gadgets and action that movie-goers have come to expect from the James Bond franchise. However, it also paved the way for a major twist involving Seydoux’s character. What’s going on with Madeleine, and could her past directly influence Daniel Craig’s Swann-song?
No Time To Die’s Trailer Teases A BIG Madeleine Secret
The idea that Madeleine has been hiding something from Bond is a running thread throughout the No Time To Die trailer and there are numerous references and hints towards what this secret might mean for the upcoming film’s plot. Firstly, Bond and Swann are under attack, and the British spy blames his partner for supposedly betraying him, clearly under the belief that Madeleine has revealed their location to enemies. While rattling around in a speeding Aston Martin, Seydoux’s character pleads her innocence, but Bond reminds her that they never got around to exploring her secrets. Evidently, the couple were otherwise occupied.
The framing of the trailer then suggests that Bond and Swann go their separate ways for a while, since the spy is startled to see his ex now working for the secret service. The next big clue, however, comes from the incarcerated Blofeld, who states that Madeleine’s secret will be the death of Bond when it’s revealed to the world. This not only confirms that Blofeld is aware of whatever Swann is hiding, but also that the skeletons in her closet directly relate to Bond. In a scene that seemingly follows their tense reunion, Swann makes it clear that James doesn’t “know what this is,” although exactly what she’s referring to remains a mystery to both viewers and Bond himself.
In one final clue, Madeleine is seen crying over a box containing a mask that’s either the same or very similar to the one worn by Rami Malek’s new villain later in the trailer. Does this confirm Bond’s suspicions of betrayal?
Theory: Madeleine Was James Bond’s Secret Handler
Taking into account everything that has been revealed so far, and Madeleine’s background as revealed in Spectre, it’s possible that she began acting as a handler for James Bond before falling in love with him for real. But to whom, exactly, was she reporting back? Since Madeleine is revealed to be working for MI6 in the No Time To Die trailer, it’s possible that she was assigned to keep on eye on Bond while in retirement by the Secret Service, however, this doesn’t account for the mask or how Blofeld knows her secret. Being a secret British spy also isn’t the Earth-shattering revelation the trailer hints towards.
In Spectre, Madeleine is said to have rejected her father’s criminality after she was forced to kill would-be attackers as a child. This incident supposedly drove a wedge between Mr. White and his daughter, with Madeleine going on to enjoy a successful medical career in the private sector, away from the violence and treachery of her father’s illicit world. Unfortunately, the authenticity of this backstory isn’t guaranteed; there is ample room for deception and plenty of opportunities where Madeleine could’ve been recruited by enemy agents.
Firstly, Madeleine might’ve had a better relationship with her father than she let on, and could, at one point, have been a fellow SPECTRE operative, with her civilian job at an Austrian clinic merely a cover story. If this were the case, Mr. White’s entire plea to Bond (“finding a conscience” as 007 puts it) might’ve been fabricated in order to make Bond trust Swann and lead him directly to her without suspecting foul play. This would explain the connection between Madeleine’s secret and Blofeld, and also put a new spin on how Bond’s lover was captured in the final act of Spectre. Madeleine’s goal may simply be (or have originally been) to orchestrate the eventual downfall of James Bond at the behest of SPECTRE.
Alternatively, assuming the first part of Madeleine’s backstory is correct and she really did fall out with her father, perhaps she joined up with a rival criminal organization to spite him. Unaware of his daughter’s real job, Mr. White then put Bond and his daughter together, allowing Madeleine to take advantage of the situation by manipulating her new partner into taking down the very group she had despised since childhood. After achieving this aim, Madeleine likely would’ve tried to move on from her shady dealings, having genuinely fallen in love with James Bond during their time together, but such baggage rarely stays undisturbed for long.
What can be ascertained is that Swann is almost certain to have a connection to or knowledge of Bond beyond what the audience has seen so far. Whether their meeting in Spectre was genuine or manufactured remains unclear, but the team of assassins firing on Bond’s Aston Martin proves that there’s an enemy out there with a stake in Bond’s death. Madeleine claims she didn’t sell her lover out, but her mere presence might’ve been enough to betray the couple’s position to any villainous former employers Swann might’ve had.
How Madeleine Swann Could Be Connected To Rami Malek’s Villain
It perhaps isn’t a coincidence that the surfacing of Madeleine’s secret coincides with the arrival of new villain, Safin, played by Rami Malek. The mask reveal in the No Time To Die trailer confirms some kind of connection between Swann and Safin, and the package feels like a message is being sent, similar to The Godfather’s iconic “sleeps with the fishes” scene. Madeleine’s tears give away that not only does she know what this message is intended to convey, but also that she’s fearful of whatever comes next. Logically, this would mean that whatever risky business Swann has involved herself in over the years, she thought she had escaped it.
The mask’s delivery would also fit with the theory that Madeleine joined Safin’s organization as a way to get back at her father, and that the group then exploited her connection to James Bond for their own ends - perhaps to take down a formidable rival in Blofeld. So then, why would Safin be disrupting Bond and Swann’s romantic bliss in No Time To Die? Perhaps this is where the classic “loose ends” excuse comes into play. If Safin used Swann to manipulate James Bond into doing his dirty work, the villain seems intelligent enough to know that it’s only a matter of time before Britian’s favorite spy comes for him. Additionally, if Swann has already left his employ, Safin won’t mind too much if Seydoux’s character gets caught in the crossfire. Even if Madeleine had developed genuine feelings for Bond in the years since, a secret of this magnitude would shake the spy to his core, and if the news puts the former 007 in Safin’s firing line, that could be what Blofeld meant when he foretold that Madeleine’s skeletons would be the death of James Bond.
More: No Time To Die Trailer Breakdown: James Bond 25 Story Reveals
- Bond 25 Release Date: 2021-10-08
