This article contains spoilers for the James Bond film series.
One of the things fans love about the James Bond franchise is that it always feels familiar. In each new film, we look forward to new Bond songs; we wait for staple characters like Moneypenny, Q, and M to appear; and of course, we eagerly anticipate the new gadgets, cars, and suits that 007 will be outfitted with. All of these things keep the films pleasantly reminiscent of one another.
When you look a little closer though, you find that Bond’s tendency to reference itself goes deeper than the core elements. This is also a franchise where the films are teeming with Easter Egg details that call back to other movies, Ian Fleming novels, or sometimes real-world culture.
Here, we take a look at 30 clever James Bond Easter Eggs spattered across the Bond films.
The Best Easter Eggs in James Bond Movies
1. ‘Dr. No’ References an Ian Fleming Critic
Weapons expert, Geoffrey Boothroyd, once confronted Bond author Ian Fleming regarding the weapons and gadgets used by 007. So, in the first ever Bond film –– Dr. No –– Fleming saw to it that Q’s actual name was in fact Major Boothroyd. Q being the character who outfits Bond with weapons and tech, Fleming was essentially mocking his critic in plain sight. The man who disagreed with Bond’s weaponry became the namesake for the character who supplies it.
2. ‘From Russia With Love’ has an Ian Fleming Cameo (Maybe)
Ian Fleming kinda appears in From Russia With Love. The (potential) cameo occurs when we see a man in blue trousers and a white sweater standing by as the Orient Express rolls past. Fans have long theorized that the man could be Fleming, and per an examination at The Bond Bulletin, the author was photographed visiting the set in similar attire.
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3. The Original Silhouette Shot(s) Were Done by Sean Connery’s Stunt Double
We all know how the Bond films open: A silhouette of 007 walks to the center of the screen, turns, and fires. This silhouette usually belongs to the actor playing Bond in any given film. But in some of the earliest Bond movies, this intro was actually used as a way of getting Sean Connery’s stunt double on screen. Bob Simmons was the silhouette in Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger, with Connery taking over for Thunderball.
4. There’s A Poster For An Unused Bond Song In ‘Thunderball’
During a bar scene in Thunderball, a poster for something titled “Kiss Bang” is briefly seen in the background. The poster was included as a nod to a song titled Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which was initially going to be the Bond song for the film. Instead, Tom Jones’ Thunderball became the signature song of the film, turning the “Kiss Bang” poster into just another random prop.
5. ‘You Only Live Twice’ Sneakily Features ‘Goldfinger’s’ Mr. Ling
In 1967’s You Only Live Twice, a character listed only as ‘SPECTRE Agent Number 3’ might look familiar to some keen-eyed fans. This is because he’s played by Burt Kwouk –– who had also played Mr. Ling in Goldfinger three years prior!
6. Honey Ryder Mementos are on Bond’s Desk in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’
This is one of the more obvious Easter Eggs in the James Bond franchise. Bond’s desk in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is littered with objects fans associate with previous films. Most notable are seashells belonging to Honey Ryder, the iconic Bond Girl in Dr. No. We also see Ryder’s knife, gold pieces that were seen in From Russia With Love, and a few more notable objects.
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7. ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ Has a ‘Casablanca’ Quote
In Diamonds Are Forever, this famous Casablanca quote comes into play (more or less): “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” This apparent homage comes when Bond is in bed with Tiffany Case, and she remarks, “I have a feeling this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship.”
8. ‘Live And Let Die’ Names a Crocodile After Albert Broccoli
In one of the most famous Bond Easter Eggs, a crocodile is named after the man who bought the rights to Ian Fleming’s novels. This happens in when the villainous Tee Hee traps Bond in the middle of a swamp filled with crocodiles. Tee Hee reveals that one crocodile is called “Old Albert” –– a clear reference to Albert Broccoli (whose family still owns the Bond franchise today).
9. Bond Meets His Inspiration in ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’
One rumored influence for Ian Fleming’s ‘James Bond’ character conception was the actor Christopher Lee –– whom Fleming worked with in intelligence during World War II. So in a sense, when Roger Moore’s Bond encounters Lee’s Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun, we’re seeing the fictional Bond meeting the ‘real-life’ figure…well, kinda.
10. Richard Kiel’s Son Appears in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’
Richard Kiel’s monstrous Jaws character is perhaps the most memorable (and ridiculous) villain in the Bond franchise. Far less noticeable is a young boy on the beach when Bond drives his “Wet Nellie” (a ludicrous, missile-launching, amphibious Lotus) out of the water in The Spy Who Loved Me. Well, as it turns out, said young boy is Jaws’ real-life son, Richard George Kiel.
11. ‘Moonraker’ Plays the ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’ Tune
When Moonraker came out in 1979, it represented a forced attempt by the Bond franchise to hop on the outer-space sci-fi trend (Star Wars: A New Hope, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and Alien were popular releases at the time). Bond never really belonged in space, but at least Moonraker paid tribute to its influences. At one point, an electronic keypad chimes memorable theme music from Close Encounters. Supposedly, Albert Broccoli called Steven Spielberg directly to ask if he could use the music.
12. The ‘Octopussy’ Director Referenced his Superman Film
In another musical Easter Egg, director John Glen (who directed several Bond films) used the Superman theme music in Octopussy. Glen served as an assistant director for Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman, and seems to have included the music as a sort of shoutout. Interestingly, this isn’t the only link between the films. There are also photos of Superman himself –– Christopher Reeve –– visiting Roger Moore on the Octopussy set.
13. James Bond and Batman Share the Same Sound Effects
This is actually something of a reverse Easter Egg. Or rather, it’s a James Bond Easter Egg from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie. The audio of nuclear missiles whooshing through the air in Never Say Never Again is the exact same as that of the Batwing revving up in Burton’s film.
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14. A Russian Bad Guy Says “Roger Moore” in ‘A View To Kill’
In the opening scenes of A View To Kill, Roger Moore’s Bond is skiing through a Siberian landscape, evading gunfire all the while. At one point during the escape, Bond hijacks a snowmobile by loosing a grappling hook that pulls a Russian bad guy off the vehicle and over a cliff. Said Russian bad guy screams a few things, and at one point appears to cry out “Rrrroger Moore!” (rolling the R’s a bit).
15. Composer John Barry Appears in ‘The Living Daylights’
John Barry is the man behind the iconic James Bond theme as it first appeared in Dr. No. He also scored 11 of the Bond films over the course of more than two decades. What isn’t as well known however is that he also appeared in a Bond film –– as an orchestra conductor in The Living Daylights. Incidentally, this was the last of the Bond films that Barry scored.
16. ‘License To Kill’ Plays the 007 Theme…With Bullets
Toward the end of License To Kill, James Bond is clinging to a moving truck as he’s chased and shot at by Franz Sanchez. During the chase, bullets hit the truck, and do so to the tune of the James Bond theme music. It’s subtle, but once you know it’s there you can’t unhear it. Listen on your next watch (even if this isn’t our favorite Bond flick to revisit).
17. ‘GoldenEye’ Director Martin Campbell Makes a Cameo
GoldenEye‘s Martin Campbell is regarded as one of the more successful Bond directors –– which makes it all the more fun that he inserted himself into his films. In GoldenEye, he’s among the cyclists who crash when Bond and Xenia Onatopp race down a mountain. (Campbell also directed Casino Royale, and played an unfortunate truck driver who dies in the airport attack.)
18. Bond Island is in the Background of ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’
One of the most memorable settings in the Bond films is Khao Phing Kan –– the “James Bond Island” in Thailand that featured in The Man With The Golden Gun. Some might not realize that it actually turns up again in the franchise. James Bond Island appears in the background briefly in Tomorrow Never Dies.
19. Bond Girl Photos are on Zukovsky’s Wall
One of the more hidden James Bond Easter Eggs is this sneaky one: In The World Is Not Enough, Valentin Zukovsky appears to be quite the Bond Girl enthusiast! At one point, photos of beautiful women from past Bond films can be seen adorning his office.
20. Q’s Office in ‘Die Another Day’ Features Bond Memorabilia
With more material from past films to reference, it makes sense that the more modern Bond films went a little heavier on the Easter Eggs. The office-slash-laboratory-slash-lair of Q in Die Another Day is essentially a collection of memorabilia from past movies. From the Octopussy croc sub to Oddjob’s famously lethal hat, Q appears to have done quite the collection job.
21. Bond’s Book in ‘Die Another Day’ was Written by… James Bond
In Die Another Day, Bond meets Jinx at a beach bar, and declares himself to be an ornithologist. It’s a memorable scene, but it also contains a pretty cool Easter Egg. Part of Bond’s not-fooling-anybody cover is that he picks up a book titled “Birds Of The West Indies.” This is a real book, and its author is one James Bond! Fleming owned a copy, and used the name for his original character.
22. Richard Branson Appears in ‘Casino Royale’
An awesome Easter Egg if you ask me! British billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson appears subtly as an extra going through airport security in Casino Royale’s Miami Airport scene. Branson apparently negotiated the cameo in exchange for lending his private jet to the crew at a time when production was nearly delayed due to travel issues.
23. Silva’s Whiskey in ‘Skyfall’ is Homage to ‘Dr. No’
During the unforgettable portion of Skyfall that takes place on Silva’s private island, Silva busts out a bottle of whiskey. He introduces it as “50-year-old Macallan,” and suggests that it’s a favorite of Bond’s. This makes the bottle “Macallan 1962,” which is also the year Dr. No was released to kick off the franchise.
24. Bond Recycles an Old Alias in ‘Quantum of Solace’
At one point in Quantum Of Solace, Daniel Craig’s Bond pursues Dominic Greene by identifying himself as Robert Sterling. And it just so happens that this same alias was once used by Roger Moore’s Bond, in The Spy Who Loved Me (though the fake ID doesn’t work as well for Moore as it does for Craig).
25. ‘Spectre’ References an Ian Fleming Short Story
An MI6 safe house in Spectre appears to be called “Hildebrand.” This could easily be dismissed as a vaguely British-sounding name for a place, but in fact, it’s a deliberate choice, and another tribute to Ian Fleming. The Bond author penned a short story in 1960 called “The Hildebrand Rarity.”
26. Bond’s White Tux is a Near Copy of Connery’s in ‘Goldfinger’
Another fun Easter Egg in Spectre –– and a more overt one –– is Bond’s tuxedo! At one point in the film, Craig breaks out an all-white tux with a black bowtie and a red flower pinned under the lapel. This was a clear callback to a tux that Sean Connery’s Bond wore in Goldfinger. It’s basically the same suit 50 years later.
27. ‘Die Another Day’ References ‘No Time To Die’
Another super-cool Easter Egg is when Craig’s Bond encounters a Delectado cigar early in No Time to Die. ‘Delectado’ is the code Brosnan’s Bond uses in Die Another Day. Some have also pointed out that Delectados originated in 1952, when Fleming wrote his first Bond book.
28. Past Versions of M are Honored at MI6 in ‘No Time To Die’
In No Time To Die, Ralph Fiennes is well established as the “new” M. To many fans however, it’s still hard to think of the role without picturing Judi Dench –– which makes it all the more satisfying that her portrait appears in the background at MI6 in this film. An image of Robert Brown –– who played M during the Moore/Dalton Bond era –– is also present.
29. ‘Dr No’s Chevrolet Bel Air Features in ‘No Time to Die’
Bond cars more or less evolve over the years, with Bond typically driving the latest model. In No Time To Die however, one car resurfaces in its vintage form. The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air that Palmoa stumbles on during her unforgettable action sequence is just like one that appeared in Dr. No.
30. Daniel Craig Repeats George Lazenby’s Doomed Quote
At one point in No Time To Die, a romantically stricken Bond tells Madeleine, “We have all the time in the world.” The line possibly foreshadows the fact that they don’t have long together as a couple. But those who caught the reference likely felt even more certain that the quote doomed the romance. George Lazenby delivered the same line in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, not long before his wife Tracy died.
These aren’t the only Easter Eggs to be found in Bond films, but they’re certainly among the most interesting! We hope you enjoyed the list, and that awareness of this kind of depth and complexity makes the Bond franchise all the more enjoyable for you.
Let us know which of these James Bond Easter Eggs you loved the most –– or if there’s any we missed!
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