WARNING: The following contains spoilers for No Time to Die, in theaters now.
One of the biggest things No Time to Die promised was the end of James Bond. But while it may have been the last hurrah for Daniel Craig as the MI6 spy, as he goes after Rami Malek's Safin, he's aided by Lashana Lynch's Nomi, who's taken on the 007 mantle following Bond's retirement. However, as imposing as she is, she's not the next exciting hero the franchise sets up -- it's actually Ana de Armas' Agent Paloma.
Paloma meets Bond in Cuba to help him unearth more on Project Heracles -- a DNA-based virus that kills select people only, using innocents as carriers. Seeing as M and MI6 initially devised it using a scientist, Obruchev, Bond doesn't trust them so he works with Felix and his understudy, Paloma.
Bond cuts his signature suit, suave and as charming as ever, with Paloma being a breathtaking sight and honoring the Bond girls from decades past. They plan to infiltrate the party which Blofeld is hosting from MI6 imprisonment, trying to figure out what Spectre plans for the virus. However, Obruchev betrays the gang with the nanotech mist, killing off Spectre, not Bond, as Safin hated them for turning on his parents years back.
It leads to Bond and Paloma trying to grab the scientist, only for Safin's goons to battle them. Nomi wants a piece of the action too, and it results in a brutal battle for Obruchev. Now, while Bond and Nomi show their MI6 worth, it's Paloma who comes off as a femme fatale, with surprisingly just three weeks experience on the job.
What's interesting is she's constantly nervous, giddy because of being around a vet like Bond but also due to first-day jitters, even taking shots of liquor before and during the fracas to calm down. It's intriguing how well they fit together, like master and student which plays into the chemistry the pair had in Rian Johnson's Knives Out as well. In fact, Bond's impressed as the new spy doesn't just hold her own, she dominates and kicks ass in her black dress. The icing on the cake comes in a brutal takedown where she puts some thugs on the ground and while lying, she grabs her gun and spins, blasting both and proving she belongs in this game.
Thanks to her, Bond and Felix get ahold of the scientist, which then unravels more betrayals which would have been nice for Paloma to have been a part of. Sadly, she departs in what's just an extended cameo but it's an integral aspect of the job. It's surprising because while there was hype around Lynch's 007, Paloma proves to be comedic, intimidating and a proper mix of fun and business. It's something we saw more of with Bond in these later films, which has fans hoping there is still room for her to take on the spy role. She's quite non-traditional and the thing is, given that Safin and Bond killed each other, and Safin's thugs killed Felix, Paloma can still live on to honor their legacy.
She can run jobs in Felix's name, a la Ethan Hunt from Mission: Impossible, or even work with MI6 in a spinoff with either 007 or new spies. The remnants of Spectre and Safin's cell are already possible opponents, which organically fits a time where female-driven action movies are in abundance. From Kate to Black Widow to Atomic Blonde, the advantage would be Paloma has the weight of 007 giving her momentum for the new terrorist wars to come.
To see Agent Paloma shine in the field, check out No Time to Die, now playing in theaters.
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