The Codename Theory is definitely true ……. for Felix Leiter

Hi all,

We have all heard of the James Bond codename theory. Probably started by Lazenby’s comment “This never happened to the other fellow”. Became popular around the early 2000s partly because of Lee Tamahori, the director of DAD. Gained more popularity with Daniel Craig’s “reboot” timeline.

I (like most fans) reject the theory. But maybe, just maybe it could be applied to Felix Leiter. First off, Felix Leiter has been played by different actors in every film except LTK and the Craig films. Was this done simply because he’s meant to be a different person each time? I can explain what I mean in 3 parts with a theory of mine:

1)    Links between DN, FRWL, GF & TB

In DN, it is strongly implied that Bond and Felix Leiter meet for the first time. Bond says to M “I have heard of him, but never met him”. Leiter is noticeably absent in FRWL but returns again in GF played by an older actor and then again in TB (and subsequent films) by a different actor.

In FRWL, Red Grant mentions that SPECTRE sweated Bond’s code number out of one his (Bond’s) men before he died. Could it be that he is referring to the Leiter in DN? His fate is that he sadly gets killed by SPECTRE. The CIA subsequently hire a new guy for the position who is the guy who appears in GF. Bond does make a comment to him about the opposition getting a lot closer in Jamaica but it may be the case that Bond is talking about the CIA’s involvement in DN.

In TB, Bond goes to Jacques Bouvar’s supposed funeral where he remarks that Bouvar murdered two of his colleagues. It is never explained who these two colleagues are and why Bond is angry about not killing Bouvar. Could it be that Bouvar killed the original Leiter in Tokyo and then also the Leiter from GF? It would explain Bond’s anger in the scene and would explain why Grant says that SPECTRE sweated the codenumber out of one of Bond’s men in Tokyo before he died.

2)    If each Leiter is new, why does Bond greet each Leiter as if he knows him already?

Here’s a rundown of how Bond possibly meets each new Leiter:

TB – Bond meets this one at the end of GF. He could be one of the helicopter pilots that goes looking for him and Pussy Galore. Bond takes a dislike to him. He was possibly supposed to meet him at Bouvar’s funeral in TB but he didn’t turn up. This would explain why he punches this Leiter in the stomach when he first meets him. Bond gets told this guy has become Leiter before he flies to the Bahamas so he knows he’s Leiter already (and is not happy about it).

DAF – The diamond expert says Bond has been on holiday. Bond meets this new Leiter while on vacation.

LALD – Bond meets this Leiter duing the Rome Affair, a mission M mentions at the beginning of the film.

NSNA (Bonus) – Not part of the official canon but this film goes the extra step to portray Leiter as a black guy. Bond could have met him during his war games training shown at the beginning of the film

TLD – Bond meets this Leiter when he goes to Alaska after leaving Siberia in AVTAK.

LTK – Bond knows this Leiter from LALD.

CR – Bond meets this Leiter for the first time. He doesn’t have any idea that he is the new Felix Leiter. Also explains my other theory that the Craig era is a continuation of the Brosnan and Dalton eras. And if you notice, this guy has a different ethnicity to the other actors.

3)    Wait – in LTK, Felix Leiter is his real name. This is one stupid theory…

Well yes and no. I think it is clear that his first name is Felix but notice that the name Leiter is only used by official personnel in the film – Bond, M and the DEA agent. I theorise that this guy is called Felix but his surname is not actually “Leiter”.

(A little joke theory I have is that this guy’s real surname is Lighter. In LALD, Bond picks up the lighter in the car and jokes that it’s a genuine Felix Lighter. Also in LTK, he and Della give Bond a lighter as a present. So maybe this guy’s real name really is Felix Lighter 😃)