Dangerous forces seek to control the world, offering it as an enticing reward for those who would help them, or more accurately, stay out of their way. But as the old Bond family motto goes, “The world is not enough.” And if there’s one thing that IO Interactive’s James Bond immediately knows, it’s not to stand aside when there are people to save.
Going from a freshly minted member of the Navy to working for MI6, the would-be 007 has to learn many a harsh lesson throughout First Light. For those who haven’t played through its excellent campaign, all that’s been revealed is that a rogue agent, 009, is on the loose and Bond must apprehend him. What the former’s plan is and what it could mean for the world is shrouded in mystery, but there are plenty of explosions, exotic locations, mysterious individuals and more than a few situations in which James faces certain death.
So without further ado, let’s discuss the ending of 007 First Light and how it sets up a potential sequel. Major spoilers follow from here, so if you’ve yet to finish the story, turn back now.
First and foremost, to answer one of the more burning questions: Does James earn the number? Does he indeed become a 00 agent? Well, yes – originally given the number “001,” but since he’s technically the seventh recruit – and that just happens to be M’s lucky number – he is James Bond. Cue the iconic theme, and the shot down the familiar gun barrel sequence. But how does he get there?
It all starts in Slovakia, the same mission showcased in the gameplay reveal where Bond and fellow 00 recruits must track down Rhys Beckett, aka 009, who’s gone rogue. Of course, things take a horrifying turn, leaving two of his allies dead and a third paralysed (albeit for only a time) in a bombing. A fourth falls victim to an assassin posing as a hotel staff member, who happens to be one half of the Murto twins. When Bond catches up with Beckett’s plane, he fails to apprehend him, but thanks to a well-placed tracker, he knows where he’s going.
Together with Greenway, his mentor in the 00 program, they venture to Mauritania, but as it turns out, Beckett isn’t responsible for the bombing. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s dead.
After successfully escaping, the duo report to M, who simply closes the case. As far as MI6 is concerned, their culprit is dealt with, and it’s time to move on. Which isn’t something that Bond is comfortable with, but before he can dig deeper, he’s attacked by another Murto twin at his home. Upon having his behind handed to him, the latter escapes, but Bond gives pursuit across rooftops and eventually ends up at a gala, where he disposes of the assassin.
However, he also makes some rather disturbing discoveries. The gala is hosted by Sir Nicholas Webb, an AI advocate who also created THEIA, a supercomputer which MI6 uses for intel. While generally renowned and respected by the public, Bond learns that Webb planned the bombing. Damien, his son, has also been roped in for the more hands-on work, but despite being captured, Bond is bailed out by Isola Vale, whom he met in Slovakia.
She introduced herself as an agent for France’s DGSE named Charlotte Roth, but that’s just a farce. In reality, she’s a very capable thief – heck, Isola isn’t even her real name. Despite all this, Bond is grateful and views her as an ally – one who wants to take revenge on Webb.
Together with Greenway, Bond ventures into Webb Industries and discovers that the bombing wasn’t just to kill Beckett for no reason. It was actually to cover up the fact that THEIA hasn’t been working up to snuff. Alongside mistakenly designating Beckett as a mole, two other agents are named, which hits Greenway the hardest since he had to kill them as part of a mission. Seemingly aware that THEIA was on the fritz, Beckett would have to die to protect Webb’s work.
Things take another turn, this time for Bond, when he and Greenway are charged with terrorism (Webb’s influence with Foreign Secretary Bright coming in handy). With M’s help, Bond ventures to a Vietnam resort in pursuit of Damien, but also has to deal with the surviving Murto twin, who seeks to kill Theresa Lorca, a biologist. Damien eventually emerges, and while he captures Bond yet again, Greenway comes to his aid, though he’s wounded while chasing after Damien. Bond engages in a tense fight against the latter, who’s physically enhanced thanks to a synthetic compound, but at one opportune moment, he manages to stab Damien in the eye. Falling to a scaffolding with his leg seemingly broken, Bond delivers the final blow – or blows, rather, dropping multiple metal pipes on Damien.
He then reunites with Greenway, who reveals that he saved Bond because he’s got heart, and that’s what MI6 needs. Before dying, he tells him, “Don’t let it change you,” doubtless referring to the job of an agent.
Back on home turf, Webb seems a step ahead, receiving immunity from MI6 after leaking information. Instead of simply returning home and turning himself in, Bond becomes a rogue agent. Together with Isola, they venture to Antarctica, where Webb is keeping another supercomputer similar to THEIA called HYPERION. After reaching its core, Isola suddenly turns coat, killing Webb and taking it, prompting Bond to give pursuit. Eventually, he destroys the core, and they’re both taken in by MI6.
However, it turns out that Damien is actually alive, and assails MI6’s headquarters with his goons, seeking THEIA’s core, even stabbing Moneypenny in the process. While Isola escapes, Bond battles Damien in a tense fight, which leads to the duo falling into the water and drowning. Bond survives thanks to Isola, who came back to help him before leaving with the core.
Which brings us to the conclusion. Webb is given a full ceremony, the public unaware of his actions, but with all charges dropped against Bond, he’s now free to pursue Isola. And scene.
So right off the bat, the current story is wrapped up. Webb and Damien are defeated, but Isola has her own plans, which had nothing to do with revenge. She was explicitly after HYPERION’s core, and when that fell through, her objective changed to stealing THEIA’s instead. It wouldn’t be surprising if she had to go after both, but why?
M remarks at the end that there’s an “unseen hand operating in the shadows, playing a game we know nothing about,” and that the possibility keeps her up at night. Right away, the theory is that it’s the infamous SPECTRE. The global organization is heavy into crime, remaining a thorn in Bond’s side in the novels and films. It’s all under the purview of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who, along with other members like Dr No and Emilio Largo, isn’t mentioned in First Light.
It’s possible that IO Interactive didn’t want to give away any hints, though it’s more likely to be keeping things understated in case a sequel doesn’t happen. Even if the group isn’t named SPECTRE, their motivation would fit right in with coveting the supercomputer cores for themselves. After all, in the older films, it effectively spurred conflict between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, all while waiting in the wings to pounce on whoever is left standing.
Even with their flaws, HYPERION and THEIA could help to predict various scenarios that SPECTRE could then exploit for their own benefit. If it indeed follows Blofield’s philosophy in From Russia With Love, then Bond may find himself trying to apprehend and stop the organization before it triggers a war.
Where Isola will stand in all this, especially because SPECTRE is a group that punishes disloyalty with death, should make for an interesting dynamic on top of everything else. And then there’s Damien – if being crushed by pipes wasn’t enough to stop him, who’s to say that drowning ultimately did? We could see IOI bringing him back as a nemesis for Bond until Blofield – or this mysterious group’s head – takes center stage. We also never really learn what happened to Moneypenny, who isn’t really shown in the aftermath of the MI6 attack.
Overall, 007 First Light accomplishes what it set out to do by creating a compelling origin story for Bond, introducing new fans to the character, crafting this entire world of espionage, and essentially completing his induction into the 00 ranks. He’s still not the worldweary, mostly unflappable Bond that we’ve come to know from movies and Fleming’s books, but if a sequel gets greenlit, there’s more than enough emotional runway to cover before then.
