Max Denbigh

"Take a look at the world... chaos... because people like you, paper-pushers and politicians, are too spineless to do what needs to be done. So I made an alliance to put the power where it should be, and now you want to throw it away for the sake of democracy, whatever the hell that is. How predictably moronic. But then... isn't that what 'M' stands for? "Moron"."

- C to M, brief moments before his death

Max Denbigh (nicknamed C by Bond) is the hidden secondary antagonist of the 2015 24th 007 film, Spectre. He is the head of the Joint Intelligence Services and a SPECTRE agent.

He is portrayed by Andrew Scott, who is known for portraying James Moriarty in Sherlock.

Profile
Denbigh, or C, is the head of the Joint Intelligence Service (JIS), which consists of the recently merged MI5 and MI6. He is also a member of the British Government and secretly an agent of SPECTRE who wants to launch the "Nine Eyes" intelligence co-operation agreement between nine states, thereby taking control over the worldwide spying and surveillance systems.

Meeting 007 for the first time
On his return to London from Mexico City, Bond is indefinitely taken off field duty by the current M, who is in the midst of a power struggle with C, the head of the Joint Intelligence Service, which consists of the recently merged MI5 and MI6. C also wants to create the "Nine Eyes" intelligence co-operation agreement between nine countries, and close down the '00' section in the process.

While Bond is searching after information about SPECTRE, C brings the launch of Nine Eyes to the vote before the delegates of the participating countries. However, the vote does not reach the needed majority because South Africa votes against the program. After the meeting, M dutifully but sarcastically tells Denbigh that the world is better off without Nine Eyes, claiming that an agent in the field would be more efficient because a license to kill can also be a license not to kill. Denbigh opens his computer, playing a recorded message from Bond telling Eve Moneypenny to investigate Mr. White and Franz Oberhauser. After playing the message, Denbigh states that M seems not to be able to control his own men. When M is shocked that Denbigh would monitor his own agents, Denbigh replies that they are monitoring everyone.

After SPECTRE blows up a target in Cape Town, South Africa is ready to join the Nine Eyes program. Denbigh withholds information about the next vote from M, leading M to arrive after everything is set. M meets Denbigh after the conference, where C tells him that the '00' section is now officially disbanded, prompting M to call Denbigh a "cocky, little bastard". Stating that things are not over yet, M and Moneypenny leave a gloating Denbigh behind.

While being Blofeld's prisoner at the latter's African base, Bond finds out that Denbigh is actually an agent of SPECTRE and is about to get SPECTRE access to the greatest surveillance system in the world. After escaping from the base and returning to London, Bond and Swann meet M, Bill Tanner, Q and Moneypenny and plan to arrest C and stop the launch of Nine Eyes. En route they are ambushed and Bond is kidnapped. M and the others escape and proceed to wait for C in his office. When Denbigh arrives, he cannot access his computer. He then sees M, stating that he cannot believe that M is responsible for it. M replies that he isn't, but his quartermaster is. C tells M and Q that, given that they are out of job, are technically trespassing, but M replies that C got it wrong and will instead be arrested. When asked by what charges, M says: "poor taste in friends", causing Denbigh to realize that the Secret Service knows that he's with SPECTRE. While talking about that he only did what needed to be done, Denbigh draws a gun out of his desk and aims it at M, claiming that they now know that M stands for "moron", but when he pulls the trigger nothing happens. M reveals that he emptied the magazine prior to Denbigh's arrival by responding that they know that C stands for "careless".

As Q successfully prevents Nine-Eyes from launching, M holds Denbigh at gunpoint and prepares to escort him out of the building to have him arrested. However, he is momentarily disturbed by the arrival of Blofeld's helicopter and C uses M's moment of nonobservance to attack the former. In the ensuing struggle, Denbigh loses his balance and drops over the ledge of the platform, falling to his death several floors below.

Trivia

 * Max Denbigh is similar to Professor Z from Cars 2, in that they are both evil geniuses who happen to be in cahoots with a criminal mastermind, and wind up driving the plot. However, unlike Professor Z, Denbigh dies at the end.