“ | 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 confronting M. |
Maximilian Denbigh, also known by his nickname C, is the secondary antagonist of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre.
He, is the head of the Joint Intelligence Service (JIS), which consists of the recently merged MI5 and MI6, and a member of the British governemnt. He is also secretly an agent of the global criminal syndicate Spectre, and plans to launch "Nine Eyes", and intelligence co-operation agreement between nine states, to give the organization complete control over the worldwide spying and surveillance systems.
He was portrayed by Andrew Scott, who also played James Moriarty in Sherlock, Tom Ripley in Ripley and Obake in Big Hero 6: The Series.
History[]
Meeting 007 for the first time[]
On his return to London from Mexico City, Bond is indefinitely taken off field duty by 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 wants to create the "Nine Eyes" intelligence co-operation agreement between nine countries, and close down the '00' section in the process.
Rising to power[]
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 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 is also 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 - the latter of whom is really Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE and Denbigh's partner in crime. After playing the message, Denbigh states that M seems not to be able to control his own agents. 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.
Death[]
While being Blofeld's prisoner at the latter's African base, Bond finds out that Denbigh is actually an agent of Spectre, and that Nine Eyes is actually a ploy to grant the organization access to any and all intelligence gathered by the world's intelligence agencies. After escaping from the base and returning to London, Bond and Mr. White's daughter Madeline Swann meet M, Bill Tanner, Q and Moneypenny and plan to arrest C and stop the launch of Nine Eyes. They are ambushed en route by Blofeld's men, however, who take Bond prisoner. 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, they are technically trespassing, but M replies that C got it wrong and is the one to be arrested. When asked by what charges, M says: "poor taste in friends", causing Denbigh to realize that the Secret Service knows that he is with SPECTRE. Denbigh draws a gun out of his desk and aims it at M, claiming that they now know that M stands for "moron"; however, when he pulls the trigger, the gun does not fire. M reveals that he had emptied the magazine prior to Denbigh's arrival by responding that they now 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 distracted by the arrival of Blofeld's helicopter, and Denbigh uses the distraction to attack M. In the ensuing struggle, a shot is fired, causing a pane of glass to shatter and fall onto both Denbigh and M. Denbigh loses his balance and goes over the ledge of the platform, falling to his death several floors below.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- According to Sam Mendes, in the first draft of the screenplay, Denbigh was to be revealed as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, while Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz, was the secondary antagonist.
- Denbigh was originally concieved as an older character with a more prominent role in the story, being one of the founding members of Spectre alongside Blofeld and Mr. White. He was eventually made younger and his role in the film was diminshed.
- Chiwetel Ejiofor was originally considered to play Denbigh.