Clay Phillips Who Is Your Favorite Hero of Fiction? I've never considered who my fictional heroes are.

Upon initial consideration I rac!ed my "rain for a literary hero that would instantly depict my intelli#ence. $ay"e I'd #o with old Captain Ishmael as he chased $o"y %ic! or perhaps &dysseus on his lon# and desperate 'ourney home to his family. (hen I considered modern odd"alls findin# heroism throu#h hapless 'ourneys. $ay"e my hero is the )atural himself *oy Ho""s or it could "e +teve $c,ueen's portrayal of -ullitt the first cool cop with a car. -ut surely it has to "e +uperman my favorite superhero? (hat can't "e ri#ht "ecause it must "e Indiana .ones the most adventurous history professor ever ri#ht? /ll these represent some virtue assi#ned to a hero and I've loved them all since childhood so why do they all fall short? -ecause a certain refined top0class -ritish a#ent has served $I1 for 23 years. &n almost every Friday of my childhood my dad and I went to -loc!"uster and rented a .ames -ond movie. &ne of my most vivid childhood memories we started with Dr. No and watched every sin#le -ond film endin# with The World Is Not Enough then the most recent of the series. +ince that first round of -ond0watchin# I've seen every film in the series multiple times over. )o one ever wants to deal with the chaos of a midni#ht premier "ut we do it for -ond. /s an avid movie0lover and even more avid movie0watcher I can't say enou#h a"out the effect my -ond fanhood has had on my "orderline o"session with culture trivia and cinema. In fact I attri"ute much of my movie0lovin# personality to those countless Fridays of secret a#ents dastardly villains and fantastic #etaways. (he .ames -ond franchise has "een a staple of the movie "usiness in the past half0century and the name is synonymous with the spy #enre. )ot only was I watchin# terrific well0loved movies I was watchin# movies that aptly reflected the culture style music and attitude of various periods which instilled in me a lastin# appreciation of all thin#s cultural from any period in time. It seems almost necessary for -ond to inspire such cultural appreciation. (he essence of culture

-ond is the man men want to "e. He serves his country "y carryin# out missions only he could accomplish not to mention e4ecutin# them in the most e4otic locations the world has to offer. While on these ela"orate missions to "eautiful places he finds some company from the most "eautiful women present at said locations. +ervin# as the top a#ent for -ritain's $I1 -ond en'oys all the per!s #ad#ets weaponry and cars the U5 can #ive him as he cruises from place to place in his "eautifully timeless #rey /ston $artin e'ector seat and all. /s .ames has wor!ed his way throu#h alleys casinos 'un#les and every other noo! and cranny of the world he's shown us those noo!s and crannies as well providin# us with fifty years of suave world travel and fierce spy0wor!. /fter foilin# evil plots of international proportions catchin# the uncatcha"le villain and ta!in# down a cool martini -ond returns home to a warm welcome from $iss $oneypenny and , 6if of course -ond has returned everythin# in one piece7 plus a new mission from our "eloved $. (he other heroes never stood a chance. -ond has "een an anchor of film for fifty years and I've "een his "i##est fan since I was five. (he -ond series has instilled in me a deep appreciation for movies and culture "ut more importantly it's instilled an appreciation for a#es past a love of that which has come "efore me8 a love for culture and history which has dictated and determined my worldview for years. I'm a firm "eliever in fiction as an indicator of societal norms and -ond has "een a perfect indicator of half a century's uni9ue and ever0chan#in# culture. Perhaps I love it so much "ecause of the sentimental nostal#ia that wells up every time I watch a -ond movie as my mind immediately wanders to those Friday ni#hts spent with %ad Co!e and popcorn watchin# -ond save one more day. Perhaps I love it so much "ecause -ond is what we want our heroes to "e: strai#htforward un"eata"le always li!ea"le. / hero archetype with a "ow on it. (here are a million reasons I could #ive as to why -ond's my favorite fictional hero "ut I only really need one. He's 33;.