Henry Cavill’s suave and sophisticated British personality has often been regarded as the perfect match for James Bond. The British actor was also a frontrunner for the role along with Daniel Craig, but the latter bagged the role. Cavill has gone on to star in multiple spy films since, but the Agent 007 tag still seems to be far from his reach.
With his recent appearance in Argylle, where he plays a parody of Bond, and his outings as Superman and Geralt, the chance for him being Bond might have finally seen its end. However, he can still be on the other side of good in the films, and the 2018 Tom Cruise-starrer Mission Impossible: Fallout proves why Cavill can be a great Bond villain.
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Henry Cavill’s August Walker Would Make a Great Bond Villain
Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible series was, in many ways, an Americanized James Bond. A charming rebel spy, who takes it upon himself to bend the rules if it means that the world is saved, was a trope popularized by Bond and lapped up by Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. The world-ending scenarios of the films were also reminiscent of the Bond films.
The films boast of similar villains who are on the path to world destruction for their gain. For instance, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’s main antagonist, Kurt Hendricks, hopes to orchestrate a nuclear war between the USA and Russia. Similarly, the main antagonists in Mission Impossible: Fallout were the terror outfit known as the Apostles, who were smuggling plutonium cores to make a bomb that would destroy the present world order.
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Henry Cavill’s August Walker joins Ethan Hunt and the IMF as a CIA agent who is tasked with supervising them in their mission. However, he goes rogue. Cavill’s mustachioed CIA rogue agent is revealed to be the real John Lark, the unknown recruiter of the Apostles. The film’s climax ends with an exhilarating action sequence where Hunt tries to stop August Walker from detonating the bomb.
Henry Cavill’s performance as the double agent with a nefarious motive makes him the perfect candidate for a Bond Villain. Double-crossing, plans for world domination, and plenty of charm make him a perfect fit for the franchise. On top of that, Henry Cavill’s dry sense of humor would certainly make a Bond villain more formidable and beloved.
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Why Can’t Henry Cavill Play James Bond?
The James Bond franchise boasts of several villains that have made the films delicious due to the clash between 007 and them. Villains like Auric Goldfinger, Raoul Silva, Le Chiffre, and Alec Trevelyan have made it to the history books as his formidable foes along with his nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The actors playing the roles are also acclaimed and accomplished, such as Christoph Waltz, Sean Bean, Mads Mikkelsen, Javier Bardem, and more.
However, nothing beats being James Bond himself, and after being in the running for several years and still being the top contender among fan casts, Henry Cavill’s long dream of being Agent 007 might finally have met its end with him choosing to play Argylle in Matthew Vaughn’s spy film. The actor portrays a parodied version of James Bond in the film.
This might harm his chances of being James Bond as the producers of the IPs usually look for exclusive actors who will be synonymous with Bond for their tenure. Cavill is already established as Superman, Geralt of Rivia, and even Sherlock Holmes. The actor mentioned to Total Film (via Games Radar) that he was still up for the role,
“Whether I’m ruled out of Bond because of this [Argylle] or not is up to Barbara Broccoli and Mr. Wilson”
While Henry Cavill is still hopeful, his portrayal of Argylle (with that hair) might just be the final nail in his coffin.
