Everybody loves James Bond. Well, almost everybody. Not if you are a criminal mastermind bent on world destruction (or particularly the destruction of Queen and country). But we’ll just assume that if you’re reading this your name isn’t Goldfinger or Christoph Waltz.

A staple of American culture, we are fascinated by the stories of Bond. Through the decades he has been played by different actors, some awesome (Sean Connery) some not as much (looking at you Pierce) but nonetheless, the agent who always wins has accomplished what other actors have failed to do—longevity.

Why is this?...