Spy x Family: Who Is Bondman? Meet Spy x Family’s Own James Bond!

There are many interesting characters who appear in SPY×FAMILY and while the major focus has always been on the protagonist trio – Loid, Yor, and Anya – there are numerous side characters who’ve made an impact on the series. But, there is also one character who is technically not a SPY×FAMILY character but is – rather – a fictional character within the already fictional universe of SPY×FAMILY. This is a very metafictional moment, which is why we decided to explain it to you. In this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about Bondman, the fictional protagonist of Anya’s favorite TV show, Spy Wars.

Bondman is a metafictional character in SPY×FAMILY

We have already explained what this article will be about, so let us immediately skip to the issue at hand. Namely, there is a popular television series called Spy Wars; Anya Forger loves this series, and through her, we also get a glimpse of the world portrayed in Spy Wars. Because Anya is a member of a “spy family,” this is a very metafictional moment, as the series, which is – itself – a spy series, has a fictional spy television series as part of its plot, so you can understand how subversive that can be.

Be that as it may, Spy Wars is a series about a fictional international superspy called Bondman, who was inspired by James Bond (see below), although he does dress a bit differently. Bondman is the protagonist of the series, and he has to fight the League of Evil in order to save Princess Honey (okay, this is a Super Mario moment, but never mind that now). He has an enigmatic commander, an ally named Agent M (Bond also has M), and a female foreign agent rival, and not much is known about her.

Bondman is a very intriguing character as his metafictional nature transcends his role of an entertainment persona, making him a very intriguing aspect of the series. Now, we don’t know much about him in that aspect. Still, he is certainly interesting enough to merit an additional explanation about his cultural significance, which is what we are going to provide you with in the next section.

He is based on a series of characters who were popular in real-life spy series during the Cold War

While the most obvious influence on Spy Wars and its protagonist is the Bondiana series, this is not an isolated influence for certain. Sure, Bondman was named after James Bond. James Bond heavily influences his adventures and stories, as can be seen in numerous aspects (e.g., in a recent episode, Bondman had to choose just one girl among a whole harem of girls, which is a parody of Bond’s womanizing endeavors in the franchise).

But, aside from Bondiana, we have to state that a much larger cultural aspect must be mentioned here. Namely, during the Cold War, spy series were extremely popular, as they showed the people a world they heard about each day in the news but could not see. The spies portrayed in these shows were true action heroes, and their adventures were very popular among the people. If you consider titles such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or The Avengers (the old spy show, not Marvel’s characters) and adaptations of John Le Carre’s books, you’ll observe that spy shows were truly popular at the time.

That is why Spy Wars makes so much sense in the context of SPY×FAMILY, as it is a perfect addition that portrays the world of SPY×FAMILY with more realism, as people who lived during that time really had the opportunity to enjoy such shows while potentially their first neighbor was a foreign spy. This is why this is such a wonderful addition to the series and why we ultimately decided to dedicate at least one section of this article to the cultural aspects of Spy Wars and Bondman.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!