Does No Time to Die have a post-credits scene? It’s more complicated than you think.
Here's everything you need to know.
The newest James Bond movie is finally here, and it’s a fitting goodbye for Daniel Craig. (It’s no secret this 007 is more than ready to let his license to kill expire.) But does No Time to Die have a post-credits scene? While it’s not exactly a tradition for the franchise to feature anything extra after the credits, No Time to Die does have one small treat for fans that stick around.
To talk about No Time to Die’s post-credits scene and what it means for James Bond, however, we’re going to have to get into some spoilers. Consider yourself warned, spoilers ahead!
Daniel Craig in No Time to Die.
Does No Time to Die have a post-credits scene?
The simple answer here is that No Time to Die does not have a post-credits scene. Once the movie ends you should feel free to get up and go. However, there is one final detail included in the credits that’s worth knowing about, even if seeing it with your own eyes won’t do you much good.
After the credits, we see the following words displayed on screen: “James Bond will return.” Fans of 007 will remember this from the very first film (and many others), but it feels particularly meaningful in the context after No Time to Die’s explosive ending.
What No Time to Die’s post-credits ending really means
“No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die”
Let’s get this out of the way: James Bond dies at the end of No Time to Die. In a major first for the franchise, the movie literally blows Daniel Craig’s 007 to smithereens. He’s 100% dead — right? — so how can he return? Well, there are two answers, and it all depends on how you think about the entire 25-movie saga.
Option #1: When the post-credits scene says James Bond will return, they literally mean the James Bond, but as a different actor in a rebooted franchise. That means the next movie will essentially wipe the slate clean with a new 007, a new M, and a new Q.
This would likely be a well-deserved restart for the franchise, which has gone through plenty of growing pains under Daniel Craig’s unconventional take on the role — some of his movies are great, others, not so much. Then again, the downside of this is that it means we’re saying goodbye to Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw, and even Lashana Lynch, who seemed primed to take over the series and even attains the 007 title during No Time to Die.
However, there is one other possibility.
Option #2: There’s a popular fan theory that James Bond isn’t a name at all, it’s a designation given to each new 007 after the old one is retired or dies. The existence of Lynch’s character Nomi undercuts this theory somewhat, but it’s possible the next “James Bond” could prove it to be correct.
If the next movie recasts James Bond but keeps Naomie Harris around as Money Penny, that would all-but confirm that 007’s name is as made-up as his title.
Then again, maybe we’re reading too much into the No Time to Die post-credits. After all, of course James Bond will return, he’s James Bond! And as far as we can tell, not even the studio knows who will play 007 next, so it’s probably a bit too soon to speculate over what the future holds.
No Time to Die is in theaters now.
