I recently trekked into the great city of London to meet with some friends and watch the brand new bond movie, 'No Time to Die' in cinema. I was excited to go out but I had no great hopes for the movie itself, and in many ways I was right not to.

Firstly, I have always been annoyed by the depiction of women in these movies as sexual objects and accessories to Mr. Bond, and it is much the same in this one, although promising improvements are beginning to emerge. Moneypenny is played by Naomie Harris, though her character's role is inconsequential, and due to Bond's retirement, the title of 007 has been filled by a young and bombastic new agent, played by Lashana Lynch.

But what really struck me when I watched this movie was the blatant prejudice against charcters with facial injuries - not just one but BOTH of the main villains have differences to their features - Primo, called 'Cyclops' by James Bond, has a glass eye, and Safin has scars caused by chemical burns. In fact, there is an legion of Bond antagonists with scars: Blofeld, Le Chiffre, Jack Spang, Emilio Largo. Not to mention Scar from the Lion King, Darth Vader and Kylo Ren from Star Wars, Tony Montana from Scarface and the Joker. 

I find it odd that this is the case considering that on the most basic level, scars just improve characters. In real life, though they are associated with violence, scars are also symbols of grit and courage - a sign of an interesting and adventurous life. These are all qualities that we desire in our heroes! Finally, it would make the films significantly more realistic as protagonists like Bond have faced all kinds of deadly situations which they have narrowly survived - explosions, shoot-outs, fist fights, falls. He would have many physical reminders of his thrilling and awe-inspiring story. Last of all it is a fantastic way to convey the story of the character through their body. Ever heard of Harry Potter?