Moneypenny Finally Gets a Promotion in 007 First Light

I was first introduced to James Bond and Moneypenny via a cartoon-animal video game series for kids that parodied the famous agent. Spy Fox in “Dry Cereal” (1997, Humongous Entertainment) followed the titular fox as he completed missions while assisted by Monkey Penny, a sassy secretary and command-and-control expert at SPY Corps.

Just by playing those games, I could tell that Moneypenny was cool (my mom explained the reference to me). She worked in command and control, and as a kid growing up in the 1990s, anything with computers was cool. Monkey Penny’s black turtleneck outfit later reminded me of Kim Possible, a Disney Channel show about a teenage spy who low-key became a feminist icon for thousands of millennials like myself. I resonated with Monkey Penny because she A) was a female character and B) had a sense of humor.

Not only did Monkey Penny always get things done, but she had no problem calling Spy Fox on his bullshit. I thought maybe they even kind of had a crush on each other, which was exciting to me as a romantic pre-teen. I loved their chemistry. I remember being anxious to be old enough to watch a real James Bond movie.

The first Bond film I saw was Goldfinger (1964). I can still remember the on-screen romance between Sean Connery and Shirley Eaton… That is, right up until she’s murdered, her corpse displayed like a sexy death trophy. Suffice to say, it really bummed me out. I didn’t watch another Bond movie until the Daniel Craig movies that started in 2006 with Casino Royale; while better, they were still pretty sexist.¹

And besides, Moneypenny wasn’t even in that one or the 2008 sequel, Quantum of Solace. I remember thinking, where the hell is my girl?

The History of Moneypenny

Moneypenny appears in the very first Ian Fleming Bond novel, Casino Royale, published in 1953. She appears as the secretary to M, the head of the British Secret Service called MI6. Moneypenny never gets a first name in Fleming’s books; she is only given a first name in spin-off titles and later in the Daniel Craig film continuity.

In both the text and the silver screen, Moneypenny has historically held a fairly small role — she is the gateway to M. Moneypenny exists mostly to flirt with Bond and process information from behind a desk, filling out paperwork. While there is not much romantic tension in the books, there is often plenty in the films. Actress Lois Maxwell, who has portrayed Moneypenny the most times (14!), said in a 1967 Roger Ebert interview, “Of course she’s in love with Bond, but she’s too much a lady to go chasing after him. So she smiles and bides her time.”

Bond historians often don’t consider Moneypenny to be a “Bond girl,” as they’ve never had a romantic relationship. Still, she’s one of the few constants in Bond’s nomadic lifestyle. Over the course of more than 20 films and a dozen books, Moneypenny’s character is occasionally given other details. For example, in the film You Only Live Twice (1967), Moneypenny is said to hold the rank of second officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service.

Moneypenny doesn’t show up in the modern Daniel Craig franchise until the third film, 2012’s Skyfall, when she’s portrayed by Naomie Harris. Refreshingly, this Moneypenny gets a gun and actually goes outside the secretary’s office! But it’s also short-lived — Moneypenny is reported to be a failed field agent, and she soon takes comfort back at a desk.

So, given all of this, you can imagine my delight when I started playing IO Interactive’s new hit video game, 007 First Light, in which I discovered that Moneypenny actually gets something cool to do.

Editor’s Note: There are no spoilers for 007 First Light below that you wouldn’t already know from a trailer.

Moneypenny, Eve Moneypenny

In 007 First Light, James Bond begins as a Royal Air Force crewman. After an initial mission, in which he pulls some classic James Bond shenanigans, he’s invited to see M and everyone knows this guy is in trouble. A young Black woman named Moneypenny brings him up to the boss’s office.

However, when Bond goes into M’s office, the game hovers — almost pointedly — at an elderly white woman at a desk, a secretary named Ms. Ponsonby (who appeared in the Fleming novels as an office manager, but has never been in the movies). IO Interactive knew what they were doing here, knowing players would expect Moneypenny to take the secretarial work.

After M scolds Bond, then invites him to take part in training to become a 00, she tells the fresh-faced agent to go into the hall and meet Moneypenny. Soon, it’s revealed that Moneypenny is not a secretary, but a cybersecurity and intelligence expert.

Moneypenny is one of the best parts of 007 First Light. In this continuity, Moneypenny, like Bond, has also been hand-selected by M to be a part of the elite task force. She turned down a lucrative job in the tech industry to join Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) in London. While there, she proves to be a brilliant hacker for good, and her work exposing a domestic crime cell catches M’s attention who brings her in to MI6.

Not only is Moneypenny a good communicator, but she’s also a brilliant computer scientist and codebreaker. It’s Moneypenny who gives most of the briefings in the game, deciphering data and setting up stings. She’s also funny, thoughtful, and emotionally intelligent, making her a quality verbal sparring partner for Bond both in-person and via phone calls.

Actress Kiera Lester said in a promotional TikTok interview, “Moneypenny and Bond have a long history, of course, over the franchise. We wanted to honor that DNA, and their dynamic treads this line of cheekiness and admiration and pushback… But in First Light, we see them in the early stages of their relationship. There’s still chemistry… But they’re figuring each other out.”

Notably, in 007 First Light, Moneypenny is dressed in a baggy chic style that is trendy with many women today. Here, Moneypenny looks feminine without being overtly sexualized. She wears pants, sneakers, and comfy sweaters — this is a practical woman’s working fit. And yes, she wears glasses — this Moneypenny doesn’t have time to waste putting contacts in!

Moneypenny is Bond’s handler, yes, often radioing in to help him out with a myriad of things, but she also has a ton of her own research and work she’s doing. She has HER OWN office, which is a super cool pod that overlooks an entire data epicenter and has giant touchscreens.

At one point in the game, M even says, “The only person who can [fix this] is Moneypenny.” That’s a massive step up from secretary! And don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a secretary. The ever under-appreciated Executive Assistant keeps leaders, teams, and organizations from falling apart. But as someone who has done a few months of secretarial work… I can say pretty confidently it’s just not as fun as being a secret agent.

I absolutely love that Moneypenny, who is a beloved character in all of Bond lore, has finally earned a seat at the table in 007 First Light. Congrats on the raise, babe — I’m proud of you.

Given that Moneypenny is objectively a great character in 007 First Light, I was excited that IOI chose to portray both her and other prominent characters by people of color, especially since Bond is famously kind of a cis-het white-male power-trip fantasy.

Diversity in Bond Girls

The effort of more diverse casting in these spy movies began, unsurprisingly, with the role of the Bond girl — i.e., any female character with a romantic relationship with Bond. Oh, and they almost always appear in a bikini.

The first Asian Bond girls were Tsai Chin, Akiko Wakabayashi, and Mie Hama, who were featured in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice. Two Black women make appearances in the 1970s films — Trina Parks is a villain in Sean Connery’s last movie in the role, Diamonds Are Forever, and Gloria Hendry is the first true romantic interest of color (including an interracial on-screen kiss) with Roger Moore in Live and Let Die (1973). (For a much more detailed analysis of Black women in Bond movies, check out this piece in Nerdist by Stephanie Williams.) Talisa Soto portrays the first official Latina Bond girl in Licence to Kill (1989), one of Timothy Dalton’s only two films as Bond.

While the Bond girls are gorgeous and fun for audiences to watch, they’re not exactly female role models. They are often pawns in greater power schemes. Many of them die tragically. Their bodies seem like conquerable objects for 007. Bond almost never retains a relationship from book to book or film to film, and again, it’s almost always with depressing results. So, when looking at the Bond library for women who might live much less have real power, the eye is drawn to M and Moneypenny.

M is James Bond’s boss and Moneypenny is one of Bond’s only real friends; both characters hold a lot of power in the franchise, especially as they’re some of the only constants in his life.

Dame Judi Dench was the first female M, appearing in the Pierce Brosnan movies from GoldenEye (1995) until Die Another Day (2002), then reprising the role (as a slightly different version) in the Daniel Craig continuity starting in 2006 until 2012. I loved how Dench commanded the screen; she makes it clear that M is in control, not Bond.

In Dench’s last film, Moneypenny finally appears in the Craig continuity! It’s also the first portrayal of Moneypenny as a Black woman; Naomie Harris wields a gun, goes on field missions, flirts with Craig’s Bond, all before ultimately staying put at M16. Harris’ portrayal of Moneypenny is both smart and charming, and she holds her own — even if she doesn’t stay in the field that long.

Perhaps most significantly, the last Craig film, No Time to Die (2021), finally introduced a new character as 007: Nomi, portrayed by Lashana Lynch, a Black British actress. Changing up the entire 007 character could modernize the franchise. Many were hopeful.

However, the tides changed politically around the world, and diversity somehow became a “bad” thing. Additionally, Amazon began to take ownership of MGM and later finalized full control of the Bond franchise in 2025. As such, we are unfortunately unlikely to see Lynch return as 007; Amazon will likely want another strong-jawed guy to helm the franchise.

So while Hollywood continues to struggle with diversity, I’m grateful that we’ve got some baddies in the video game world of James Bond, at least as long as IOI is in control (seriously, please, Amazon, let IO keep cooking!).

Yes, Ma’am

M is James Bond’s boss, and Moneypenny is one of Bond’s only real friends; both characters hold a lot of power in the franchise, especially as they’re some of the only constants in his life.

007 First Light is significant for both casting a Black British actress, Kiera Lester, as Moneypenny, and a Sri Lankan British actress, Priyanga Burford, as M. Both characters, particularly the latter, face scrutiny for their work in the game by other characters, but — somewhat refreshingly — race doesn’t come up at all. These are women who are being judged on their merits and shortcomings, just like James Bond.

When I hear NPCs in the background criticize M’s way of handling things, I can imagine the unspoken undercurrent of racism and sexism. I imagine it’s part of fighting uphill against all of that, in addition to the regular pressures of defense and political work, that makes M as ruthlessly focused as she is. When I see First Light’s Moneypenny nervously clutching her notebook to her chest at the beginning of the game, I know that she is questioning herself and whether she fits in.

I absolutely love that Moneypenny, who is a beloved character in all of Bond lore, has finally earned a seat at the table. Congrats on the raise, babe — I’m proud of you.

By the end of the game, both women come into their own. As a result, IO and 007 First Light quietly assert that women — especially women of color — not only belong, but matter just as much as James Bond does.

I truly cannot wait to see Moneypenny in the next James Bond game, in which she’ll hopefully get even more screen time. She’s too cool to stay in the background.

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007 First Light, developed and published by IO Interactive, released on May 27, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. We featured the game on our list of the best video games of 2026 so far.

1. Also, RIP Vesper. Of the Craig films, I loved Casino Royale and Skyfall. ↩︎