• Bond films often feature villains with facial scars, including Rami Malek in “No Time to Die”.
• Presenter Adam Pearson, who suffers from neurofibromatosis, called the trope “old-fashioned and out of date.”
• Author Jen Campbell said the trope is wider than the Bond films.

Disability activists have called out the James Bond films for their repeated portrayal of villains with facial scars, calling the theme “lazy” and “outdated.”

Facial scars are a common aspect for many movie villains, especially in Bond films.

In the latest Bond film, “No Time To Die”, Rami Malek’s Safin and Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld both have facial disfigurements as part of their characters’ appearances.

Previously, Sean Bean’s Alec Trevelyan had scars in “GoldenEye”, Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva had a deformed jaw in “Skyfall” and Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre had a disfigured eye in Daniel Craig’s first Bond film “Casino Royale” .

Now activists are protesting what they call an “outdated trope”.

Writer and disability advocate Jen Campbell posted a Twitter thread opposing the practice, writing: “Whenever a new James Bond film is shot, producers are urged to reconsider their portrayal of disfigurement. every time they say they don’t care. The new movie, released this week, is no exception. This time two villains with facial disfigurements. We’re in luck. “

—Jen Campbell (is mostly elsewhere) (@jenvcampbell) September 28, 2021

She also added: “For those new to this ‘disfigurement and handicap = wickedness’ trope, it’s much larger than Bond. Think crime, horror, comics, children’s books… it’s everywhere. . The links earlier in this thread explore the larger picture. Please take a moment to explore. “

—Jen Campbell (is mostly elsewhere) (@jenvcampbell) September 28, 2021

Meanwhile, presenter Adam Pearson, who suffers from neurofibromatosis, told ITV News: “When the only character with a scar or disfigurement is shown onscreen as the villain, it perpetuates the use of a trope. old-fashioned and outdated. “

He continued, “It’s not about forbidding baddies from getting scars or telling people not to enjoy a trip to the movies, it’s about putting a line in the sand and say now is the time to make sure other characters can be seen on screen with a visible difference too. “

Producer Michael G. Wilson has previously championed the use of the trope, calling it “part of the writing tradition” in a 2012 interview with Den of Geek.

“Sometimes that’s a motivator in their life and what makes them the way they are,” Wilson said. “He had that as part of the characters he designed. It’s part of the writing tradition, though, really.”

MGM

As Campbell pointed out, however, the use of facial scars to signify evil characters has been used by some of the most iconic villains in cinema, such as Scar in “The Lion King,” Darth Vader, and Kylo Ren in ” Star Wars “. the Joker in “The Dark Knight”, Miles Quaritch in “Avatar” and Freddie Krueger in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to name a few.

However, in 2018, the British Film Institute (BFI) announced that it would stop funding films featuring the trope after the Changing Faces charity’s I Am Not Your Villain campaign, which called the trope ” lazy”.

Ben Roberts, director of BFI’s film fund, said in a statement at the time: “Cinema has such a powerful influence on society… [and] is also a catalyst for change and that is why we are committed to not having negative portrayals of scars or facial differences in the films we fund. “