Foil

Character Role Analysis

Silva and M

At the beginning of Skyfall, M thinks that the primary conflict is between Bond and an agent just like him. She isn't wrong. But it soon becomes clear that Silva's beef isn't with Bond; it's with M. (Plus, they already did the rogue agent thing with Trevelyan back in GoldenEye.)

Silva is more than just an agent gone rogue; he's an agent who wants to be his own twisted version of M. Both make decisions and sacrifice people for what they see as the greater good. But M and Silva have very different ideas on what is good for the world.