Why James Bond Doesn’t Chase His Wife’s Killer In Diamonds Are Forever

1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service sees James Bond get married, then lose his wife, but sequel Diamonds Are Forever abandons that plot thread. The Bond franchise is famous for many things, but one of the biggest is the “Bond Girls” they feature. A dashing secret agent with swagger, Bond proves almost irresistible to women who get within his orbit. While the unrealistic nature of Bond’s superhuman sex appeal has since been parodied to great effect in the Austin Powers films, it’s doubtful that aspect of Bond will be phased out anytime soon.

There have been many memorable Bond Girls over the years, but fairly early on, one woman caught Bond’s eye and earned his heart so fully that he married her. That came in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which saw original actor Sean Connery depart the lead role, making way for George Lazenby to take over. While panned at the time, the film’s reputation has increased immensely since, and it’s now a generally praised installment. Partway through, Lazenby’s Bond meets Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), and the two tie the knot.

That is until Tracy gets abruptly murdered at the end by Irma Bunt, lead henchwoman to arch Bond villain Blofeld. Bond is devastated, and the stage seems set for a roaring rampage of revenge for his lost love in the next film. Oddly though, that wouldn’t take place in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever.

Why James Bond Doesn’t Avenge Wife Tracy After Her Murder

The original story ideas for Diamonds Are Forever would’ve picked up right after On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, with George Lazenby’s Bond mourning Tracy and seeking out her killer Irma Bunt to get revenge. Unfortunately, that plan went out the window when Lazenby abruptly decided to exit the Bond role, despite being offered a multi-film contract. Several other notable actors were considered for the part, but eventually, United Artists boss David Picker demanded that Sean Connery be lured back into the fold, no matter how much money it cost to make that happen.

Connery was successfully convinced to return as Bond, but by then, producers had already made the decision to move on with a different story idea, which didn’t involve Tracy or Bunt. That decision, while undoing the development the Bond character made during his relationship with Tracy, makes practical sense. For one, it was Lazenby fans had seen have a romance with Tracy, not Connery. Secondly, Irma Bunt actress Ilse Steppat suddenly died of a heart attack at age 52 only days after On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was released, thus, it was deemed better to exclude her character from Diamonds Are Forever out of respect.

That left fans with Diamonds Are Forever‘s final form, which saw Bond in hot pursuit of Blofeld, but with no mention made of Tracy or Irma. It’s a bit jarring, especially when watching the films back to back. Still, fans did seem to like Connery’s return to his signature role, although most do rank On Her Majesty’s Secret Service above Diamonds Are Forever in the Bond pecking order nowadays. Somewhat amusingly, Connery’s comeback was itself short-lived, as Roger Moore would take over the James Bond role in 1973’s Live and Let Die.

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