Michael Bay's second film, The Rock has had a popular fan theory surrounding it since its release in 1996. The theory suggests that the character John Mason, played by Sean Connery, is really James Bond. While the hypothesis seems to purely be based on the fact the two characters share an actor, further investigation finds that there is more to the theory than meets the eye.
The theory has existed since the film first premiered, but it has gained traction in recent years as more and more viewers seem to think the theory could actually be plausible. With a recent Reddit thread by user Apprehensive-Test-26, it seems the theory is as popular as ever, but what are the arguments to support it?
A common theory revolving around the Bond films is that each actor actually portrays a different character with the name James Bond as their code name. While this theory has been disproven multiple times, the code name theory does help validate the idea that John Mason is also James Bond. In The Rock, it is revealed that John Mason doesn't exist, at least as far as government records are concerned.
This means that it is plausible, even likely, that John Mason isn't his real name. In Connery's tenure as 007, he has used aliases more than once to protect himself and his fellow agents, so it is certainly in the realm of possibility that he changed his name upon being captured prior to the events of The Rock.
The first EON Productions Bond film, and the first to feature Connery, was Dr. No. While not stated in that film, it is safe to assume the movie takes place in the same year it was released, 1962. The Rock states that Mason was arrested and sent to Alcatraz in 1962, escaping in '63, the same year the second and, to many, one of the best Bond movies, From Russia With Love, was released and takes place.
The final shot of Dr. No sees him refusing help from the CIA, meaning he could have been picked up from another agency that assumed he was a henchman escaping Dr. No's island. In From Russia With Love, Sylvia Trench berates James for ignoring her for six months. Six months is more than enough time to be incarcerated and then plot and execute an escape from Alcatraz, at least for a man like James Bond.
The reason Mason is imprisoned during the events of The Rock is that he stole microfilm containing FBI secrets. The Rock mentions in passing that the reason he was put in Alcatraz was because of this stolen film. However, this doesn't add up as the microfilm contains the truth of the JFK assassination, an event that didn't occur until the year Mason escaped.
The smoking gun is the fact that the film seems to imply that the microfilm was stolen after the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972. Connery's last official Bond film came out in 1971. It is plausible that Diamonds Are Forever, which had some great scenes and was Connery's last 007 film, was his Bond's last successful mission before being arrested as John Mason the following year. The timelines match up too perfectly not to be taken into account.
If there was anybody who could escape a prison such as Alcatraz, it would be James Bond. Bond has proven time and time again that he is a master escape artist, sliding his ways out of all kinds of death traps and prisons. Even in Dr. No he manages to free himself from a sinister lair that seems even more inescapable than Alcatraz.
While in reality, the prison wasn't fully inescapable, the devastating waters are what proved the odds of a successful escape unlikely. To a man like James Bond, these odds would have been nothing, seeing as he has survived much worse - even if it was due to luck.
Something that seems to work against the theory is the fact that the MI6 would have never let one of their best agents be incarcerated in an American prison for over twenty years. One of the most popular spy movie tropes, however, says they would do just that. A cliche in several spy movies is an agency denying all knowledge of a mission or an agent in the event they are captured or killed.
This is shown even in the 007 movies. In the cold opening of Skyfall, M orders Moneypenny to shoot at Bond if it means killing the man they are after. If the good of the people is at stake, M would have had no problems leaving Bond to rot in prison.
The fact they share an actor aside, John Mason and James Bond act nearly identical. From their off-color remarks or their confidence in getting the job done, they share more than a few similarities. James Bond knows he is the best, and he takes pride in that fact.
He is often reckless in his approach because he knows he will come out on top, which he does time and time again. John Mason shares these cocksure mannerisms, as he clearly knows he is smarter than the rest of the team storming Alcatraz. James Bond would have been out of action for decades, so the chance to show up younger men is something he would relish in. Sean Connery portrays both cool and wacky characters, and both John and James are on the side of the former.
Perhaps the most obvious thing supporting the theory outside of the fact the same actor plays the two characters is that they were both British Intellegence agents. James Bond works for MI6, and he is trained by top agents to become one of the best in the organization's history.
In The Rock, John Mason claims that he was trained by the best in British Intelligence. John's backstory is mostly kept secret and the term British Intelligence could mean many things, which of course leaves the door wide open for this theory. John Mason may or may not have been an MI6 agent, but fans of this theory choose to believe that is the case.
If the theory is to be believed, it is hard to accept the fact that the great James Bond would have gotten captured and not attempt to escape. This is justified in one element, the fact that John Mason had a daughter. Mason's daughter reveals she was conceived after a one-night stand he had with her mother, which is of course a very 007 thing to do. His daughter, Jade, could have made James reflect on his life.
He wanted to retire the spy life before his first wife was murdered, so it is plausible to believe being a father would be enough to want to give the life up. In what would be his last mission, his mind could have been on his daughter, thus making him sloppy and leading to his capture. Proponents of the theory believe that his escape may have put his daughter at risk, which would be enough to stop him from trying.
Looking at the timelines of Hummel, the antagonist of The Rock, and the Bond film You Only Live Twice, some interesting things become apparent. During the events of the 007 film, Hummel would have been serving in Vietnam. In the opening, 007 fakes his death which then makes worldwide headlines. Hummel could have seen this headline and felt sympathy for the fallen Naval Commander, which is in keeping with his character.
When the two meet face to face in The Rock, Hummel requests Mason give him his name and rank, even referring to him as Sailor. Mason gives a confused look and goes on to say he was in the army. This could mean Hummel recognized Mason as Bond from the headlines and tried to slip him up. Mason's confused look implies he realizes Hummel may know his true identity.
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