@slimfern posted:Haven't a clue! Eugene
But there can only be one 007 surely? ...and that's James Bond.
https://www.esquire.com/entert...h-casting-reactions/
"007" is just an MI6 codename. In the books, MI6 has a limited number of double-0 agents, and given how dangerous their job is, it seems reasonable to assume the codename would be passed-on to a successor when an agent dies/retires. James Bond has just managed to stay alive a lot longer than the average double-0 agent...
There is a sort-of comparison in real life, where the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service - and formerly MI6 - is always known as "C" (and not "M" as in the books). The very first Chief, Captain Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, signed letters as "C" in green ink, and the name has just stuck...