Bond Vs Bourne

Cars

From Goldfinger’s Aston Martin DB5 to the submersible Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me , Bond is the clear winner in this department.

James has had his off-days, of course – the Citroen from For Your Eyes Only comes to mind – while he has recently shown a regrettable penchant for Beamers.

But at least he tries to avoid other drivers, as opposed to recklessly crashing into them every opportunity he gets.

Bond wins.

Style

Again James comes out on top here, even if we will have to dock him a few points for Roger Moore’s safari suits.

Throw in some kick-ass accessories – an Omega wristwatch here, some Dupont cufflinks there – and you have a man who goes about his business looking, well, the business.

In comparison, what does Jason wear? Boring roll-neck sweaters, grey T-shirts and a long black coat that he rarely takes off.

Come on, man, put in a little effort!

Bond wins.

Girls

Given Bond’s 40-year advantage on his younger rival it’s hardly surprising he trumps him here as well.

James, by contrast, could race through that number before breakfast, even in those dour Timothy Dalton years.

That said, it took Daniel Craig an absolute age to get his rocks off in Casino Royale , having unforgivably walked out on Caterina Murino before doing his duty.

Could Jason’s sexual timidity be catching?

Bond wins.

Fights

At last an area where Bourne has the upper hand.

Jason, however, gives as good as he gets, mixing it up nice with his fast and furious combination of martial arts and Krav Maga and his remarkable knack for turning everyday objects into deadly weapons.

Bourne wins.

Skills

A bit of a tie, this. Bourne is fluent in a number of foreign languages, can strip a gun in less than a second and can shoot a bird out of the sky with his eyes closed; if need be he can also climb down the outside of a building and cut your hair.

Not only that, but his knowledge of wine, diamonds, gold and golf means he’d probably be the most handy in a pub quiz.

Score draw.

Gadgets

With the combined staff of Q Branch behind him, Bond wins this one at a canter.

Bourne, in contrast, only makes use of actual technology available to him in the field – mobile phones, walkie talkies and internet search engines.

Note, too, that 007 needs a stiletto-concealing briefcase to do what Bourne can do with a biro.

Bond wins.

Vices

A well-travelled bon viveur with a love of vodka martinis, beautiful women and (until recently) strong cigarettes, Bond is the ultimate epicure.

Bourne, in contrast, has no vices to speak of beyond a tendency to wallow in self-pity and a love for adrenalin-inducing situations.

Hell, he doesn’t even smoke a hookah pipe when he’s in Tangiers.

Bond wins.

Adaptations

When it comes to sticking to the set text, Bond has been making significant changes since Dr No.

The Bourne Legacy deviates most from the template set by its forebears, mainly because it doesn't feature the title character (oral references and pictures on laptops don't count).

It features a completely different plot to the book on which it's based, which wasn't even written by original author.

So, it's a tough one. Bond has been going for longer, and has made changes in every single adaptation.

Bourne may be only four films in, and whilst the first three were fairly faithful, we're going to have to call this one in Bond's favor.

Mainly because he's still in his own films, and has yet to be replaced by his mate Jez.

Bond wins.

Leads

Obviously Bond is an old hand at changing leading men, so it would probably be unfair to make that aspect part of this incredibly serious and scientific judgement process.

Which means it's Daniel Craig Vs. Jeremy Renner: FIGHT .

This does slightly complicate things, as technically what we're doing here is Bond Vs. Cross, but that's not quite as catchy.

It's probably the same reason they didn't retitle the franchise The Cross Legacy . Either that or the studio was worried people would think it was an Anger Management sequel.

But we're starting to bang on more than a Bond villain. Let's get back on track.

Daniel Craig is arguably the best Bond of all time. But don't take our word for it, here's what Roger Moore had to say.

“I think he’s going to end up being the best Bond. What an actor!”

Meanwhile, Matt Damon hasn't specifically commented on Jeremy Renner, but Renner's said the following about Damon…

“I feel like he’s taking a break, and I’m doing something that is a little side-track.”

“I had a brief conversation with him, and told him I was crazy about the idea of working with him in some way, whether it was within this series or something else.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to do something like that. We could be adversaries or something, but that’s not my decision to have.”

Damon spoke recently on the subject, and it appears he's turned down Renner's advances.

"I've always been open to it as long as Paul Greengrass directs, I don't think he's going to do it," the actor explained. "From what I understand, [' The Bourne Legacy '] relives [' The Bourne Ultimatum '] from a different perspective.

Because they use [' Ultimatum '] actors and characters, [that means] that whatever they said is true and we'd have to acknowledge it in any Bourne movie that we'd do. And that makes it really tough."

We thought Renner was perfectly capable in Legacy. But he didn't exactly blow the world away, as Craig did in Casino Royale .

We'll have to wait and see if the next installment of the Bourne franchise establishes Aaron Cross as an icon in his own right.

Bond win.