Why did Ana De Armas disappear in No Time To Die? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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It’s not just that she was a Bond girl with serious moves; she was also one of the movie’s best parts. So why didn’t she help James Bond (Daniel Craig) in the final act? Well, the answer might surprise you.
Let’s rewind to Cuba, where Paloma, the CIA agent, bursts onto the scene like a hurricane of charm and ass-kicking. She teams up with Bond to infiltrate a Spectre party, and they immediately become one of the most fun, unexpected pairings Bond has had in years. Bond thinks he’s about to protect this nervous newbie, but—plot twist—Paloma’s not here to be saved. She holds her own in a fight, dishing out more moves than Bond himself. That’s how you upend Bond Girl expectations. But then? She disappears faster than a vodka martini at an MI6 briefing.
Before you throw your hands up in frustration, let’s clarify: Paloma wasn’t snubbed. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga wrote her role as a high-octane, one-off thrill. She wasn’t meant to be there for the whole ride—she was Bond’s reintroduction to the field, a way to shake him out of his self-imposed retirement. She played a crucial part in getting him back into the action, reminding us all why Bond is the Bond, complete with tuxedo and martini. Mission accomplished. But as much as we all wanted more Paloma, that was always the plan.
As for why she didn’t swoop in to help Bond at Safin’s island fortress? Simple. Her CIA contact, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), got killed off earlier in the film. Bond’s back with MI6 and calling the CIA for backup? Not in the cards. The mission was super secret, and let’s face it—Bond doesn’t have a history of phone calls to the CIA during crunch time. Plus, no one in MI6 was in the mood for an American cameo.
It’s honestly a little bittersweet. Paloma was much more than the jittery newbie Bond thought she’d be. Sure, she claimed she’d only had “three weeks of training… more or less,” but in a blink, she was tossing bad guys like she had been in the spy biz for years. She proved to be a way better Bond partner than some other characters who stuck around. That’s the beauty of her role—she made such an impression in such a short time that we can’t forget her, no matter how brief her stay was.
In the end, Paloma’s job was done. She helped reintegrate Bond into the action, but when the final act rolled around, it was time for MI6 to handle the job. Still, it’s a shame we didn’t see Paloma tear up the rest of Safin’s lair. Ana de Armas was too good, and her chemistry with Craig was off the charts. Let’s just hope that Bond fans everywhere see more of Paloma’s high-flying, martini-drinking, fight-scene-owning badassery in future films.
