Skyfall: Silva Is Really M’s Son (James Bond Theory Explained)

Skyfall‘s Raoul Silva is one of the greatest villains in the James Bond franchise, but is he also the biological son of M? The Daniel Craig era has brought critical and commercial success to James Bond, and of the four movies released thus far, many consider 2012’s Skyfall the best of the bunch. Presumed dead after a mission gone wrong (Moneypenny shot him, in other words), 007’s impromptu vacation is interrupted by a vicious attack on MI6 by an unknown adversary. Harboring an intense grudge not only against the British Secret Service but M in particular, this shadowy villain is revealed to be Raoul Silva, expertly played by an on-form Javier Bardem.

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Silva reveals that he was once something of an agent himself, but when a mission went awry in 1997, MI6 cut him loose, abandoning their man to torture and interrogation at the hands of a foreign government, with no sign of rescue from the British. Silva now seeks revenge against the folks working Thames-side at Vauxhall Cross, and specifically against Judi Dench’s M, who personally recruited and mentored Silva, only to disappear during his time of need.

Compared to most James Bond villains, Silva’s quest for payback makes total sense. The cruel and ruthless nature of the spy game (even among the good guys) is a recurring theme throughout Daniel Craig’s era, and it was only a matter of time until that flawed approach produced one very upset villain. A popular Skyfall theory goes deeper, however. As first posited by Yale professor Stephen L. Carter, Silva’s grudge might extend beyond just a disgruntled spy hurt by his former boss. The villain could be M’s son.

The M/Silva Skyfall Theory Explained

Carter’s theory that M is secretly Raoul Silva’s mother relies upon two key pieces of evidence, the first being an anagram. When Silva begins his attack on MI6, he sends M a cryptic message. The creepy cartoon shows M (as the Queen) laughing maniacally in front of a Union Jack flag and ends with a simple message: “THINK ON YOUR SINS.” Carter argues that this expression is very specific and deliberate in its terminology and must, therefore, carry some kind of hidden meaning. The professor suggests Silva’s warning is intended as an anagram of “YOUR SON ISN’T IN HK,” which would tie directly into Silva’s backstory. As an MI6 agent, Raoul worked under M in Hong Kong (the “HK”) through the 1980s and 1990s. When her agent was caught hacking, M decided the best way to salvage Hong Kong’s transition from Britain to China was to sacrifice Agent Silva. “Your Son Isn’t In HK” would be a chilling way for Silva to announce his escape from Chinese custody, and makes more sense than “Think On Your Sins” as an opening gambit – but only if M was Silva’s mother.

The hypothesis continues, with Carter claiming there’s no narrative reason for Skyfall to specify Hong Kong as Silva’s last known location, other than to set up the anagram above. The professor also suggests that any apprehended British spies would surely be transferred to the Chinese mainland. By openly stating that Silva was languishing in a Hong Kong jail (not Chinese), Skyfall must’ve had a larger purpose in mind. Essentially, “HK” was easier to integrate into an anagram.

Another aspect of Carter’s M/Silva theory examines the morality of Judi Dench’s spymaster. During Skyfall‘s opening sequence, she orders Moneypenny to “take the shot” despite 007 standing in the firing line. M sacrifices her best agent (and, indeed, close personal friend) for what she perceives as the greater good. The ease with which M forsakes Bond in 2012 would make more sense if she had already cast her own son to the wolves in 1997. According to Carter, prioritizing the mission over her agents is something M needs to do to justify betraying Silva. If his welfare wasn’t more important than the Secret Intelligence Service, no one’s is. As far as the theory is concerned, this maternal connection to Silva underpins the tragedy of M’s death in Skyfall‘s final act.

Evidence Supporting The M/Silva Skyfall Theory

Skyfall drops various other hints that M’s relationship with Silva might be more meaningful than that of a mentor and student. For instance, it’s strange how the villain pins his anger solely on M. Even if you ignore that all agents should expect to be burned if the mission calls for it (a reality Bond himself has begrudgingly accepted), Silva’s personal vendetta seems petty and short-sighted, given that M only followed the book. But his rage would be far easier to understand if there was a personal connection between the pair – like that of a mother and son.

Also important is a certain line from M regarding the recruitment of double-o operatives – “orphans always make the best recruits.” As Carter points out, Dench strikes a thousand-yard stare when making this remark, suggesting some kind of traumatic event in M’s past. Maybe this is merely the lingering regret of sending dozens of orphaned children to their deaths, but perhaps this quote alludes to M adopting a child (Silva) and then turning him into a recruit – the biggest regret of her life. The idea is supported by Skyfall‘s very final Silva/M confrontation. When the James Bond antagonist finally gets his way, he and M are alone among the ruins of a church, a gun in the villain’s hand. Despite waging war against her for the best part of 2 hours, however, Silva can’t bring himself to pull the trigger. Again, the best explanation for this is that M wasn’t merely Silva’s work-mother, but his actual mother.

There’s a few other (less convincing) possible nods toward the maternal link between M and Raoul Silva. “M” works as an initial for “mother,” while “think on your sins” could be turned into the acronym “toys.” Both fit Skyfall‘s overall theme of childhood trauma.

Why Silva Probably Isn’t M’s Son

Though it’s certainly a fascinating theory that makes a series of compelling points,  the idea of M being Raoul Silva’s mother remains highly unlikely. Though no biological or legal connection is ever drawn, Silva explicitly refers to M as his mother, and he and Bond as her sons, with lines such as “mommy was very bad.” But the labeling of M as a “mother” is intended as a metaphor. She finds vulnerable orphans, puts her arm around them, nurtures the child into an agent, then drops them when the time comes. The whole point of Skyfall is to present Raoul Silva and James Bond as two side of the same coin. Both were given the M-treatment when joining MI6, but where James always understood the business-like nature of that relationship, Silva came to view M as a genuine mother figure. This duality between hero and villain doesn’t work if one was a regular recruit and one was her true son. So unless there’s some way to argue that Bond and Silva are both M’s children (they aren’t), Raoul being related to the MI6 chief makes no thematic sense.

One must also acknowledge that the “YOUR SON ISN’T IN HK” anagram still works within the context of Dench’s M as a figurative mother. The “mommy was very bad” line proves that Silva considers himself M’s son, so it’d be perfectly in-character for him to send the anagram even without the pair being directly related. And though it might seem strange that Silva holds such a passionate resentment toward a single woman when it was really the system that wronged him, this can be explained by his unseen orphan backstory. Though the details are left vague, it’s clear that Silva didn’t just apply for a double-0 position via the MI6 website, and even if Bond handles it better, Silva’s anger is entirely relatable.

No one from the James Bond camp has lent any credence to the M/Silva theory. From the franchise’s custodians, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, to director Sam Mendes, no one has come forward to support M being Silva’s mother. If there was any substance to the hypothesis, someone surely would’ve opened the door to the possibility by now.

Key Release Dates
  • No Time to Die/James Bond 25 (2021)Release date: Oct 08, 2021
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