Surprise Spies
[source: The Telegraph UK]
There are some great spies out there the world of pop culture. It is impossible to deny the fantastic skills of characters like Napoleon Solo, Jason Bourne, James Bond, George Smiley and Natasha Romanov, but what about characters who may not already be spies, yet would slip right into the game without a hitch? There are tons of characters in lit and pop-culture who would make amazing spies with just a slightly different application of their skills. With that in mind, we at Quirk wanted to take a look at some characters who could put famous spies to shame.
[source: Matt Luedke]
1. Edana (Dana) Franklin
Dana Franklin is one of the toughest women in literature. The lead character of Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred, Dana finds herself traveling back in time to the antebellum south. A dangerous place for any modern person, it is particularly treacherous for Dana as a black woman. Her ability to adapt and slip into her surroundings help her survive a very dangerous time and place. No doubt she would be able to apply these skills to nearly any situation, including work as a spy.
[source: Villians Wikia]
2. Hawley Griffin
The titular character of H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man, Griffin doesn’t even have to worry about blending in for his spy work. A quick shedding of clothing and some light footsteps and nobody would be the wiser that Griffin was in a room. He also has a penchant for a bit of violence, so if he ever did get caught, he would certainly be able to fight his way out.
[source: Spotern]
3. Wade Watts
One of the best if not the best gamer in the Oasis, Wade Watts has learned some definite skills in his time seeking out hidden easter eggs in Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Watts goes from flabby couch jockey to muscled hero over the course of the novel. He acts fast and thinks even faster. Watts even knows how to disappear from the grid if need be. In a world where computers are everything, a cyber spy is the top of the food chain.
[source: Cinema Blend]
4. Alfred Borden
The enigmatic magician from Christopher Priest’s novel The Prestige, Alfred Borden is so much more than he appears. The product of twin brothers, Albert and Fredrick Borden, living a single life, Alfred is a testament to the commitment these two men have. Masters of midsection, the twins would be in and out of a room with the information they need before anyone took a second look.
[source: Mirror UK]
5. Ava
Humans make mistakes. That is one of the biggest problems with the spy business. Machines, however, do not. Ava is the subject of Alex Garland’s film Ex Machina and she is a master of seduction. Over the course of the film, she gets one of the characters to fall in love with her and give her all of the information about himself and others — everything she would ever need to execute her plans. It also helps that her brain is based on one of the most advanced search engines ever. There is not a piece of information Ava can’t access.
[source: Amazon]
6. Ben Richards
Things don’t always go right for spies and sometimes they have to go on the run. Nobody is better at running and hiding than Ben Richards from the Richard Bachman (Stephen King) novel The Running Man. Literally everybody in the United States is pitted against Richards in a life or death game televised for everyone’s enjoyment. The fact that Richard’s gets further than anyone else ever has is a testament to his survival skills.
