Jason Bourne vs. Other Literary Figures
Robert Ludlum’s super spy Jason Bourne has had an interesting career. Though Ludlum only wrote three Bourne novels before his death, his successor Eric Van Lustbader has written nine additional stories. The novels were so popular that in 2002 a film version of the first book was made staring Matt Damon. Though the first film did not bring in huge numbers at the box office, it eventually found success on home video. This launched an incredibly lucrative film franchise with two more films starring Bourne. After a brief hiatus for The Bourne Legacy in which Jeremy Renner played a new character, Matt Damon has decided to return for the fifth installment of the film series. We at Quirk are such huge Bourne fans, we thought it might be fun to see how the super spy would fare against some other well-known literary spies.
Jason Bourne vs. George Smiley
John Le Carré created conceivable one of the greatest spies in all of literary history with George Smiley. A British intelligence agent, Smiley has come up against a plethora of difficult obstacles over his time. He is known for utilizing his extreme intelligence and general calm to think through problems. Though Smiley is a fantastic mind, he is not much in the way of a fighter. So, if it came down to a game of wits, the win would go to Smiley, but in a fist fight, Bourne all the way.
Jason Bourne vs. Jack Ryan
Another brain, Jack Ryan, created by Tom Clancy, utilizes everything he has to his advantage. Ryan was best known for his abilities in counter espionage. This is a spy who is best capable of stopping spies. Still not as good a fighter as Bourne, Ryan is a step up from Smiley in terms of getting his hands dirty. Even if he weren’t able to defeat Bourne in a hand to hand fight, he might be able to convince his opponent that there are better solutions to both of their problems.
Jason Bourne vs. Black Widow
Marvel comics creation Natasha “Black Widow” Romanova is possibly the toughest spy ever. Trained in the Red Room by Russia’s most elite, Black Widow is one of the best fighters in the Avengers. She is also incredibly sly and her covert operation skills are unmatched. This one would come down to who could take the biggest beating and considering that Romanova has fought aliens and gods, it seems likely that one super spy wouldn’t be much of a challenge.
Jason Bourne vs. James Bond
We can’t even begin to talk spies without considering the world’s most recognizable secret agent. Ian Fleming’s martini drinking, womanizing super spy started his career in the pages of Playboy. Seen to be the epitome of male fantasies, Bond is the acme of covert operative. This is even funnier when we consider that he is constantly telling everyone his name. No doubt, Bond and Bourne would give each other a run for their money, but the whole thing would likely end in a tie when they realized that they were working for allied countries.
Jason Bourne vs. Tara Chace
Another British secret spy, Tara Chace is as tough as they come. The lead character in a series of comics and novels by Greg Rucka, Chace is one of the best operatives SIS has ever had. Where others in her position haven’t even made it past their first missions, Chace seems to always scrape by. If she ever encountered Bourne, it would be a bloodbath. She would probably lose the battle, coming home broken and battered, but Bourne would be on her list for the rest of eternity. He would never be free of the watchful eye of British secret services.
Jason Bourne vs. Spy and Spy
Created by the Cuban cartoonist Prohías for Mad Magazine, Spy vs. Spy features two mute spies as they attempt to murder each other over and over. Admittedly, this is hardly a fair fight, since the spies in this comic appear to be immortal, but it would be fun to watch Bourne beat the ever loving snot out of both of them again and again. By the end Bourne would likely tucker out and be taken down by a stick of dynamite disguised as a hot dog and the readers of Mad would have a great laugh.
