Amazon Prime Video recently found itself in the eye of a digital storm after quietly implementing a controversial change to its James Bond promotional artwork. The streaming platform had initially replaced iconic images of 007, meticulously airbrushing or cropping out his signature firearm from various classic posters. This move, which first came to light in the UK around James Bond Day on October 5, left fans and critics alike both shaken and stirred, prompting an immediate and furious backlash.

Several classic Bond portrayals were affected by these edits. Sean Connery’s depiction in “Dr. No” and Pierce Brosnan’s in “GoldenEye” saw their pistols entirely removed. Roger Moore’s poster for “A View to a Kill” was particularly noted, as his arms appeared awkwardly elongated to digitally erase the weapon from sight. Similarly, a “Spectre” poster featuring Daniel Craig was altered to remove his gun. These alterations quickly drew widespread criticism, with writer Scott McCrea labeling the edits “nothing less than cultural vandalism.” Many fans expressed concerns about the future direction of the Bond franchise under Amazon MGM Studios, fearing such censorship might dilute the famously cold-blooded spy’s essence, especially with Denis Villeneuve tapped to direct the next 007 film. British actor Rufus Jones even light-heartedly joked that the newly gunless Bond appeared to be making an obscene gesture in the altered posters.

The internet, as expected, responded swiftly with memes. Creative fan edits replaced Brosnan’s missing gun with a humorous array of objects, from bananas to hairdryers, often outshining the original