James Bond’s SPECTRE, SMERSH & Quantum Organizations Explained (How They’re All Different)

Between SPECTRE, SMERSH and Quantum it can be confusing to keep all the organizations in the James Bond franchise straight. In a film series that’s lasted for seven decades, these antagonistic organizations have gone through the same metamorphosis as Bond, and had to change with the socio-political climate as much as each new Bond actor. Some, like SPECTRE, have existed since Ian Flemming’s spy novels were first adapted for the screen in Sean Connery’s Dr. No while others, like Quantum, started as one thing and became something else when Daniel Craig became 007 in Casino Royale.