The new 007 is a woman. What does this mean for James Bond’s future?

By now, you’ve probably heard the rumors. According to British tabloidThe Daily Mail(so take all of this with a big grain of salt),Captain Marvelco-star Lashana Lynch will debut as the new 007 inBond 25, which is currently filming.

Worried that Lynch’s casting marks the end of the traditional James Bond? Don’t be. Thegadget-toting, martini-swilling, womanizing superspy that you know and love isn’t going anywhere.

Lynch’s debut scene reportedly goes something like this: Near the beginning of the film, Bond’s boss, M, welcomes 007 into his office. Instead of Daniel Craig, who’ll be playing Bondone final timeinBond 25, in walks Lynch, who the Mail describes as “black, beautiful, and a woman.”

Here’s the thing, though. Lynch might be the new 007, but she’s not the new James Bond. As we saw inCasino Royale, which kicked off the modern, rebooted Bond continuity, the double-oh designation (and its accompanying license to kill) is a title that’s passed to MI6’s top agents. At the beginning ofBond 25, Bond has retired from Her Majesty’s secret service. Lynch’s character has taken over Bond’s job, but Bond himself is still around.

Of course, Craig’s secret agent eventually gets called back into action, and is expected to team up with his replacement. “Bond, of course, is sexually attracted to the new female 007,” the Mail notes, although it sounds like Bond’s advances aren’t particularly welcome.

Casting Lynch as the new 007 while keeping the focus on the very white, very male Bond is a clever move by writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who createdKilling Eveand just scored a fewEmmy nominationsfor her original seriesFleabag. Calls to diversify the Bond franchise have been ringing out for years, and Black actorIdris Elbaremains a fan favorite for the role once Craig is done with it.

Still, a certain subset of fans don’t react well when their straight, white, male heroes are replaced by women or people of color. Just look atwhat happenedto Paul Fieg’s 2016Ghostbustersreboot, which substituted Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones for Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson.

By making Lynch’s secret agent the new 007 without actually naming her Bond, Waller-Bridge and director Cary Fukunaga can have it both ways. They get to add a woman of color to 007’s legacy, while still honoring the character that author Ian Fleming created in 1953. Everybody wins.

Of course, there’s another option:  If Eon Productions wants to make a female-centric Bond spinoff without upsetting his more conventional-minded fans, M’s secretary Moneypenny is right there. In the new films, Moneypenny is a former field agent, and she’s played by black actress Naomie Harris. Moneypenny has already headlined her own novels and comic books. We’re confident that she could handle a feature film just fine.