MI6 (Team)

Everyone who has ever been a member of MI6 or Military Intelligence, Section 6 in their respective universe.

Overview[]

In world filled with deception and lies, they are the world's top spies!  They're MI6!

MI6 is an actual real life foreign intelligence agency in the real world akin to the United States' CIA.  It is the oldest and still active intelligence services in existence.

Background[]

MI6 is the foreign intelligence branch of the government of the United Kingdom.  It is primarily tasked with intelligence gathering and analysis but also handles cyber-security for the UK and conducts paramilitary espionage operations for counter-terrorism and to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 

MI6 has been a clandestine organization for much of its operational existence as it was considered a "classified secret" and a deniable asset to the United Kingdom.  Despite being widely known to exist to the public after WWII, MI6 was only finally openly acknowledged as an official agency of the British Government in 1994. 

Founded in 1909 as a joint collaboration of United Kingdom's Admiralty and their War Office under the command of Captain Sir Mansfield George Smith-Cummings; this fledgling group was intended to conduct espionage and counter-espionage operations at home and aboard.  However it soon became specialized in intelligence gathering thanks to the Admiralty's focus on ascertaining the maritime strength of the Germany Army during World War I. 

During Cummings' tenure, this group underwent numerous working and unofficial aliases including the Foreign Intelligence Service; Military Intelligence 1(c) or MI1(c); the Special Intelligence Service; and the Secret Service thanks to its clandestine nature.

With the outbreak of World War I, the group underwent an administrative split into two separate components; one unit focusing on national security and counter-espionage and was named Military Intelligence, Section 5.  Cummings retained directorship on foreign intelligence gathering and espionage operations of the branch which was renamed as Military Intelligence, Section 6 or MI6 or more simply, as "Six".

Following the end of the World War I, MI6 was officially titled as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1920.  But by that time, hardly anyone referred to it by that name.

It's moniker of course became an indisputable part of pop culture with the emergence of one of the most famous literary spies in history, 007 aka James Bond.

MI6 continued to operate with the death of Sir Cummings in 1923 and aided in the establishment of their allies' intelligence service, the United States' Central Intelligence Agency in the aftermath of World War II.  The agency's effectiveness during the Cold War was severely compromised thanks to a presence of a high-level Russian mole, Kim Philby.  Philby was forced to defect to the Soviet Union when his cover was blown in 1963 and MI6 underwent a thorough housecleaning and more strignent vetting, security protocols, and compartmentalization procedures.

James Bond Franchise[]

One of the most popular media franchises in history, the James Bond Franchise was created by British author Ian Fleming in 1953 in the short novel, "Casino Royale".  The titular character, James Bond is a government agent code named "007" who works for MI6 and spawned an extensive media franchise and has starred in novels, comics and newspaper comic strips, video games, and of course; been adapted into feature films which has spread the character and his employer worldwide.  The series' continuing popularity is in no small part why the organization is still most commonly referred to as the MI6.

Fleming was never a member of MI6 but was a naval intelligence officer during WWII and was familiar with the existence of it.  He personally created the concept of Double 00 Agents; Q Branch and its' secret agent gadgets; and the usage of "M" as the Commander-in-Chief of the Section which he named in homage to the first Director, Captain Sir Mansfield George Smith-Cummings.  In the real world, the traditional title of the Director of MI6 is actually "C" which dates back to Cummings' habit of simply signing his correspondence with the letter "C". 

Appearances[]

Films[]

• Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)
• Casino Royale (1967)
• Casino Royale (2006)
• Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
• Die Another Day (2002)
• Dr. No (1962)
• For Your Eyes Only (1981)
• From Russia with Love (1963)
• GoldenEye (1995)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• Licence to Kill (1989)
• Live and Let Die (1973)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• London Has Fallen (2016)
• The Looking Glass War (1969)
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
• The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
• Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
• Moonraker (1979)
• Never Say Never Again (1983)
• Octopussy (1983)
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
• Quantum of Solace (2008)
• The Russia House (1990)
• Skyfall (2012)
• Spectre (2015)
• The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• The Tailor of Panama (2001)
• Thunderball (1965)
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• The World Is Not Enough (1999)
• You Only Live Twice (1967)

TV Series[]

• Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983)