NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 05: Actor Christoph Waltz visits AOL BUILD to discuss his latest movie in the Bond series "Spectre" at AOL Studios In New York on November 5, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, it was announced that Christoph Waltz would be returning to the Bond franchise reprising his role of Spectre leader, Ernst Stravo Blofeld in the upcoming Bond 25.

At the end of Spectre, the fate of Blofeld was that he was going straight to a maximum facility prison. After terrorizing the world and appearing as a safety net for cybersecurity for those same government agencies, Blofeld also revealed that Bond’s entire history with MI6 has been a part of his plan all along. There was also this minor reveal that he and Bond are step-brothers and Blofeld killed his father, but we’re avoiding that.

On Friday, Variety reported Christoph Waltz will reprise his role as Blofeld in Bond 25. Waltz had said previously that he would not appear in the next Bond film and when Rami Malek was cast as the main villain, it was basically confirmed. So now, what exactly will Blofeld be doiang?

In a role akin to what Hannibal Lecter was in The Silence of the Lambs, Blofeld could act as some sort of guide for Bond. Use a villain to catch a villain. The Bond franchise hasn’t used this method before with a primary bad guy, but a few henchmen have turned cloak to help Bond. Most notably Jaws in Moonraker. Blofeld could be the last resort to catch Malek’s character.

Alternatively, Malek’s character could be yet another pawn in Blofeld’s larger game. Spectre already revealed that Bond’s major enemies from his previous missions were all working for Blofeld. Even though he is likely locked up in the most secure prison in Europe, Blofeld could still manage to pull the strings or simply have a safeguard in place to continue his work. Perhaps Malek’s character is an endgame where Bond and Blofeld will both be targeted for termination, or maybe just a hired gun to get Blofeld out of incarceration.

Whatever Blofeld’s ultimate role is, its an exciting revelation that Waltz will be returning to the franchise. His involvement in Spectre made the film wildly successful, even though it’s not as highly regarded as the other Daniel Craig installments. As more and more information comes in about Bond 25, the pieces will start to come together and give the world a better idea of what’s to come.