René Mathis is an intelligence operative, who first appeared in Ian Fleming's debut novel, Casino Royale. Fleming's Mathis is an agent of the French secret service, the Deuxième Bureau, and a long-time friend of James Bond. He went on to appear in the novels From Russia, with Love, Never Dream of Dying and Devil May Care. A younger version of Mathis also appears in the Young Bond short story A Hard Man to Kill.