-Bond chose to let Vesper die. Mostly because that was not properly-performed CPR (I can't imagine an intelligence agent and former soldier like Bond wouldn't have first aid training), and he gave up after about a minute. Various reasons could be offered as to why he did so- respect for Vesper's evident wishes, knowledge that she could be used against him, or that the only future she could have would be as a prisoner or a fugitive, anger toward her, or all of the above. Bond consciously or subconsciously knows this, and it further fuels his guilt over her death.
-Vesper's death wasn't just an act of suicidal despair- it was deliberately intended to point Bond straight at Quantum, while ensuring that she could no longer be used against him or MI6. I like this one because it means that she isn't just a helpless woman who dies pointlessly to further a man's character arc, and because it adds a whole other layer to the plot of the films.
-Bond-verse is one of the many realities in the Marvel multi-verse, and Spectre is their dimension's version of Hydra. Pretty obvious really-they basically share a logo, even.

Mad Max:
Don't know if I've posted this one before, but- Mad Max Earth is Firefly's Earth That Was. I like this one partly because Fury Road had a sort of Whedon-like vibe to me at times, both with the feminist themes and with the War Boys distinctly reminding me of Reavers at times. And it would fit pretty well- we see in the opening of Serenity the Alliance's version of its founding's history, with ships fleeing a desolate Earth dotted with what appear to be massive nuclear blasts, and a suggestion that this was due to overpopulation/lack of resources. All of which fits Mad Max Earth's apocalypse very well. And of course, they couldn't realistically have evacuated everyone- most likely the rich/powerful people at the top plus their families and key lackeys buggered out, and left everyone else on a dying planet (this fits with how the Alliance is portrayed in Firefly/Serenity, with a wealthy core and chaotic, largely-ignored or uncontrollable fringes- I can see the abandonment of Earth by its elite as the "original sin" of the Alliance). Plus I liked that scene in Fury Road where they're looking up at a satellite passing overhead, and speculating over whether anyone is still out there using them. It's a nice thought that somewhere IS still out there using that tech, even if its in another solar system.