Sir Miles Axlerod Drives the Villainy in Cars 2
Sir Miles Axlerod is clearly the central antagonist in Cars 2. The British billionaire sets in motion an intricate plot centered around his new alternative fuel Allinol in a nefarious scheme to discredit renewable energy sources and force the world‘s cars to rely solely on oil.
Axlerod‘s Past Provides Motive for Mayhem
But Axlerod wasn‘t always rich and powerful – he originated as a "lemon" himself…a beat-up, broken down rustbucket of a vehicle built from the remains of a scrapped gas guzzler. His faulty engineering as an old-fashioned combustion engine car left him with poor performance, bad gas mileage, and tendency to break down. Axlerod despised how newer, sleeker electric and hybrid models made environmentally-unfriendly lemons like him obsolete.
After amassing his large fortune from oil profiteering, he converted himself into an electric vehicle to establish his environmentalist facade. Though as we learn later, this "conversion" never actually happened – he merely disguised his gas engine to appear electric while plotting his revenge.
Bitterness Over Obsolescence Drives Scheme
Axlerod assembles a gang of like-minded lemons, bitter over no longer feeling useful or relevant on today‘s high-tech roads. They want to get back at the newer vehicles flourishing thanks to alternative fuel options like electricity, solar, and Allinol. Teaming up with German scientist Professor Zündapp, they spearhead a criminal alliance called "The Lemons" to sabotage the World Grand Prix and sow distrust of alternative energy innovations.
The lemon villains represent the ugly side of change – those resistant who lash out when left behind by technological advancement. Their dangerous obstructionism threatens to stall progress to cling to the past.
Professor Z Keeps the Lemons Sharp
Serving as the Lemons‘ master engineer, Professor Zündapp designs the primary weapon used to attack Allinol-powered cars in the film. His electromagnetic pulse camera disrupts Allinol at a molecular level to make it combust unexpectedly.
Zündapp lacks the charisma and slick frontman skills of Sir Miles Axlerod, preferring to operate more covertly in his lab. But as the true technical brains behind the group, he poses the more lethal threat long-term should any lemons remain on the roads seeking further retribution.
Data Table Comparing Central Antagonists
| Character | Motivation | Scheme | Tactics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Miles Axlerod | Vengeance against alternative fuel innovations that made lemon cars like him obsolete | Orchestrate World Grand Prix plot to damage reputation of Allinol and other renewable fuels | Charismatic frontman; adept at deception and misdirection |
| Professor Zündapp | Resentment of progress away from fossil fuel engines he specializes in | Design devastating electromagnetic pulse camera to ignite Allinol fuel instability | Prefer covert tactics from behind the scenes over public persona |
Their contrasting approaches complement each other well for maximum combined chaos. Axlerod charts the strategy while Zündapp spearheads the science critical for enacting it.
Nuanced Portrayals Create Relatable Villains
Unlike early Cars movies with somewhat one-dimensional "bad guy" rivals, Cars 2 treats its antagonists to more nuanced characterization. We gain insight into the lemon cars‘ bitterness over no longer feeling useful as road technology relentlessly marches forward. While not justifying their abhorrent sabotage plots, it spotlights the underlying feelings of those left behind by change – an increasingly relevant societal dynamic.
Backstories Still Left Wanting…
But for all their added dimensionality, questions linger about the full backstories and interconnections between characters across films. How and where did Sir Miles Axlerod acquire the knowledge to engineer such a complex EMP device? Were there any ties linking the lemon gangs with the Delinquent Road Hazards from Radiator Springs? Why hasn‘t the authorities held Professor Z or any lemon operatives still at large accountable for their international terrorism? We still only have glimpses into key events implied but never shown onscreen explicitly.
As an enthusiastic Pixar fan, I still crave those untold origin stories that could yet link the franchise‘s disparate criminal element into a more coherent car universe!
Next Generation Villains Loom…
Cars 3 pivots from the spy thriller genres of Cars 2 back to the racing roots of the first film. But Jackson Storm represents the next evolution of high-tech sports cars augmented with precision instruments and analytic software – an existential threat of a different kind to old-timers like Lightning McQueen.
While not explicitly "evil" in nature, Storm‘s arrogance, taunting, and win-at-all-costs attitude carry shades of previous antagonists like Chick Hicks. And his entire next-gen cohort symbolizes innovation unchecked by honor – cutting-edge speed dialed up too fiercely without the wisdom of experience.
The future of racing looks fast…but faces even greater danger without the guiding voices of the past.
Final Musings from the Digital Driver‘s Seat
As a gamer who‘s grown up with Pixar‘s Cars series since 2006, I‘ve loved peeling back each subsequent sequel to uncover new layers of antagonist intrigue. Cars 2 earns especial appreciation for introducing the memorable Sir Miles Axlerod and the malicious lemon car conspiracy which hugely expanded Cars lore.
I can‘t wait for Cars 4‘s emergence to hopefully answer lingering backstory questions on these twisted engines! Who else might crawl out from the junkyard to challenge our Radiator Springs heroes next? Stay tuned here to my blog for all the latest Cars expanded universe speculation and theories!
