In Pixar’s Cars 2, Mater becomes a spy during the World Grand Prix adventure.
Mater travels overseas with Lightning McQueen and is mistakenly recruited into an international espionage operation. British agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell believe his apparently simple behavior hides expert spy skills, while Mater’s accidental observations repeatedly help uncover the conspiracy.
The spy plot runs alongside the World Grand Prix. Mater investigates the threat connected to the alternative fuel Allinol and the group of criminals who manipulate the races and broadcast footage. His role is comic, but it also makes him central to the film’s mystery.
Mater is not officially a trained intelligence agent at the beginning of the story. His “spy” status comes from mistaken identity and lucky improvisation. Cars 2 therefore differs from the first film by making Mater, rather than Lightning, the main viewpoint character.