In Pixar’s Cars 2, Sir Miles Axlerod was formerly an oil baron.
Axlerod presents himself as a reformed industrialist who has abandoned petroleum and created the World Grand Prix to promote Allinol, an alternative fuel. He claims that the race will demonstrate the fuel’s benefits and encourage cars around the world to adopt it.
The film later reveals that Axlerod is the mastermind behind the plot involving modified cameras, electromagnetic pulses, and attacks on racers who use Allinol. His public identity as an environmental-minded former oil magnate is therefore part of the deception. Eddie Izzard voices the character.
Axlerod is sometimes confused with Professor Zündapp, another Cars 2 antagonist. Zündapp is the German scientist who helps develop the weapons and broadcasts, while Axlerod is the figure directing the conspiracy. Distinguishing their roles makes “oil baron” the specific answer to Axlerod’s backstory.