Miles Axlerod is revealed as the main villain behind the alternate-fuel conspiracy in Pixar’s Cars 2.
Axlerod presents himself as a former oil baron who has converted to electric power and created the World Grand Prix to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel. The film later reveals that his public identity and supposed transformation conceal a plan involving the fuel, electromagnetic weapons, and a campaign of attacks designed to discredit Allinol.
The conspiracy is investigated by British agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell, while Mater becomes involved after being mistaken for an American spy. Professor Zündapp serves Axlerod as a technical accomplice, which can make him seem like the central villain during much of the story.
Cars 2 was released in 2011 and is the franchise’s most overtly spy-themed film. Axlerod’s reveal connects the racing plot to the larger mystery and explains why the World Grand Prix was created.