Kurt Russell’s villainous character in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof is called Stuntman Mike.
Stuntman Mike uses a specially modified “death-proof” car to stalk and attack women, claiming that his vehicle protects him in crashes. The character’s professional background connects him to the film’s fascination with practical stunts, muscle cars and exploitation-cinema conventions.
Death Proof was released in 2007 as part of the double feature Grindhouse, paired with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror. For the theatrical presentation, both films were accompanied by deliberately low-budget fake trailers. Death Proof was later released as a longer standalone version.
Kurt Russell’s character is often shortened to Mike, but Stuntman Mike is the canonical name used in the film’s credits and reference material. The first group includes Jungle Julia, Arlene and Shanna; the later group includes Abernathy, Lee and Kim, whose confrontation with Mike drives the finale.