Who is the main antagonist and secret identity of the villain in Pixar's Cars 2?

Miles Axlerod is the main antagonist and secretly the villain in Pixar's Cars 2.

Axlerod is introduced as a former oil baron who has converted himself into an electric car. He creates the World Grand Prix to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel, and presents the event as an international celebration of clean technology.

The film later reveals that Axlerod is behind the plan to discredit Allinol. His scheme uses electromagnetic pulses to cause cars running on the fuel to malfunction, while the resulting chaos helps him pursue a larger power grab. The revelation makes him the story's hidden mastermind.

Professor Zündapp, a German scientist, is an important collaborator and visible villain, but he is not the ultimate leader. Finn McMissile is a British spy and hero, while Francesco Bernoulli is a competing race car. These roles are frequent sources of confusion when identifying Cars 2's villain.