Everyone is sick of superhero origin stories, but the DCU is in desperate need of fresh blood. Blue Beetle is on his way to make the lineup more interesting. While this needs to be Jaime's movie, the importance of a good villain can't be overstated. Blue Beetle will set the titular hero against two enemies, the ruthless businesswoman Victoria Kord and the Indestructible Man Conrad Carapax.
DC is having a hard time with villains at the moment. For reasons no one can adequately explain, both The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom have returned to familiar villains rather than creating new ones. Earlier DC films gave the world some of its best villains in two great Jokers and Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor. In heroes and villains, DC needs new faces.
Who is Carapax in DC Comics?
Conrad Carapax was primarily an antagonist of the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Carapax was introduced as a rival of the first Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett. He's had more interactions with both of the other two Blue Beetles, but Carapax did eventually become an enemy of Jaime. Carapax's story starts after the tragic death of Dan Garrett. As a minor rival of the deceased archaeologist, Carapax sought to outdo his foe once and for all. Carapax traveled to the mysterious Pago Island to find the treasure Garrett supposedly died looking for. Carapax made the trip to the island alone. He discovered the hidden laboratory of Jarvis Kord, Ted's uncle. The lab was full of scientific wonders, most notably a massive fully-constructed robot. Carapax tried to turn on the machine, only to be horribly electrocuted. Carapax died instantly, but the unique circumstances led to his brain being infused into the robot.
What Are Carapax's Powers?
Carapax is widely known as the Indestructible Man. The name is appropriate, as Carapax appears to be resistant to most forms of physical damage. In his first battle with Ted Kord, he was struck multiple times by powerful blasts. He then sunk into the Atlantic Ocean. Carapax survived the trip to the bottom of the sea, presumably tanking the tremendous pressure that the experience would entail. Carapax walked along the floor of the ocean for months before he emerged to seek revenge. Carapax's powers aren't complicated. He has tremendous strength, and he's very hard to kill. Ted Kord managed to take Carapax out of commission by crashing his Bug Ship into his body at around 1000 miles per hour and detonating it. The Indestructible Man didn't stay destroyed for long.
Shortly after Carapax's destruction, a fallen angel called Neron offered him a Faustian bargain. Neron generally travels around offering fabulous powers or the return of deceased loved ones in exchange for the victim's immortal soul. Dozens of villains and a couple of heroes have agreed to the deal, but Carapax passed, suggesting a bit of moral backbone. Luckily, Neron wasn't the only being offering Carapax a fresh start.
Aliens found Carapax's body rusting at the bottom of the ocean. Some vestige of Carapax's personality still lived on within the devastated machine. The aliens were kind enough to transfer Carapax into a new robot body. His second form was almost identical. He used it to face Superman and Firestorm. Ronnie Raymond found that his fire wouldn't easily burn the Indestructible Man, but he easily bested Carapax by altering the chemical structure of his circuitry. Carapax would later rebuild himself into a steampunk-inspired machine that was less susceptible to technological attacks. This version of Carapax gave Jaime Reyes some trouble until Blue Beetle defeated him by redirecting his missiles. Carapax adds weapons to his arsenal whenever he feels like it, but his robotic body is his strongest asset.
Who is Playing Carapax in the Blue Beetle Movie?
Conrad Carapax will be portrayed by Raoul Max Trujillo in Blue Beetle. Trujillo is a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe who has been acting since his stage debut in a production of Equus in 1977. Trujillo is also an accomplished dancer and choreographer. Trujillo is well-known for portraying the main antagonist in the 2006 film Apocalypto and Rafael in both Sicario films. On TV, Trujillo stars as Taza on the ongoing FX drama Mayans M. C. Trujillo has well over 100 credits in film and TV, but Blue Beetle will be his first foray into the superhero genre.
Carapax is a very minor DC Comics villain who will enjoy an appropriate role in the film. Susan Sarandon stars in the film as the principal antagonist, but Carapax is clearly the muscle of the organization. Carapax represents a physical threat to Jaime, even with the tremendous power of his armor. The film seems to be giving Carapax a suite of weapons that more closely mirror the Blue Beetle's arsenal. With the unique direction of the film, DC fans should be looking forward to some stellar fight scenes between this new hero and the Indestructible Man.