Who Is Carapax: The Blue Beetle Trailer's Big Armored Bad Guy Explained
The final trailer for DC's "Blue Beetle" is officially here, bringing with it an abundance of never-before-seen footage that is sure to get comic book fans even more excited for this highly anticipated superhero blockbuster. Where the film's first trailer focused on delivering exposition about the titular Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), this final trailer presents us with a much broader, much more exciting glimpse of everything the film has to offer.
Perhaps most importantly, this new trailer gives us our first in-depth look at one of the villains of "Blue Beetle," an armored brute named Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo). Carapax appears frequently throughout the second half of the trailer; first ambushing Jaime on a bridge in a red, Blue Beetle-like exosuit, then returning for a later battle in a hulking set of armor with wings on the back.
This secondary behemoth of a suit appears to have the same shapeshifting abilities as the Blue Beetle himself, as we can see Carapax use those powers to create a spinning claw hand from thin air. Later, we also watch him duel Jaime in a warehouse, his claw now transformed into a sparking red chainsaw. Although Carapax is clearly set to be a heavy focus of "Blue Beetle," some of the more casual DC fans may be unfamiliar with this particular member of Blue Beetle's rogues gallery. Here's everything you need to know about Carapax, and his potential role in DC's "Blue Beetle."
Who is Carapax in DC Comics?
Conrad Carapax (sometimes referred to as Carapax the Indestructible Man) was created by comic writers Len Wein and Paris Cullins and debuted in "Blue Beetle Vol 6" #1 in June 1986.
Carapax was originally an archeologist who maintained a small rivalry with fellow archeologist Daniel Garrett, who also happened to be the original Blue Beetle. Daniel Garrett died while battling the mad scientist Jarvis Kord on Pago Island, though not before passing down the mantle to his student (and Kord's nephew) Theodore "Ted" Kord. Carapax was drawn to Pago Island after Garrett's death and wound up accidentally stumbling into Jarvis Kord's hidden laboratory. Inside the lab, Carapax unwisely attempted to turn on a monstrous robot made of indestructible metal — only for the robot to malfunction and immediately electrocute him to death.
Before dying, Carapax's mind was transferred into the robot itself, transforming him into Carapax the Indestructible Man. Carapax (apparently driven mad by this transition) massacred a search party sent to investigate the island before being thrown into the ocean by the new Blue Beetle. Unfortunately, because his new body was indestructible, Carapax simply walked across the ocean floor until he found land. Conrad Carapax has sworn vengeance on Blue Beetle ever since, and has returned for a variety of different storylines later on; becoming a recurring villain of Ted Kord, and even battling other DC icons like Superman and Firestorm.
What are Carapax's powers and weaknesses?
In the comics, Conrad Carapax's powers are all derived from his indestructible robot body, which grants him superhuman strength, superhuman durability, and the power of energy absorption. Carapax's strength is great enough that he is able to tear down buildings and lift up several tons of rubble with ease, and in "Action Comics #841," we learn that he is able to absorb Superman's heat vision and convert it to raw energy.
Essentially indestructible, Carapax's robotic body is also equipped with missiles that can fire from his forearms, which the comic version of Jaime Reyes redirected to defeat Carapax during one of their only battles together. Despite being billed as "The Indestructible Man," it's worth noting that Carapax has some pretty significant weaknesses. Being a robot, Carapax is susceptible to technological attacks and hacking, which means you'd probably need only a tricky computer virus to wipe him out completely. On top of that, he is easily defeated by Firestorm during "Action Comics #841," who converts all of Carapax's copper wiring into germanium using his power over molecular structure.
All that said, it's unclear whether or not these specific powers and weaknesses will factor into the upcoming film portrayal of Carapax, since "Blue Beetle" seems to be taking some serious liberties with the character's comic book background.
How does the film version of Carapax differ from the comics?
In the final trailer for "Blue Beetle," one of the first times we see Conrad Carapax is when he's standing next to Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon); a tyrannical businesswoman who will stop at nothing to take back the mysterious "Scarab" that gave Jaime Reyes his powers.
We can therefore assume that Carapax is likely working for Kord when he first attacks Jaime, trying to take the Scarab by force using some kind of superpowered exosuit. Although it's clear that this version of Carapax is indeed wearing this suit (since Jaime knocks his helmet during the fight), when he switches into his massive, far more recognizable suit near the trailer's end, one has to wonder if he's actually inside there at all. It's entirely possible that the film is taking a cue from Carapax's comic book backstory here, and perhaps at some point in the movie he will have his consciousness transferred into the hulking winged robot that we see in the trailer.
One obvious difference between the movie version of Carapax and his comic book counterpart is his powers. After entering the second set of armor, the trailer's version of Carapax apparently gains some of the same transformative properties as the Blue Beetle armor — an ability likely derived from the Scarab before it wound up in Jaime's possession. While we can only speculate on how big of a role Carapax might play in "Blue Beetle," it's already clear that the movie is making some major alterations to his motivations and abilities.