Why Blue Beetle's Villain Carapax Looks So Familiar
Every superhero is only as good as their supervillain, and Jaime Reyes is no different. The newest debut in the DC Extended Universe (played by "Cobra Kai" star Xolo Maridueña) flew onto screens across the globe last week in Warner Bros. Pictures' "Blue Beetle," where he squared off against Lt. Ignacio Carapax.
Even though he doesn't reinvent the supervillain trope in modern comic book movies, he is at least lent some complexity thanks to a grounded performance from actor and groundbreaking dancer-choreographer Raoul Max Trujillo. Whether he's trading blows with Jaime in a CGI fight (that charitably plays like an homage to the first "Iron Man" film) or trading in exposition with perfectly perfunctory corporate baddie Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), Trujillo brings a welcome sense of gravitas as he colors Carapax's intimidating exterior with shades of trauma and regret.
Boasting an impressive career spanning several decades and numerous well-known projects, it's likely older audience members recognized Trujillo (you know, underneath all the OMAC armor) from some of their favorite films and television shows.
Raoul Max Trujillo played Zero Wolf in Apocalypto
Before he was cast as the villainous Hotel Manager Cormac in Peacock's upcoming "John Wick" spin-off miniseries "The Continental," Mel Gibson was a celebrated director best known for back-to-back successes "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ." His last film before a somewhat involuntary ten-year break (after an indefensible display of antisemitism would see him blacklisted in Hollywood) was the 2006 historical thriller "Apocalypto," in which Raoul Max Trujillo starred as the ruthless Mayan warrior Zero Wolf.
In a 2011 interview with the blog Straight 2 DVD, Trujillo described the production process as "one of the hardest shoots [he's] ever done." From starting his elaborate hair and makeup routine to wrapping up the daily shoot, he had to work as much as 17 hours a day. "As you can figure, not much time to sleep," he told the blog. Though Trujillo welcomed the end of the "brutal" ten-month experience, he stated that he "enjoyed the results immensely."
On whether or not he'd join another one of Gibson's projects in the future, Trujillo admitted the circumstances would have to be very different. Though he spoke generously of the director on a personal and professional level, he called Gibson a "dictator" and stated, "I'd work with him again but ask for way more money for the suffering."
He tracked mud demons in Riddick
After securing the rights to the "Chronicles of Riddick" franchise, Vin Diesel was finally able to produce another "Pitch Black" sequel. Titled "Riddick," the 2013 film came almost nine years after the series' last installment and reunited Diesel with writer-director David Twohy.
While it may not be a career highlight for anyone involved, it certainly sounds like it was a blast to make — at least, if you listen to Raoul Max Trujillo, who loved the original film and played the Mud Demon tracker Lockspur in the 2013 sequel. In an interview with SCNS Live, he revealed that Twohy wasn't even sure what part he'd play when he was cast. "[He said,] 'You're gonna be in this movie. I don't know exactly doing what [or] what character, but you're gonna be in this movie,'" recalled Trujillo. The New Mexican actor shared that he was encouraged by both Diesel and Twohy to create a mythology for his character by drawing from his own culture. Trujillo thus introduced them to the Pueblo water deity Avanyu, which apparently informed Lockspur's knowledge of the creatures his team was against and inspired a key moment later in the film.
What Trujillo seemed to enjoy most about the production was the familial sense of collaboration the ensemble cast cultivated under Twohy's guidance. He expressed an obvious love for his co-stars, especially one Dave Bautista, who was just about to become a household name with his role in "Guardians of the Galaxy." Trujillo laughed, "Bautista just killed me because he is one of the most gentle, kind people I've ever met, and you look at him and you think he's gonna just pound the crap out of you..."
Trujillo played Rafael in Sicario and its sequel
Though he's now known for his sprawling television empire (thanks to shows like "Yellowstone" and its various, star-studded spin-offs), Taylor Sheridan began his writing career in film, penning the Writers Guild of America Award-nominated screenplay for the 2015 crime thriller "Sicario." Helmed by future "Dune" and "Blade Runner 2049" director Denis Villeneuve, "Sicario" (and its sequel "Sicario: Day of the Soldado") explores a complex world of hitmen, drug cartels, and the extranational agencies that combat them — at times through morally dubious methods.
Raoul Max Trujillo played Rafael, a vague character that — based on his isolated presence in the film and his lack of presence in the screenplay — appears to have been created at some point during the production. Appearing in both films, he seems to be some sort of Mexican politician with specialized knowledge of cartel operations, especially when it involves the US-Mexico border. He has a personal relationship with the titular "Sicario" (Spanish for "Hitman") Alejandro Gillick (played by Benicio del Toro). In the second film, he has a slightly larger role and works with both Alejandro and Josh Brolin's CIA cowboy Matt Graver. A third film is currently in development, with both del Toro and Brolin tentatively set to return.
He was a bounty hunter on The Blacklist
Long before Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) stumbled to a bizarre end on "The Blacklist," leaving many of its mysteries unsolved, Raoul Max Trujillo played a minor recurring antagonist, Mato, in three episodes in 2016.
In Season 3, Episode 23, "Alexander Kirk (No. 14): Conclusion," Mato, a ruthless bounty hunter and gun for hire, kidnaps Agnes Keen (Emily and Katherine Kell) on behalf of Ulrich Thomsen's titular blacklister (who is ultimately revealed to be Agnes' maternal stepgrandfather, Constantin Rostov) and attempts to kill her father, Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold).
By the time Mato gets an episode named after him (Season 4, Episode 2, "Mato"), his time is up — Red manages to capture him just long enough to threaten him with an improper burial should he refuse to reveal Kirk's whereabouts. In the face of eternal spiritual torment, Mato relents and exits the series with a dignified off-screen gunshot.
Trujillo served as Vice President of the Mayans M.C.
2023 has been a huge year for Raoul Max Trujillo, as he not only returned to the big screen in a big way in "Blue Beetle," but ended a five-season run on the FX series "Mayans M.C." A spin-off of the wildly popular "Sons of Anarchy" from the minds of both Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, "Mayans" began in 2018 and ended in July 2023.
Trujillo played Che "Taza" Romero, who begins the series as an ex-club member who once served as the Mayans' Vice President. Over the course of the series, Taza begins a sexual and romantic relationship with another man — a dangerous act in the hyper-masculine, largely homophobic criminal underworld he was involved in.
"[James] asked me ahead of [Season 3] if I was comfortable with playing a bisexual man, and I told him I was ready to do whatever he needed me to do for the show," Trujillo told Entertainment Weekly in 2021. "[The writers] wanted to explore this taboo subject [within] biker culture. These are very real elements that exist. We know this could lead to some blowback because these types of things are not to be talked about." Trujillo clearly has an appreciation for what his work can do and — though the stakes are very different — seemingly brought this level of commitment and care to his work in "Blue Beetle."