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| “ | Ethan, today is a day you’re gonna remember for a very long time, but if you handle it right, you’ll have a chance to forget it. | „ |
| ~ The Traveler's first words to Ethan. |
| “ | This is the way the world works. There’s people in control, and there’s people that listen. I’m the guy you listen to. | „ |
| ~ The Traveler to Ethan, his most famous quote. |
The Traveler is the main antagonist of the 2024 Netflix action thriller film Carry-On.
He is an enigmatic mercenary-for-hire who is being paid to bring the highly dangerous chemical weapon, the Novichok, among a flight of 250 people to kill them all. To do this, the Traveler forces TSA agent Ethan Kopek to do his bidding, under the threat of killing his girlfriend Nora Parisi.
He was portrayed by Jason Bateman, who also played Simon Callum in The Gift, Trevor Olson in Central Intelligence, Marty Byrde in Ozark, The Outsider impersonating Terry Maitland in The Outsider, and Darkos in Arthur and the Invisibles.
Biography[]
Little is known about the Traveler's origin. According to him, he has a son who believes him to be an insurance agent, but is unclear whether this is a lie or not. What is known is that at some point, the Traveler was hired by an unknown group, presumably arms manufacturers, to bring a chemical weapon called Novichok aboard a plane with 250 passengers, including a Congresswoman lobbying for increased weapons funding; the resulting deaths would implicate Russia, and cause funding for arms manufacturers to increase. The Traveler is assisted in his plans by the Watcher, a sadistic fellow mercenary who hacks into the airport's security system. He initially gains the Novichok by paying a pair of Russian arms dealers who have made home in Los Angeles, but ultimately chooses to kill them and burn their home to the ground as to not leave behind any evidence.
As part of the plan, the Traveler kidnaps a man named Jesse, and forces his husband Mateo Flores to bring the Novichok aboard the flight, granting him two tickets; one for the actual plane and the other for a different plane with four marines aboard as to draw suspicion away. To make sure the Novichok passes inspection, the Traveler sends one of his henchmen to threaten the family of TSA officer Jason Noble, intending to use an earbud to make Noble allow the Novichok to pass through airport security. However, the plan is complicated when Ethan Kopek, a fellow TSA officer, replaces Noble at his position. The Traveler decides to give the earbud to Ethan instead, choosing to threaten Ethan's girlfriend Nora, who works as a manager at the airport.
Ethan attempts to use his phone, watch, and other resources to expose the Traveler, momentarily calling 911, but is thwarted at every turn, as the Traveler even kills Ethan's friend Lionel after the latter is informed of the occurring crime. The Traveler manages to get Ethan to get Jason sent home for drinking, and eventually succeed in letting Mateo Flores pass airport security. However, a sweep of the entire terminal is ordered by a detective investigating the death of the Russian arms dealers who used Ethan's 911 call to trace the Traveler to the airport, and Ethan manages to get Mateo Flores flagged and investigated. When the Traveler confronts him about this, Ethan steals his plastic gun, leading to the Traveler to preemptively trigger the Novichok, forcing Ethan to yet again do the Traveler's bidding and manually shut down the bomb before everyone in the airport is killed.
Ethan is able to track down Flores and the bomb, though his supervisor Phil Sarkowski is killed by Flores in the process, and ultimately disarms it. The Traveler then tasks Flores with with killing Ethan to tie up loose ends; Ethan is able to survive, and Flores is killed due to overusing the plastic gun, which overheats and explodes. The Traveler then decides to track down Ethan himself, and manages to recover the briefcase with the bomb after shooting Ethan. With the police tracking down the wrong terminal, the Traveler boards the flight with intent to parachute out after triggering the gas. However, it is revealed Ethan switched the briefcase for a bigger one, so that the gas is stored in the cargo hold. At the same time, Ethan is able to get aboard the plane as well, and manually deactivate the gas himself. The Traveler realizes this, and the two have a final confrontation in the cargo hold, which culminates with Ethan shoving the Novichok and the Traveler into a fridge, killing the Traveler and preventing the gas from leaking.
Personality[]
The Traveler is most characterized by his cold demeanor. He always seems to be painfully straightfoward about his intentions and motives, never showing any remorse or regret for his actions, no matter the outcome. He is also quite enigmatic, as even his real name is never revealed, and he is simply credited as "the Traveler".
He is also very intelligent, regularly staying level-headed at every fold in his plans, contrary to his associates, such as Ethan being at Jason's post. The Traveler also mentions he has a son, who thinks he works in insurance, but makes a point to not refer to him as "family", hinting that he is divorced.
Gallery[]
To be added
Trivia[]
- Jason Bateman and Dean Norris previously worked together on Fool's Paradise.