The Wolf (Film)

The **Wolf** is a tertiary antagonist featured in the 2022 action-comedy film *Bullet Train,* based on Kōtarō Isaka's 2010 dark comedic thriller novel *Maria Beetle*.

He is a murderous cartel member from Mexico who boards the bullet train seeking revenge, mistaking Ladybug for his wife's killer. In the film adaptation, he is portrayed by Bad Bunny.

## Appearance

The Wolf is a semi-muscular man of average height, with several tattoos across his body and dark curly hair. He wears a white suit with a black floral pattern and a dark collared shirt underneath. He also wears a pendant resembling the head of a wolf around his neck, which was given to him by his mother prior to her death.

## History

### Background

Very little is known about his early life, he is seen living with his mother as a child, while his father is absent. When The Wolf was nine, his mother fell ill. Bedridden, she eventually succumbed to her sickness and was buried outside their home by her own son. As an orphan, The Wolf ran away and grew up as a young street fighter.

After beating several cartel members in an alley, a nearby criminal noticed his potential and presented him to the notorious cartel boss named El Saguaro. The Wolf began working for him and was deployed in drug exchanges as well as assassinations. At some point, he met a woman at a bar and eventually married her.

El Saguaro attended their wedding along with the rest of the drug cartel. However, an assassin known as The Hornet was hired to infiltrate the party, disguised as the pastry chef, and poisoned the wedding cake. Another assassin called Ladybug was sent presumably as her backup, disguised as the cocktail server.

As the guests drink wine, The Hornet laces the cake with boomslang snake venom. As The Wolf and his fiancée kiss, Ladybug accidentally spills wine on his suit. He attempts to chase him but his soon-to-be wife stops him. As The Wolf goes to a nearby sink to clean his suit, he heard screams and returned to find everyone vomiting blood as a result of the poison. He cradled his fiancée's corpse in his arms, yelling in rage and grief.

That night, The Wolf calls one of his henchmen and orders him to find the identity of his wife's killer. A few days later, the Wolf receives intel on Ladybug, an assassin who had been present at the wedding. He discovers that he has recently taken a job in Japan and is scheduled to board a high-speed bullet train for his next mission.

### *Bullet Train*

Seeking revenge, The Wolf travels to Japan and boards the bullet train at Shinagawa Station, armed with a dagger and preparing to murder Ladybug. In an incredible twist of fate, The Wolf immediately sees Ladybug inside as he enters the passenger car.

As Ladybug stares at his dagger, The Wolf swiftly stabs him in the chest and tackles him into the first class lounge, just as the train departs for Shin-Yokohama. The Wolf pulls his dagger away, only to find that he had stabbed Ladybug's cellphone instead. Amused at his dumb luck, The Wolf attacks him again. Ladybug quickly dodges in the nick of time, causing him to plunge his dagger into a television screen. A confused Ladybug begs for him to stop, only for The Wolf to accuse him of murdering his wife. Ladybug claims not to understand, repeatedly blocking The Wolf's slashes with the back of his aluminum briefcase.

The Wolf kicks him to the ground and throws his dagger at him, only for Ladybug to block it with his case. The dagger deflects back at The Wolf, plunging deep into his heart. The Wolf utters his last words, before falling to the floor and breaking his neck on Ladybug's luggage.

Ladybug then proceeds to disguise his corpse as a sleeping passenger, removing the knife from his body and covering the wound with a blanket. His corpse is presumably damaged when the bullet train crashes at the end of the film.

## Trivia

* The actor who plays the child version of The Wolf, Ian Martinez, is listed in the end credits as "Wolf (9 Years Old)". Since the flashback is stated to have occurred twenty-six years ago, it can be assumed that The Wolf is thirty-five at the time of the film's events. This means that he must have been born sometime around 1985 or 1986.
* Despite never meeting her, The Wolf did play a role in The Hornet's death, as his involvement caused Ladybug to investigate her. Thus, in a way, The Wolf did get to avenge his wife even if he didn't live to see it.