Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Man on Fire‘ follows the story of a former mercenary named John Creasy who has all but given up on life. When his old friend, Paul Rayburn, and his wife and sons are killed in an explosion, Creasy takes on the charge of his daughter, Poe. Because she is the only survivor and the witness of the explosion, the bad guys are after her. It is on Creasy to save her, while also unraveling the conspiracy behind the attack. All of this happens in Rio de Janeiro, with Brazil on the brink of a presidential election. It’s current president, Carmo, and his team work with Creasy, at least initially, but soon, they turn out to have a different agenda. The portrayal of Carmo’s political ambitions adds a realistic touch to the story. SPOILERS AHEAD.
President Carmo is Fictional But Reflects the Limitless Ambition of Politicians
‘Man on Fire’ is a fictional story inspired by A. J. Quinnell’s novel of the same name. The show takes a very different approach to the story and adds its own characters, one of whom is President Carmo. Initially, he appears to be one of the good guys, keen on exposing the terrorist elements endangering the peace of the country. Eventually, however, it turns out that he is one of the primary orchestrators of the explosion, which was supposed to boost his numbers and ensure he continues to be the president. Carmo is not based on a real politician, but his political greed represents the things that power-hungry people can do and the levels they can stoop to get what they want.
Carmo faces prison time for his actions, like another former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. He was arrested for attempting a coup between 2022 and 2023, where he and his supporters allegedly planned to enact a series of events that would shut down government institutions and make sure that he remains in power, even if it meant throwing the country into further turmoil. In ‘Man on Fire,’ Carmo wants the same thing, though he has a rather different approach to it. Still, it is a reflection of what real politicians can get up to. For actor Billy Blanco Jr., it was very important to know where the character comes from. While we don’t get any backstory for the character, Blanco created an elaborate story to explain where he comes from.
The actor said that he saw Carmo coming from a military background, marrying a woman whose family is wealthy, spending some time in New York (which accounts for his good English), and then returning to Brazil to be a politician. While his initial intentions may have been good, power corrupted him to the point that he decided to sabotage his own people to stay in power. For this, he not only makes a deal with foreign elements, but kinda sells his soul, doing all the bad things that happen, including the explosion, to the people he was elected to serve. Eventually, this never-ending appetite for power and wealth becomes his downfall. Through this elaborate backstory and a deep dive into the psyche of the character, Blanco succeeds in presenting a real, albeit disturbing, portrayal of a modern politician.
Read More: Man on Fire Ending Explained: Are Tappen and Soares Dead?
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