Carlos

Lore & Background

Carlos is the terrorist leader whom Jason Bourne is compelled to hunt. In the novel, Bourne learns that his attackers' leader may be Carlos. Bourne follows clues that bring him closer to Carlos, leading him to places such as a designer clothing store used as a relay for Carlos. Though Bourne twice briefly sees Carlos, he does not manage to catch or kill him. It is revealed that Bourne had assumed the alias "Cain" to hunt down Carlos as part of a top-secret American plot called Treadstone Seventy-One. Carlos frames Bourne for the murders of Treadstone operatives by having two of his operatives storm the building and kill those inside. In the epilogue, Bourne is confronted by Carlos in New York; they wound each other, but when Carlos is on the verge of killing Bourne, remaining Treadstone members arrive and force Carlos to retreat. At the novel's end, Bourne remains the only one to have ever seen the face of Carlos and may be able to recognize him, but is unable to do so due to his erratic memory.

In Their Own Story

Carlos is the terrorist mastermind whom Jason Bourne is driven to hunt. In the novel, Bourne learns that his attackers' leader may be Carlos, described as "the most dangerous terrorist of his time." Bourne follows clues to a designer clothing store used as a relay for Carlos. He twice briefly sees Carlos but does not catch or kill him. Carlos frames Bourne for the murders of Treadstone operatives by having two operatives storm the building and kill those inside. In New York, Carlos confronts Bourne; they wound each other, but when Carlos is about to kill Bourne, remaining Treadstone members arrive and force Carlos to retreat. At the novel's end, Bourne is the only one to have ever seen Carlos's face, but his erratic memory prevents him from identifying Carlos.

Reader's Guide

Carlos is the primary antagonist in the novel *The Bourne Identity*. He is a terrorist leader responsible for numerous killings across many countries and is well connected in the highest government circles. Bourne is compelled to hunt him, following clues to locations such as a designer clothing store used as a relay. Bourne twice briefly sees Carlos but does not catch or kill him. Carlos frames Bourne for the murders of Treadstone operatives. In the climax, Carlos confronts Bourne in New York; they wound each other, but Carlos is forced to retreat when Treadstone members arrive. At the novel's end, Bourne is the only one to have seen Carlos's face, but his erratic memory prevents identification.

Did You Know?

• The novel's preface consists of two real-life newspaper articles from 1975 about terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known as 'Carlos the Jackal.'
• Bourne twice briefly sees Carlos in the novel but does not manage to catch or kill him.
• Carlos frames Bourne for the murders of Treadstone operatives by having two operatives storm the building and kill those inside.
• In the epilogue, Carlos confronts Bourne in New York; they wound each other, but Carlos is forced to retreat when Treadstone members arrive.
• At the novel's end, Bourne is the only one to have ever seen the face of Carlos, but his erratic memory prevents him from identifying Carlos.