Frankenstein (Death Race)

Frankenstein
Frankenstein as he appears in Death Race 2000 (left) and Death Race 1-3 (right)
First appearance	Death Race 2000
Last appearance	Death Race 2050
Information
Aliases	Jensen Ames (Death Race) Carl "Luke" Lucas (Death Race 2 and Death Race 3: Inferno) Niles York (Death Race 3: Inferno) Frankenstein (Death Race 2000 and Death Race 2050)
Gender	Male
Occupation	Driver Convict
Nationality	American (Carl Lucas, Frankenstein) British (Niles York, Jensen Ames)

Frankenstein is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Death Race franchise. Within the film universe, the character is an alias taken on by other characters who participate in the titular race.

In the original 1975 film, Frankenstein is portrayed as the reigning champion of the Death Race, an annual gladiator-style cross-country race. A symbol of the ruling fascist government, he is a feared racer who is purported to be half-man, half-machine.

In reality, it turns out that there have been several Frankensteins over the years – each one recruited by the government to replace their injured or killed predecessors. In this way, with each man donning the same alias and disguise, Frankenstein seems to be an unkillable opponent who survives any crash or injury. The current Frankenstein (David Carradine), is disillusioned with the government, as well as the race, and he plans to assassinate the tyrannical President (Sandy McCallum). Although his plans to win the race and destroy the government are nearly ruined by the actions of a Resistance movement, he eventually succeeds in both winning and killing the President. He then assumes the office of President himself and puts an end to the Death Race.

In the 2008 remake of the 1975 film, ex-race driver Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is imprisoned on Terminal Island after he is framed for his wife's murder. Terminal Island is home to a televised gladiator-style race called "Death Race", and Ames soon finds himself forced to race by the tyrannical Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen). Ames must assume the mantle of Frankenstein, the current leading racer, whose appearance is covered by a mask. The previous Frankenstein was killed in a fiery crash, though the prison population believes he has simply spent the last six months recovering in the infirmary. The previous Frankenstein had already won four out of five races necessary to secure freedom, requiring Ames to only win one more race. Hennessey explains that Frankenstein is the most popular racer in the history of the race, and ratings would take a sharp hit if his death were announced.

Ames soon learns that Hennessey was behind his wife's murder, using Ulrich (Jason Clarke), the lead guard, and Pachenko (Max Ryan), a fellow racer. Ames decides to win the Death Race and use it as means of revenge. With only his crew pit knowing the truth about Frankenstein, Ames goes on to uncover what happened to his predecessor and succeeds in using the race to escape, along with his chief rival, Machine-Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). Afterwards, Coach (Ian McShane), a member of his pit crew, detonates a bomb in Hennessey's office, killing both her and Ulrich. It is unknown if the Frankenstein mantle was resurrected by the next warden.