Maximus

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Maximus is an Inhuman and member of the Inhuman Royal Family. He is the younger brother of Black Bolt, the rightful king of Attilan, and is known for his madness and ambition. He is clever and conniving, and possesses various mental abilities.

Biography

Usurpation

In the early 1960s, Maximus was held prisoner in Attilan by his brother, King Black Bolt. Maximus sought to usurp the throne and become all-powerful among Inhumans. He used his mental powers to grant a modicum of intelligence (described as "near-human") to a trio of Alpha Primitives. They exposed themselves to the Terrigen Mist and transformed into a trio of flying balls of raw energy called the Trikon. They led the Alpha Primitives in a violent revolt through the city, freeing Maximus and generally wreaking havoc. Medusa challenged the Trikon, but was badly injured and stricken with amnesia. She wandered out of Attilan, conscious of little beyond her own name. Black Bolt and Lockjaw teamed up, creating a portal to the Negative Zone and sending the Trikon through it with a whisper.

The family sans Medusa returned to the throne room to find that Maximus aimed to usurp Black Bolt's crown in the wake of the rebellion. Gorgon went to attack him, but Maximus revealed that he held Gorgon's parents, Korath and Milena, prisoner, and would kill Korath if Gorgon and the others resisted. Maximus led them to a secret corridor underground where hundreds of hostages were held at gunpoint by his followers. Maximus forced Black Bolt's hand, demanding that he peacefully surrender the throne to him or he would kill the hostages. The next day, Black Bolt transferred power to his brother at the royal meeting hall, to mixed reactions from those assembled. Maximus constructed the façade that Black Bolt felt himself responsible for the rebellion and was voluntarily abdicating. As part of that abdication, Black Bolt and his allies were to leave Attilan—in truth, an exile imposed by the new king. With his rule secured, Maximus ordered his loyal lieutenant, the Seeker, to round up and kill the leading Alpha Primitive rebels to quell any possibility of further revolt.

The hunt for Medusa

The family spent months searching for Medusa to no avail. Gorgon returned on his own months later, desperate to secure asylum in Attilan for the family. Maximus gave him an audience and agreed to let the family return on two conditions: one, that Medusa was returned as well; and two, that Gorgon's parents would remain under house arrest. Gorgon wanted to see his parents, so Seeker led him to the dungeon, where Milena told him that Korath had been killed in an attempted escape. Seeker shot Gorgon with a stun beam, placed a transmitter in his headband, and dropped him outside Attilan. Maximus told Gorgon through a video screen that if he returned again without Medusa, Milena would be killed as well. Maximus's intent in returning Medusa was twofold: one, her presence would pacify the citizens of Attilan; and two, he wished to make her his bride. Maximus ordered the Seeker to keep track of the family until Medusa was found, "and then bring them all back [...] in chains."

Medusa reemerged after over two years in New York City as a member of the villainous team known as the Frightful Four. The four proved a potent challenge to their nemeses, the Fantastic Four, but in the end, all but Medusa were captured and incarcerated.[1] Medusa became an infamous figure, and her publicity drew the family to New York, where they hid in an underground base in the Bowery while Gorgon pursued her. The family's private meetings were transmitted in full to the Seeker, who arrived in New York shortly after the Frightful Four were defeated. The Fantastic Four and Dragon Man were roped into Gorgon's pursuit of Medusa. Eventually, Medusa was returned to the Inhumans' hideout, where she regained her memory—exactly how is unclear, but it's possible that being around her entire family triggered the return of her memories.[2]

The atmo-gun gambit

In the end, the Seeker captured Triton and returned him to Attilan, and the rest of the family teleported there to confront Maximus directly. Maximus sent a group of Alpha Primitives after them, but after the family fought them off, he acted as though the Primitives had attacked of their own accord. He put on an air of humility, welcoming the family with faux friendliness. He made his intentions known: namely, that he wished to make Medusa his queen. In an act of desperation, Black Bolt snatched the crown from Maximus's head and wore it himself, reclaiming his rightful title. Maximus knew he was no match for Black Bolt in combat, and decided to bide his time while glad-handing his brother. They asked about Triton, and Maximus revealed a monitor showing him contained in water in another room. Just then, the Inhumans saw the Fantastic Four's Human Torch flying outside, much to Crystal's delight: the two had quickly developed an infatuation for each other. The rest of the Fantastic Four arrived on the ground outside, and Crystal ran to them to greet Johnny. The other Inhumans came outside to separate them, escalating tensions between the two groups. Speaking on Black Bolt's behalf, Medusa told the Fantastic Four that the king would spare their lives if they left now and told no one of what they had seen. Mr. Fantastic tried to convince them to cease their isolationism and join Earth society at large. Meanwhile, Maximus retreated to an inner sanctum of the royal palace, revealing a huge, special weapon called the atmo-gun, which would vibrate the Earth's atmosphere in such a way as to kill all humans (but not Inhumans) on the planet. By using it, Maximus hoped to conquer the world upon reclaiming rule of Attilan.[3]

It soon became clear that, though the vibrations were strong enough to knock everyone in the world briefly off balance, Maximus had miscalculated his plan. He had believed that humans were farther away genetically from Inhumans, and thereby unwittingly fired the atmo-gun at a non-fatal frequency. Black Bolt slapped Maximus to the ground, and the Seeker shamelessly submitted to the rightful king's rule. Medusa told Maximus that she would only ever give her heart to Black Bolt—but that she would wait until he had fulfilled his destiny of helping the Inhumans rejoin humanity. Enraged at his failure, Maximus reversed the charge on the atmo-gun and used it to create a thick "negative zone"[note 1] around the city that forced the Fantastic Four to retreat, much to Johnny and Crystal's dismay.[4]

Gorgon chased down Maximus and Seeker, eager to mete out revenge for his father's death and their other crimes against their people. Seeker triggered a painful electric shock in Gorgon's headband transmitter, incapacitating him as the two fled. Black Bolt arrived and destroyed the device, and he and Gorgon reunited with Triton in his tank nearby. Triton and Gorgon deduced that Black Bolt's energetic abilities would allow him to track the signal operating the transmitter to locate the Seeker and Maximus. Black Bolt and Gorgon found the villains lying in wait in the dungeons, where Maximus used his mental powers to control the king's mind and attack Gorgon. A downed Gorgon taunted Seeker and demanded that he do the killing himself instead. The arrogant Seeker complied, firing his laser gun at Gorgon, who pulled Black Bolt in front of him. The blast hit Black Bolt's antenna, redirecting and focusing its energy toward Maximus, striking him unconscious. Seeker tried to escape, but Gorgon stomped and caused a cave-in, killing him and achieving vengeance for Korath. Maximus came to, but had suffered severe psychological damage. He was imprisoned once again, and Attilan returned to Black Bolt's peaceful rule.[2]

Notes

  1. Also known as a negative barrier, to differentiate it from the Negative Zone.

References

  1. Fantastic Four #43: "Lo, There Shall Be an Ending!" (October 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Colletta, Vince (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Inhumans: The Untold Saga #1: "Remembrances of Revolutions Past." (April 1990) Mougin, Lou (w), Howell, Richard (art), Colletta, Vince (i), Albers, Diana (let).
  3. Fantastic Four #47: "Beware the Hidden Land!" (February 1966) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Sinnott, Joe (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  4. Fantastic Four #48: "The Coming of Galactus!" (March 1966) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Sinnott, Joe (i), Simek, Artie (let).