Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, primarily as a minor enemy of

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

. He is depicted as a mentally ill former history professor who is obsessed with

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

and believes himself to be the god

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

, becoming a crime lord in

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...

Publication history

Maxie Zeus first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #483 (April–May 1979) and was created by Denny O'Neil and Don Newton.

Fictional character biography

Maxie Zeus is a former Greek history teacher who goes insane following the death of his wife. He becomes a criminal mastermind and battles Batman on several occasions before being committed to

Arkham Asylum Arkham Asylum () is a fictional psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring Batman. It first appeared in ''Batman'' #258 (October 1974), written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv N ...

. Because Maxie appears to be less dangerous than other notorious Arkham inmates, Arkham's administrators do not commit him in the maximum security wing, despite repeated recommendations from Batman to do so. Batman's concern is vindicated when Maxie escapes to form a team of Greek mythology-based superhuman agents called the New Olympians. He attempts to kidnap Olympic athlete Lacinia Nitocris and force her to marry him before being defeated by Batman and the Outsiders. In '' Batman: Knightfall'', Zeus is among the villains who escape Arkham after Bane destroys Arkham Asylum. However, he is quickly stopped after colliding with a tree. Some time later, he is drawn into a plot engineered by the Children of Ares to merge Gotham City with

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

' throne capital, the Aeropagus, during which he is sacrificed to resurrect Ares. In '' Robin'', Maxie Zeus appears alive and becomes the head of the illegal casino "Maxie's" before Robin defeats him. In '' Batman: Cacophony'', Zeus works with the Joker and uses his funds to create a public school. After Batman rescues Zeus from the Joker, he temporarily restores his sanity using antipsychotics and convinces him to turn himself in to the police.

The New 52

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

story '' Batman Eternal'', Deacon Blackfire's ghost possesses Maxie Zeus in an attempt to resurrect himself. In '' Doomsday Clock'', Zeus appears as an inmate of Arkham Asylum.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Maxie Zeus appears in '' Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth''.

In other media

Television

* Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus appears in the '' Batman: The Animated Series'' episode "Fire from Olympus", voiced by Steve Susskind. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a shipping tycoon who began smuggling goods to support his faltering business. Due to stress and the threat of legal action, he suffers a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

, develops a god complex, and believes that he is the Greek god

. As part of his delusions, he begins carrying an electrified thunderbolt-shaped metal rod and sees his girlfriend Clio as the deity

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; ), also spelled Kleio, Сleio, or Cleo, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre-playing. Etymology Clio's name is derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλείω (meaning ...

and Batman as

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

. * Maxie Zeus appears in '' The Batman'', voiced by Phil LaMarr. This version is an eccentric multimillionaire obsessed with Greek mythology, history, and culture. Additionally, he detests being called "Maxie", preferring to be called "Maximilian". * Maxie Zeus appears in ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

'', voiced by Will Sasso. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom and a self-help guru for aspiring supervillains who can generate lightning from his hands. He later enters a relationship with Nora Fries before they break up.

Video games

* A recurring standard enemy in the NES version of '' Batman: The Video Game'' is identified as Maxie Zeus in the game's instruction manual. * Maxie Zeus appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

* The ''Batman: The Animated Series'' incarnation of Maxie Zeus appears in ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

'' #25. * ''The Batman'' incarnation of Maxie Zeus appears in '' The Batman Strikes!'' #45.

References

External links

Maxie Zeus
at DC Comics Wiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeus, Maxie DC Comics male supervillains Comics characters introduced in 1979 Characters created by Dennis O'Neil Fictional schoolteachers Fictional gangsters Fictional characters with mental disorders Fictional crime bosses