{{Superherobox, image= , caption=Maximum from ''Supermen of America'' #1, art by Doug Braithwaite. , character_name=Maximum , publisher=

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

, debut=''

Supermen of America The Supermen of America is the name of two fictional superhero teams published by DC Comics. The original group first appeared in a special written by Stuart Immonen published in 1999, and a later mini-series written by Fabian Nicieza, which was ...

'' vol. 2, #1 (March 2000) , creators=

Fabian Nicieza Fabian Nicieza (born December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', '' X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', '' Cable'', ''Deadpool'' and ''Thunderbol ...

(writer)

Doug Braithwaite Doug Braithwaite is a British comic book artist. Career Braithwaite started out working on British comics, like '' 2000 AD'' and '' A1'', but is best known for his Marvel Comics work on the ''Earth X'' sequels, ''Universe X'' and ''Paradise X'' ...

(artist) , real_name= Maxwell Williams , species = , homeworld = , alliances=

, aliases= , supports = , powers= Can possess superhuman strength, speed, or

sense A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system rec ...

s at will, but only individually } Maximum is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditio ...

superhero published by

. He first appeared in ''

'' vol. 2 #1 (March 2000), and was created by

and

Fictional character biography

Maxwell Williams was a young

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

high school athlete with a bright future ahead of him, but became a quadriplegic after a tragic accident, and would have remained so without specially designed surgical implants provided by LexCorp. The Lexcorp implants made Maxwell more than human and he used his new powers to fight crime in

Suicide Slum Suicide Slum (official name Southside) is a notorious fictional slum in publications from DC Comics. The area was first introduced in the " Newsboy Legion" feature as a slum in New York City. It was later placed in Superman's city, Metropolis, whe ...

under the name of Maximum. After Psilencer's untimely death, Outburst and his inexperienced teammates in the

were deeply shaken and reconsidered their vocation. It was around this time that the team met and recruited Max. Unlike the rest of the Supermen, Maximum's identity was public recor

A disgruntled Lexcorp employee discovered that

S.T.A.R. Labs Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in '' Superman'' #246 (December ...

had hidden a capsule inside a special holding chamber called Lockdown 6 in the waters near

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

. Luthor successfully deployed Pyrogen to retrieve the capsule from Lockdown 6, but he encountered the

Deep Six Deep Six is an English phrase of likely nautical origins, most commonly used as a verb meaning: "To discard, get rid of, or cancel; to completely put an end to something." The term may also refer to: Audio * ''Deep Six'', a 1984 six-part BBC Radi ...

and was rebuffed.

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...

, lord of

Apokolips Apokolips is a fictional planet that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The planet is ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, and is integral to many stories in the DC Universe. Apokolips is cons ...

, also wanted the contents of Lockdown 6 and had sent the Deep Six to retrieve them. In the Vega system, the Warlords of Okaara sensed the danger presented by the capsule, and took preventative measure

The Okaarans overpowered Earth's defensive forces and White Lotus desperately rushed to negotiate a peace settlement before they "cleansed' the planet. While White Lotus was negotiating with the Okaarans in order to save Earth from worse attacks, the chamber was opened and the Unimaginable was unleashed. The Unimaginable's energy form possessed Maximum and he temporarily gained the powers of a god. With these powers, Max decides to transform Metropolis into the paradise he believes it should be, even if it means fighting his own team to do so. The hero known as Loser uses his null field to slow Max down until they can talk him down. Max's parents eventually convinced him to relinquish the power, which he dispersed safel

Powers and abilities

* Maximum's powers closely resembled those of

Ultra Boy Ultra Boy (Jo Nah of the planet Rimbor) is a superhero appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. He gained his powers after being eaten by an whale-like beast in space and being ...

from the

Legion of Superheroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...

. Max's powers come directly from the Lexcorp implant, he can use the implant to channel all his body's energies in order to maximize his strength, physical speed, reflexes, or his senses up to superhuman levels. * He can only maximize one ability at a time.

External links

Great Krypton: Supermen of America (Vol. 2) #1
DC Comics superheroes African-American superheroes DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with superhuman strength