Maxwell Lord (DC Universe)

Maxwell Lord IV is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League'' #1 (May 1987) and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire. Maxwell Lord was originally introduced as a shrewd and powerful businessman who was an ally of the Justice League and was influential in the formation of the Justice League International, but he later developed into an adversary of Wonder Woman and the Justice League.

The character made his cinematic debut in the 2020 DC Extended Universe film, ''Wonder Woman 1984'', portrayed by Pedro Pascal. A new iteration portrayed by Sean Gunn will appear in the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) film ''Superman'' and the second season of the television series ''Peacemaker'' (both 2025).

Fictional character biography

Maxwell Lord IV is the son of Maxwell Lord III, a successful businessman and head of the Chimtech Consortium. Maxwell III set out to be a good example for his son by striving to always do what was right. When Maxwell IV was 16, he came home to find his father dead in an apparent suicide. His father had discovered that his company had produced a carcinogenic product, and could not bear the guilt.

Lord's mother was convinced by her husband to employ a similar practice, cajoling heroic metahumans to help Lord. Thus, he sparked the plans to bring the Justice League, leaderless and broken after the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' event, under his exclusive control.''Justice League: Generation Lost'' #20 (February 2011)

Giffen and DeMatteis years

Lord initially worked behind the scenes to establish the Justice League, while under the control of a computer created by Metron. The computer wanted Lord to set up a worldwide peacekeeping organization as part of its plan to dominate the world.

A later retcon changed his controller to the villainous computer program Kilg%re (pronounced ''Kilgore''), which had taken over Metron's machine. A much later retcon mitigated the Kilg%re's and Metron's influence, stating that Lord already had plans for taking over the League with his company Maxwell Lord Enterprises, and that he would have pursued them regardless.

Lord's ruthlessness at this time was illustrated when he set up a disturbed would-be terrorist as a villain for the League to defeat, resulting in the man's death. Later, Lord rebelled against the computer's influence and destroyed it.

Once free of the computer's influence, Lord is portrayed as an amoral businessman, but not a real villain. During the time that Giffen and DeMatteis were writing the Justice League, Lord is shown struggling with his conscience and developing heroic qualities, though he would remain a con-artist.

From ''Invasion!'' to ''Identity Crisis''

Originally a normal human, Lord is one of many people on Earth gifted with superpowers during the ''Invasion'' crossover, when a Gene Bomb is exploded by alien invaders. This bomb activates Lord's latent metagene, granting him the ability to control the minds of others, albeit at great difficulty. Despite being a metahuman, Lord never identifies as one. Instead, at the urging of his mother to act for the benefit of non-metahumans, he shifts his hatred for the generic "authority figures" who caused his father's death to the metahuman community.

After he is shot and placed in a coma at the beginning of ''JLAmerica/JLEurope'' crossover ''Breakdowns'', Supervillain Dreamslayer takes over Lord's body and supercharges Lord's power, allowing him to control thousands of minds at once. Using Lord's body and power, Dreamslayer almost forces the Justice League International (JLI) to disband. While possessed Lord forces the JLI to battle itself, the mortally wounded Silver Sorceress manages to contain Dreamslayer, and holds him within her mind as she dies, taking him with her. When Lord is freed, his power is burnt out.

Later, Lord is diagnosed with a brain tumor and dies. Kilg%re downloads Lord's consciousness into a duplicate of Lord Havok that he later alters to resemble Lord's human body.

Doomsday later crash lands on Earth, easily trounces the League and kills Superman. With Earth undefended, world-conqueror Mongul invades and destroys Coast City killing Lord's mother. This event further fuels his hatred and paranoia against the metahumans, as well as leading him to believe that not only can metahumans not be trusted, but that their personal battles and scuffles are enough to shatter world safety.

Lord puts together several former JLI members, including L-Ron, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, and Fire as the "Super Buddies", advertised as "heroes the common man could call". These stories are told in the six-issue miniseries ''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' in 2003, and its 2005 sequel, ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League''.

In Brad Meltzer's ''Identity Crisis'' (2004), Lord attends Sue Dibny's funeral and speaks to Booster Gold, further denting his already dwindling faith in superheroes.

''Infinite Crisis''

''Countdown to Infinite Crisis'' reveals that Lord is no longer a cyborg, and is a criminal mastermind who spent years running the JLI while gathering sensitive information about the world's superheroes, whom he considered a threat to the planet. Simultaneously, he sabotaged JLI efforts to render the superhero team as ineffectual as possible. At the end of the prologue special issue, he shoots and kills Ted Kord.

During this time, Alexander Luthor Jr., the son of Lex Luthor from an alternate Earth, gives Lord control of Brother Eye, a satellite system Batman created to monitor superhumans worldwide. Lord uses Brother Eye to create an army of OMACs to hunt down and kill all superhumans before Wonder Woman kills him by snapping his neck.

At the "Crisis Counseling" panel at Wizard World Chicago, Dan DiDio explained DC's reasoning in using Lord's character in ''Infinite Crisis''. After going through several possible characters who could be the "new leader for the offshoot of Checkmate", Maxwell Lord was suggested. Many of the editors thought that the idea made sense, as Lord had been shown to have a mean streak and to have killed previously. The idea was dropped due to the continuity errors, such as him being a cyborg, but they went back to it later after deciding none of the other possible characters were suitable. Didio explained: "We thought about that aspect of the story here Maxwell was turned into a cyborgsome more. And then asked, 'Did anyone read it?' No. 'Did anyone like the idea?' No. So we moved ahead with Max as being a human, and having been a human, and not letting that small part of the past stand in the way of this story. We wanted what was best for ''Countdown'' 'to Infinite Crisis'' and for us, that meant that Max had to be a human".

''Blackest Night''

In ''Blackest Night'' and ''Brightest Day'', Maxwell Lord is revived as a Black Lantern before the Life Entity fully resurrects him. He kills Magog and captures Blue Beetle before the Justice League rescues him.

''The New 52''

In ''The New 52'' and ''DC Rebirth'' relaunches, Maxwell Lord is the leader of Project Cadmus. He is possessed by Eclipso before Killer Frost and Superman free him.

Powers and abilities

Maxwell Lord is a metahuman who can control the minds of others and force them to act on their subconscious desires. In his original depiction, he is born a human and transformed by the Dominators' Gene Bomb, but he is later depicted as having been born a metahuman.

Other versions

* Maxwell Hodge, a fusion of Maxwell Lord and Marvel Comics character Cameron Hodge, appears in the Amalgam Comics universe.
* An alternate universe variant of Maxwell Lord appears in ''Justice Riders''. This version is a 19th-century railroad baron.
* An alternate universe variant of Maxwell Lord appears in '' Wonder Woman: Earth One'' as a disguise used by Ares.

In other media

Television

* Maxwell Lord appears in the ''Justice League Unlimited'' episode "Ultimatum", voiced by Tim Matheson. 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 member of Project Cadmus and manager of the Ultimen, a team of genetically-engineered superheroes who operate independently of the Justice League.
* Maxwell Lord appears in the ninth season of ''Smallville'', portrayed by Gil Bellows. This version is the Black King of Checkmate.
* Maxwell Lord appears in the first season of ''Supergirl'', portrayed by Peter Facinelli. This version is the founder of Lord Technologies who possesses a god complex and is the son of scientists who were killed due to unsafe conditions, making him distrustful of government agencies. Seeking to expose Supergirl's identity, he uses her DNA to turn a comatose girl into a Bizarro version of her to frame and kill the real one. However, Supergirl and Alex Danvers defeat the clone while Lord is arrested by the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), though they later release him in return for his help in freeing Supergirl from the Black Mercy's effects. Following this, he creates a synthetic form of Kryptonite to cure Supergirl after she is exposed to Red Kryptonite he had created to stop Non's impending invasion before secretly giving General Lane some of it.
* Maxwell Lord appears in the ''DC Super Hero Girls'' episode "#WorldsFinest", voiced by P. J. Byrne. This version is a public relations specialist.

Film

* Maxwell Lord was meant to appear in '' Justice League: Mortal'', portrayed by Jay Baruchel. This version, named Jonah Wilkes, was abducted as a child and given psychic abilities by the US government as part of the OMAC Project.
* Maxwell "Max" Lord (né Lorenzano) appears in ''Wonder Woman 1984'', portrayed by Pedro Pascal as an adult, Lambro Demetriou as a child, and John Barry as a teenager. This version grew up poor, was abused by his father, Alberto Lorenzano. He was picked on by bullies and bootstrapped himself on the idea of image and publicized promises. By 1984, he became an aspiring businessman, the owner of the company Black Gold, and father to a son named Alistair (portrayed by Lucian Perez). While seeking out the Dreamstone, an artifact created by the Duke of Deception that grants users one wish while extracting a heavy toll unless they renounce their wish or destroy the stone, he manipulates Barbara Ann Minerva into helping him acquire it and grants himself the stone's powers to save his failing company and grant others' wishes in exchange for whatever he desires. Over time, he rapidly rises to power and becomes an influential figure while unknowingly causing international chaos and self-inflicted mental and physical distress. After learning of and utilizing a satellite system to grant wishes around the world and restore his health, he is confronted by Wonder Woman, who eventually convinces him to renounce his original wish. Following this, Lord comes to terms with his flaws and reunites with Alistair, promising to be a better father to him.

DC Universe

Maxwell Lord will appear in media set in the DC Universe, portrayed by Sean Gunn.

* Lord will appear in ''Superman''.
* Lord will appear in the second season of ''Peacemaker''.

Video games

Maxwell Lord appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord, Maxwell
Characters created by J. M. DeMatteis
Characters created by Keith Giffen
Comics characters introduced in 1987
DC Comics businesspeople
DC Comics cyborgs
DC Comics male supervillains
DC Comics martial artists
DC Comics metahumans
DC Comics psychics
DC Comics telepaths
Superman characters
Wonder Woman characters