Wikipedia

Maxie Zeus

Not to be confused with Zeus (DC Comics).

Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a minor enemy of Batman. He is depicted as a mentally ill former history professor who is obsessed with Greek mythology and believes himself to be the god Zeus, becoming a crime lord in Gotham City.

Maxie Zeus
Maxie Zeus as depicted in Who's Who in the DC Universe #14 (November 1991). Art by Jim Aparo.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDetective Comics #483 (May 1979)
Created byDennis O'Neil (writer)
Don Newton (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoMaximilian "Maxie" Zeus
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsThe New Olympians
Abilities
  • Criminal mastermind
  • Skilled strategist and tactician
  • Electricity expert

Publication history

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Maxie Zeus first appeared in Detective Comics #483 (April–May 1979) and was created by Denny O'Neil and Don Newton.[1]

Fictional character biography

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Maxie Zeus is a former Greek history teacher who goes insane following the death of his wife.[2] He becomes a criminal mastermind and battles Batman on several occasions before being committed to Arkham Asylum.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5] Some time later, he is drawn into a plot engineered by the Children of Ares to merge Gotham City with Ares' 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

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In The New 52 story Batman Eternal, Deacon Blackfire's ghost possesses Maxie Zeus in an attempt to resurrect himself.[6][7] In Doomsday Clock, Zeus appears as an inmate of Arkham Asylum.[8]

Other versions

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An alternate universe variant of Maxie Zeus appears in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.[9]

In other media

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Television

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Maxie Zeus as seen in Batman: The Animated Series.
  • Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus appears in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Fire from Olympus", voiced by Steve Susskind.[10] 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, develops a god complex, and believes that he is the Greek god Zeus. As part of his delusions, he begins carrying an electrified thunderbolt-shaped metal rod, and sees his girlfriend Clio as the deity Clio and Batman as Hades. Batman ultimately defeats Zeus, who is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum. He views its inmates as Greek gods and believes he has returned to Mount Olympus.
  • Maxie Zeus appears in The Batman, voiced by Phil LaMarr.[10] This version is an eccentric multimillionaire obsessed with Greek mythology, history, and culture. Additionally, he detests being called "Maxie", preferring to be called "Maximilian". In his most notable appearance in the episode "Thunder", Zeus attempts to run for mayor of Gotham City, but loses the election after announcing his plan to revolutionize the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) by basing them on his own gladiator-themed security forces. Angered by his defeat, Zeus dons gladiator-themed armor with electric gloves and plots to use his airship, New Olympus, to turn Gotham into his personal kingdom, only to be foiled by Batman and Batgirl. Zeus also makes a cameo appearance in the episode "Rumors" as one of several supervillains captured by the vigilante Rumor.
  • Maxie Zeus appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Will Sasso.[11][10] 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 breaking up with her.

Video games

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Miscellaneous

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 339. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  3. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 384–385. ISBN 9780345501066.
  4. ^ Batman and the Outsiders #14. DC Comics.
  5. ^ Batman #491. DC Comics.
  6. ^ Batman Eternal #17. DC Comics.
  7. ^ Batman Eternal #44. DC Comics.
  8. ^ Doomsday Clock #4 (March 2018). DC Comics.
  9. ^ Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
  10. ^ a b c "Maxie Zeus Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 15, 2024. 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.
  11. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 12, 2019). "Harley Quinn Comes Out Swinging in Full Trailer".
  12. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  13. ^ "The Batman Adventures #25 - Super Friends (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
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