Maximus the Mad

Maximus is the treacherous younger brother of Black Bolt, king of the Inhumans. Driven by jealousy and a brilliant but unstable mind, he repeatedly schemes to seize the throne of Attilan, wielding his powerful psychic abilities to manipulate and control those around him.

Few Marvel villains wear their epithet as honestly as Maximus the Mad — a Silver Age schemer who burst onto the scene in 1968, courtesy of Gary Friedrich and Marie Severin, in the pages of Incredible Hulk King Size Special #1. A cornerstone of the Inhumans mythos, he's spent over five decades as one of the most compelling thorns in the side of that hidden civilization, sharing the stage with luminaries like Black Bolt, Triton, Gorgon, and Karnak across landmark series including Fantastic Four and The Inhumans. His team affiliations alone — Inhumans, Fantastic Four, and Avengers — hint at a character whose reach extends far beyond any single corner of the Marvel Universe. If you're tracing the rich, strange history of Attilan and its royal court, Maximus is absolutely essential reading.