Maximum Security (comics)

Last updated
"Maximum Security"
Maximum Security 1.jpg
Cover of Maximum Security 1 (Dec, 2000), art by Jerry Ordway
Publisher Marvel Comics
Publication dateDecember  2000  –January  2001
Genre
Title(s)
The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #24
Avengers vol. 3 #35
Avengers Infinity #1-4
Bishop:The Last X-Man #15
Black Panther vol. 3 #25
Captain America vol. 3 #36
Captain Marvel vol. 3 #12
Gambit vol. 3 #23
The Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #21
Iron Man vol. 3 #34-35
Marvel Knights vol. 1 #6
Maximum Security #1-3
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1
Maximum Security: Thor vs. Ego #1
Peter Parker: Spider-Man #24
Thor vol. 2 #30
Thunderbolts vol. 1 #45
Uncanny X-Men #387
X-Men vol. 2 #107
X-Men Unlimited #29
Creative team
Writer(s) Kurt Busiek
Penciller(s) Jerry Ordway
Letterer(s)Jason Levine
Troy Peteri
Albert Deschesne
Colorist(s)Tom Smith
Jason Wright

"Maximum Security" is a comic book story line and crossover event that ran through a three-issue self-titled limited series and individual issues of the other titles published by Marvel Comics with a cover date of either December 2000 or January 2001. In it, a multitude of alien civilizations that had previously interacted with Earth join forces to prevent humans from interfering further with galactic affairs. To accomplish this, they designate Earth as a penal colony.

Contents

The miniseries and its crossover in the pages of Avengers were written by Kurt Busiek.

Marvel collected much the story arc in trade paperback on November 24, 2010. [1]

Publication history

In December 2000, Marvel Comics published Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet, which recapped relevant events and set up the crossover's main plot. All three issues of Maximum Security were published in January 2001. Most other comics from the publisher that month tied into the event, if only marginally. Another tie-in comic, Maximum Security: Thor vs. Ego #1, reprinted earlier stories from Thor .

While not carrying the "Maximum Security" banner, plotlines from the earlier miniseries Avengers Forever (1999) and Avengers Infinity (2000) were concluded in Maximum Security.

Writer Kurt Busiek stated that he wrote the story out of "self-defense", having been told that Marvel was looking for a big crossover story and that he either had to come up with one or he'd be participating in someone else's.

His original synopsis was for a story called "Y2KANG" in which when the clock ticked over at midnight of New Year's Eve 1999, it became 1900 again and all the Marvel characters would be turn-of-the-century versions of themselves. However, by the time Marvel stated this was the story they wanted to do, it couldn't be solicited until April 2000 and wouldn't have made any sense.

Busiek's second suggestion was "Maximum Security", the concept of which was influenced by Australian history and how the British used Australia as a place to dump convicts, too far away from Britain for them to escape and return. Busiek thought it would be fun if the galactic powers that be viewed Earth the same way, dumping their criminals here and not caring about what happened to the natives.

Busiek needed someone to play the 'alien cop' and chose U.S. Agent, saying that he hadn't been used much lately and was inspired by the character. He was influenced by Tommy Lee Jones' character from the movie The Fugitive because he was "a tough, no nonsense Federal Agent who didn't care about your sob stories, just that if you broke the law you were going to jail", considering the character's personality to be "very USAgent-y". [2]

Plot

Thor, Tigra, Starfox, Quasar, Moondragon, Photon and Jack of Hearts become the temporary Avengers Infinity squad when they travel into space and encounter a group of cosmic entities called the Infinites. The Infinites have plans to rearrange galaxies (destroying all life in those galaxies in the process) in order to improve the flow of their energies. The heroes convince the Infinites not to destroy the Earth and the other threatened planets. At the end, the unofficial team began to make their way to an intergalactic bar. [3]

Meanwhile, at the Intergalactic Council, the Skrull ambassador files a formal complaint against humans, charging that Professor X and a band of Skrull mutants known as Cadre K have been interfering in the extermination of other Skrull mutants. The council is attacked by Ego the Living Planet and are rescued by Professor X and Cadre K. A new race, the Ruul, helps to miniaturize and imprison Ego. Despite the human assistance, the council sides with the Skrulls and votes to take action against Earth. [4]

Earth's solar system is surrounded by a force field, and Earth is turned into a prison for intergalactic criminals, the Council reasoning that the criminals will keep Earth too occupied to do anything about the wider universe. Ronan the Accuser acts as warden from an orbiting space craft. The Avengers learn the miniaturized Ego is among the aliens condemned to Earth and that he is expanding and becoming one with the Earth. At the rate it grows, it could possibly assimilate the entire Earth within a week. [5]

Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Silver Surfer work to stop Ego from expanding. Meanwhile, Cadre K try to convince the Intergalactic Council to reverse its actions but are resisted by the Skrull ambassador. On Earth, people rally the alien criminals to fight back against Ronan. [6]

Meanwhile, at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base on the moon, the Ruul release their leader, the Supreme Intelligence. [7] At the same time, Cadre K is imprisoned as a result of their interruption of the council meeting. [8]

While the Avengers Infinity group are held by the Shi'ar, the Ruul imprison them under the orders of the Supreme Intelligence. The Supreme Intelligence tells them how he made use of the Destiny Crystal, a device of great power he recently acquired. [9] He used the crystal to accelerate the evolution of the Kree, creating the Ruul, who then manipulated the Council in a plan to get revenge on and destroy the Avengers and Earth. He will then use Ego's power as a weapon to expand the Kree empire.

U.S. Agent persuades the alien prisoners to fight on the side of Earth. He takes command of the Avengers and all the other heroes they can find and leads an attack on Ronan's citadel. [10] During the battle, the Avengers Infinity team free themselves and teleport to the Intergalactic Council. Moondragon telepathically explains the true situation to the Council. The Supreme Intelligence appears in front of the Council and admits the truth but claims that it is too late to stop it.

Using information obtained by Gambit, [11] Quasar is able to absorb Ego into his Quantum Bands. Ronan is defeated, and the Supreme Intelligence's plan fails. Quasar decides to leave Earth to avoid the risk of unleashing Ego again. The Council removes the alien criminals from Earth and decides to take no further action against humans for the time being. [12]

Tie-ins

Collected editions

Some of the issues are collected in the Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security trade paperback ( ISBN   978-0785144991):

The Busiek stories are included in Avengers Assemble, Vol. 4 ( ISBN   978-0785161974):

Other issues are collected in other books:

Related Research Articles

The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shi'ar Empire, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures, and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires. The Shi'ar are one of the three main extraterrestrial empires depicted in the Marvel Universe, alongside the Kree and Skrulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Busiek</span> American comic book writer

Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer. His work includes the Marvels limited series, his own series titled Astro City, a four-year run on The Avengers, Thunderbolts and Superman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kree</span> Aliens in the Marvel Universe

The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are a fictional alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and have a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skrull</span> Fictional extraterrestrial race

The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated from the planet Skrullos and their empire is located in the Andromeda Galaxy. Their infiltration of Earth was a major event in the Marvel Comics universe as shown in the crossover event Secret Invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elders of the Universe</span> Fictional comic book supervillains

The Elders of the Universe are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in The Avengers #28, but the idea that he was a member of a group known as the Elders was not introduced until The Avengers #174.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super-Skrull</span> Fictional character in Marvel Comics

The Super-Skrull (Kl'rt) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally as an enemy of the Fantastic Four, the collective powers of whom he possessed. The character, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appeared in Fantastic Four #18, and has been depicted as both a supervillain and an antihero. The character has also appeared on television and in video games and novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ego the Living Planet</span> Marvel Comics character

Ego the Living Planet is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Thor #132 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Intelligence</span> Comics character

The Supreme Intelligence, a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, is an artificial intelligence that rules the alien race known as the Kree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladiator (Kallark)</span> Comics character

Gladiator is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in The X-Men #107 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum. Gladiator, whose given name is Kallark, is a Strontian, and like others of his race has the capacity for great strength and various superpowers, but can only use them when he is completely devoted to a purpose; his abilities increase and decrease in accordance with his level of confidence. He was born on Strontia, which is part of the Shi'ar Empire and he is the leader of their Imperial Guard. He was also a member of the Annihilators, Dark Guardians, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation: Galactic Storm</span>

"Operation: Galactic Storm" is a 19-part comic book crossover storyline which ran through Marvel Comics' Avengers related titles – Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wonder Man, and Quasar – between March and May 1992.

The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.

Xandar is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The planet is depicted as being in the Tranta system in the Andromeda Galaxy. It is best known as the home world of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic police task force. Xandar is also the home planet of Firelord and Air-Walker, former Heralds of Galactus, as well as the super-villain and anti-hero Supernova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World War Hulk</span> 2007 limited series comic book by Marvel Comics

"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled limited series and various titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood Brothers (comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional characters

The Blood Brothers are a supervillain duo appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<i>Secret Invasion</i> 2008 Marvel Comics event

"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, a group of alien shapeshifters who have secretly replaced many superheroes in the Marvel Universe with impostors over a period of years, prior to the overt invasion. Marvel's promotional tagline for the event was "Who do you trust?".

The Chitauri are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, specifically in Ultimate Marvel. They were created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch for the Ultimate universe franchise in place of the existing Marvel Comics alien species, the Skrulls, which play a similar role in the franchise's mainstream continuity. Marvel later chose to distinguish between the Skrulls and Chitauri of the Ultimate universe. The race first appeared in Ultimates #8, and later had counterparts on Earth-616.

<i>Infinity</i> (comic book) 2013 Marvel Comics storyline

"Infinity" is a 2013 comic book crossover storyline that was published by Marvel Comics. Written by Jonathan Hickman with artwork by a rotating team of artists including Jim Cheung, Jerome Opeña, and Dustin Weaver, the series debuted in August 2013 and ran through November 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King in Black</span> 2020 Marvel Comics event

"King in Black" is a comic book event written by Donny Cates with art by Ryan Stegman, and was published from 2020 to 2021 by Marvel Comics. It is a continuation to 2019's "Absolute Carnage", also containing fallout from 2020's "Empyre". In the story, Knull and his symbiotes invade Earth, leaving Eddie Brock / Venom, the Avengers, the X-Men, and numerous other superheroes to protect it.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Due to the galaxy-spanning nature of the franchise, multiple species have been introduced.

References

  1. ↑ Avengers / X-Men: Maximum Security at Amazon.com, accessed January 11, 2011.
  2. ↑ Interview with Kurt Busiek https://www.facebook.com/groups/505247186277499/search/?query=kurt%20busiek
  3. ↑ Avengers Infinity #1-4 (Sept - Dec 2001)
  4. ↑ Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet one-shot (Dec 2000)
  5. ↑ Maximum Security #1 (Jan 2001)
  6. ↑ Maximum Security #2 (Jan 2001)
  7. ↑ Thunderbolts #45 (Jan 2001)
  8. ↑ X-Men #107 (Jan 2001)
  9. ↑ Avengers Forever #12 (2000)
  10. ↑ Avengers vol 3 #35 (Jan 2001)
  11. ↑ Gambit #23 (Jan 2001)
  12. ↑ Maximum Security #3 (Jan 2001)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.