MXXPTRM
Real Name: Mxxptrm
Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Reality-5106)
humanoid extraterrestrial
(Martian)
Occupation: Space Squadron member, adventurer
Group Membership: Space Squadron, Grand
Council;
formerly VDBN
Affiliations: Pete Arnolds, Rusty Blake,
Captain Jet Dixon,
Commander Bennett "Blast" Revere, Dawn Revere (all Reality-5106)
Enemies: Barbados and his Armada of Death,
Drago, Boz, Dr. Zane Emery, Fire Beings, Lizogators, Octopus-Men, Edgar
Revere, Space Demons, Ud, Ura, Vulturos, rogue VDBNs (names unrevealed)
(all Reality-5106)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Max
Base of Operations: Earth (Reality-5106);
formerly Mars (Reality-5106)
First Appearance: Space Squadron#1/6 (June,
1951)
Powers/Abilities: Mxxptrm is a strong athletic
fighter, trained in Martian military combat, including
swords.
As a Martian, he has near superhuman durability with exposed
skin, much of which is
covered with matted hair, that counters extreme temperatures and gives
him immunity to human-devised death rays and poisons; he also has
superhuman strength and is able to easily smash through concrete.
He is
a
skilled space pilot and gunner. As a brutal VDBN Martian, Mxxptrm's
instinctive nature is violence, but he has chosen the way of way of
peace
and helps Space Squadron protect Earth against alien threats and
invasions, so he restrains his strength. However, he can be quick to
anger when his comrades are
threatened.
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 250 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
History:
(Space Squadron#1/6 (fb) - BTS) - In Reality-5106 in
the year 2000, space rocket travel dramatically advanced human society
and saw Earth at the center of a solar system-wide Federation
of Planets protected by the Space Squadron headed by Captain Jet Dixon.
After a century of Martian war, the violent VDBN nation chose to learn
peace after significant losses. Headed by Mxxptrm, a detachment of 24
VDBNs headed to Earth to learn to live in peace.
(Space
Squadron#1/6) - Dixon boarded the VDBN spacecraft but Mxxptrm refused
Dixon's peaceful gesture of an outstretched hand as his VDBN nature was
to
only strike. Despite Earth officials' suspicions, Dixon invited the
VDBNs to a gathering to introduce the Federation Chief's daughter Dawn
Revere to him, but Mxxptrm instead desired her and challenged Dixon to
a death-duel. Mxxptrm was defeated and demanded death but Dixon
refused. As a consequence, Mxxptrm kidnapped Dawn, her father Blast
Revere and senior Federation officials, taking them alive to show he
meant peace. Dixon gave chase and Blast Revere revealed Mxxptrm's
unusual plan. Mxxptrm had learned friendship when Dixon refused to kill
him and shook his hand in peace to fight alongside him. Dixon accepted
this and insisted that Mxxptrm call himself "Max" (as "short names are
the shortcut to friendship").
(Space Squadron#2/1) - Now a member of Space
Squadron, Max joined Dixon, Blast and Saturnian scientist LLA 38 on a
visit to a Galaxy Academy to visit cadets and were shown classrooms by
nervous Cadet Rusty Blake. A week later, Space Squadron left on patrol,
with Dawn Revere joining the regular crew of Dixon, Max and LLA 38
onboard the flagship Solar I. However, space pirate Barbados and his
Armada of Death captured them. Dixon transmitted a coded message that
Barbados thought would let him land and plunder Earth; the Solar I crew
were dismayed, unaware of Dixon's secret code. Cadet Blake decoded
the message and Barbados was eliminated. Blake then joined the Solar I
crew.
(Space Squadron#4/1 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Max
became a member of the Grand (or Great) Council, a body advising on
policy matters and responses. Max also worked with scientist LLA 38 to
develop a lethal ray-gun against wild Martians.
(Space Squadron#2/4) - Dawn Revere, in a misguided
attempt to gain female representation in Space Squadron missions, stole
Solar I, but was attacked by the giant parasitic bird-like Vulturos.
Dixon rocketed to her aid, followed by other Space Squadron members in
rocket-jets and they destroyed the threat. All returned safely to Earth.
(Space Squadron#2/6) - Max watched with others as
Dixon flew off in a spaceship to compare jet rocket range against Edgar
Revere's design (secretly modified by former criminal Drag).
(Space Squadron#3/1) - Max was part of the security
at the Annual Interplanetary Conference held at Space Squadron
headquarters. Alerted by Mer-King, leader of the two-headed and
dual-natured Mercurians, Space Squadron ships were sent to Mercury to
investigate outbreaks of violence. Max joined the meeting where Blast's
ambitious son, Edgar Revere, challenged his father. Later, Max heard
that Blake had been captured on the mission to Mercury and threatened
reprisal. Despite Edgar's interference, LLA 38 soon found a scientific
response that ensured peace.
(Space Squadron#3/4) - Dixon, Max and Blake
investigated a possible disturbance in the Dead Sea on Neptune. There
they found vampiric Octopus-Men emerging from sea-floor eruptions.
Dixon ordered the peaceful Neptunians immediately drain the Dead Sea
and this left the deadly Octopus-Men flailing. The Space Squadron
members then shot and killed them all before returning to Earth.
(Space Squadron#3/6) - Off again on space patrol, the
Solar I crew were suddenly beset by Space Demons, impish killers with
jets for legs; these had been secretly planted by Edgar Revere to
discredit Dixon. However, LLA 38 knew the true nature of the Space
Demons to pursue and destroy their captor, and so Dixon set off to
rescue Edgar, despite Max's suggestion that Edgar be left to his fate.
The Solar I caught up with Edgar's spaceship and rescued him while Max
was ordered to blast Edgar's spaceship as the Space Demons tore their
way inside. Dixon forgave Edgar, but Max remained angry at the
troublemaker.
(Space Squadron#4/1) - While visiting the Strato-Zoo
that housed caged examples of dangerous beings from throughout the
solar system, Max, Dixon, Blake and LLA 38 came across three savage
Martians (apparently VDBNs - see
comments).
Considering Max a traitor, the three caged Martians became
angry, shouting in their native language that they planned to attack;
the three later rampaged through the city, unstoppable against Earth
armaments. Ever the agitator against Dixon and his cohorts, Edgar drew
suspicion against Max as a Martian. Angered, Max charged out after the
escaped Martians, quietly planning to confront and eliminate their
threat in combat, but the others did not know of his plan and thought
him a collaborator. LLA 38 passed Dixon the ray-gun that could kill Max
and Dixon gave chase. Meanwhile, Max had found the three Martians and
fought them all in a frenzied melee. Eventually Max was triumphant and
his battle-lust disappeared as he greeted Dixon and
explained his actions. Max was then given a public hero's celebration.
(Space Squadron#4/2) - Patrolling the Moon's surface (see comments),
the Space Squadron came across hordes of vicious giant fanged
Lizogators that multiplied back to life after being killed. Realizing
the danger to the Federation, Dixon ordered the atom bombing of the
Moon, even though he and his crew would likely be destroyed too. The
bombs hit the target but the crew were luckily shielded by the largest
Lizogator. The threat ended, the Space Squadron returned to Earth.
(Space
Squadron#4/6) - The Solar I crew, joined by fomenter Edgar Revere, flew
to investigate the sudden flaming of Saturn's rings, the result of the
reignition of the deadly Fire Beings. As LLA 38 prepared the serum to
subdue the creatures once more, Edgar panicked near the rings and
threatened the mission. Angered at Edgar, Max left his post and began
throttling Edgar. The mission was a success and Max was about to dump
Edgar into space but Dixon had him brought back inside and they
returned to Space Squadron HQ.
(Space Squadron#5/1) - The Solar I crew were guests
of honor at the space Olympics held on the Moon. The ambitious Moon
natives Drago and Ura sought to win the spaceship race over regular
winner Dixon by using their innate hypnotic and telepathic powers. LLA
38 recognized the duo's insidious plan and duped Drago to add his
telepathy to his sister's hypnotism (unwittingly negating each other).
However, Max and Blake suspected LLA 38 of collusion with the Moonmen,
but the scientist asked to be trusted. In the spaceship race, Drago
realized his scheme had failed and had moonships fire on Solar I. Max
fired back and destroyed all three moonships and the crew were awarded
winners.
(Space Squadron#5/2) - The nefarious genius Boz
unleashed giant smothering tentacles over the Earth to force a
surrender to his rule. The tentacles were invulnerable to weapons but
LLA 38 suggested
the Solar I crew use their combined mental will to overpower the
tentacle holding their spacecraft; the tactic worked. Dixon then took
lethal radioactive dust and scattered it over the Earth, despite his
crew's protestations over its dangers, but Dixon recognized that the
Earth was protected by the tentacles and the chemical obliterated only
the tentacle threat.
(Space Squadron#5/6) - The Solar I crew were given
awards for promoting progress and ensuring the security of all the
peoples and creatures within the Federation's borders. But the jealous
Edgar Revere challenged Dixon and the Solar I crew to undergo Dr.
Kalandra's risky test to measure their bravery. Kalandra's Hex-O-Gas
made them near invulnerable and they were shunted through space where
they stopped escaping Octopi-Men before being flung to a new threat
where the bandit Ud was being helped by Edgar to steal precious atom
dust. The Solar I crew quickly stopped them before being flung back to
Kalandra's Hex-O-Gas chamber. Dixon spoke for his crew, saying the
mental strain was too great for the gas to be viable.
(Space Worlds#6/1) - Max attended a small Space
Squadron briefing on the volatile nature of Jupiter's surface before
heading off with the Solar I team and Pete Arnolds to investigate the
disappearance of yet another Jupiter exploratory mission. Only Dixon
and Arnolds went down to Jupiter's surface to investigate. Encountering
the dangerous temptress Infra, only Dixon escaped her influence and
went back to the spaceship. They watched in horror as Arnolds was
incinerated and they returned home.
(Space Worlds#6/2) - Max joined the Solar I crew
against the outlaw Cosmo Worlds cluster, small worlds that could move
at will and shoot molten lead. LLA 38's untested gas weapon X-1 melted
the planets. Solar I zoomed home triumphant, but the leftover globs
coalesced into a giant humanoid creature and slowly followed them. Back
on Earth, the crew celebrated but the monstrous beast now dubbed X-1
attacked, ripping apart buildings. LLA 38 devised a weapon and strategy
that destroyed X-1 as Max watched on. Max later joined the crew as they
reflected on the dangers created by science.
(Space Worlds#6/6) - Max was on the Grand Council
when it convened to identify why the Earth had been plunged into
complete darkness (secretly a scheme hatched by the ambitious Edgar
Revere and outlaw scientist Dr. Zane Emery to sow discontent). While
the Solar I crew investigated, Edgar successfully instigated a coup and
ordered Dixon and his crew be arrested. But the Solar I crew found
Emery's secret lab where Edgar had also arrived. Emery was quickly
overpowered and the plot foiled. The angry Max throttled Edgar, nearly
crushing his throat and preventing Edgar from speaking.
Comments:
Created by uncredited writer & George Tuska.
It's not revealed what VDBN stands for. The VDBNs
were the more violent nation on Mars and seemed to be the examples
caged in the Strato-Zoo (in #4/1) as non-violent Martians were shown in
other stories, such as at the Annual Interplanetary Conference (in
#3/1).
Max was, effectively, a giant hairy brawler but kept
on the sidelines. Apart from his introduction, he featured as the main
star in just one story. Some extra action sequences, a big unique
weapon or a distinct saying, while perhaps cliche (at least so in later
years), would've been a nice touch.
Space Squadron describes space a little differently,
perhaps unique to that reality; "galaxy" refers to the solar system
(and nearby space objects) while "universe" relates to the galaxy.
There are inconsistencies too, for example, Earth's Moon has indigenous
life in one story (#3/1) with a surface ruler (#5/1), but is lifeless
in another story (#4/2) (perhaps they're
referring to a different moon ... or perhaps it's a different writer).
George Tuska is the artist for the very first Jet
Dixon story (Space Squadron#1/1) as well as Mxxptrm's introduction, so
I'll assume he's the co-creator/designer for the core cast of
Space Squadron. Of note is that Tuska became the final artist for the
1960s Buck Rogers scifi comic strip (and soon after moved on to
Marvel's Iron Man).
Thanks to the Grand Comics Database
for assistance with credits.
Profile
by Grendel
Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Mxxptrm the Martian has no known connections to:
- or any other "Mxxptrm" or Martian characters
images:
(without ads)
Space Worlds#6/2, p5, pan5 (main image)
Space Worlds#6/6, p7, pan7 (headshot, winking)
Space Squadron#1/6, p4, pan2 (with sword)
Space Squadron#4/6, p7, pan5 (throttling Edgar)
Appearances:
Space Squadron#1/6 (June, 1951) - uncredited writer, George Tuska
(pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#2/1 (August, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#2/4 (August, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#2/6 (August, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#3/1 (October, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth(?)
(pencils), Sol Brodsky(?) (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#3/4 (October, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth(?)
(pencils), Sol Brodsky(?) (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#3/6 (October, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#4/1 (December, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#4/2 (December, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#4/6 (December, 1951) - uncredited writer, Werner Roth
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#5/1 (February, 1952) - uncredited writer, Allen Bellman
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#5/2 (February, 1952) - uncredited writer, Allen Bellman
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Squadron#5/6 (February, 1952) - uncredited writer, Allen Bellman
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Worlds#6/1 (April, 1952) - uncredited writer, Allen Bellman
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Worlds#6/2 (April, 1952) - uncredited writer, Allen Bellman
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Space Worlds#6/6 (April, 1952) - uncredited writer, Allen Bellman
(pencils &
inks), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 03/03/2023
Last updated: 03/03/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let
me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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