History Characters / MightyMax

[=MacDougall=] appears in the episode "Werewolves of Dunneglen." She is loosely inspired by Werewolf, from the horror head "Mighty Max Hounds Werewolf."

* InsistentTerminology: His parents are not ambassadors; they're special envoys.

[[folder:Professor [=MacDougall=]]]

[[/folder]]

!!Professor [=MacDougall=]

* ShoutOut: [=MacDougall=]'s three-headed wolf form may be a shoutout to the mythical [[UsefulNotes/GreekMythology Cerberus]].

[[folder: Recurring Villains]]

!!Skullmaster
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TimCurry

The BigBad of the entire series. He has plotted for 10,000 years, destroyed at least two major civilizations (the Lemurians and the Atlanteans), and even overthrown the ruler of the underworld, all apparently done in the name of increasing his own power. By the end he is one of the most threatening and successful villains in cartoon history.

Skullmaster first appeared in episode 1, "A Bellwether In One's Cap" and appears many, many more times throughout the series. He also had four toy appearances: "Mighty Max Trapped In Skull Mountain", "Mighty Max Storms Dragon Island", "Mighty Max Head-To-Head With Hydra", and "Mighty Max Assaults Skullmaster".

* BadBoss: Skullmaster bears little to no loyalty for his minions and is more than happy to sacrifice them to get what he wants. Notably, he uses the souls of all his followers to re-power his Crystal of Souls in the finale.
* BigBad: Skullmaster is ''the'' driving force behind the series, with his hands in everything from beginning to end, sometimes even when the audience themselves aren't fully aware of it.
* BondVillainStupidity: Usually averted, but he has fallen victim to this on a few occasions, [[spoiler:most notably in the end of "Blood of the Dragon". He has Max and his allies cornered on a beach with nowhere for them to go. Max bluffs surrender and Skullmaster, rather than just kill him, decides that it would be more deliciously evil to let him surrender and prove to his allies and the hero-worshipping people of Dragon Island that he's nothing but a coward... this buys time for the floating island to move close to a portal, and for Max and crew to escape.]]
* TheChessmaster: Skullmaster has so many {{Batman Gambit}}s, {{Xanatos Gambit}}s, {{Evil Plan}}s and [[TimeForPlanB Backup Plans]] in play at once that it defies belief.
* TheDeterminator: No matter how many times Max ruins his plans, Skullmaster always has another plan ready. [[spoiler:[[TheBadGuyWins It works out for him in the end, too]].]]
* DisintegratorRay: It turns out the Crystal of Souls can be used directly as a weapon, firing a beam of energy that vaporizes anything it hits.
* EvilSorcerer: Combined with his bodybuilder physique and use of [[{{BFS}} Big Freaking Sword]], making him a MagicKnight.
* EvilFormerFriend: [[spoiler:Skullmaster is this to Virgil.]]
* {{Expy}}: Skullmaster is very reminiscent of Skeletor from ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983''.
* LargeAndInCharge: Skullmaster appears to be somewhere between one and a half to two times the size of an average human. [[EvilIsBigger He's even bigger than Norman]]!
* LargeHam: Naturally. He is voiced by Creator/TimCurry, after all.
* LeakingCanOfEvil: He was trapped in the center of the Earth 5,000 years ago by Max's predecessor, but was able to command his minions on the surface of Earth despite being trapped in Skull Mountain. [[spoiler:Max lets him out at the beginning of the second season.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: His greatest trait, anyone who doesn't know him can fall victim to his plans very easily and even then he still manages to find a way to trick his enemies into giving him whatever he needs.
* NearVillainVictory: [[spoiler:Came dangerously close in the series finale. His Crystal of Souls was rebuilt and re-powered, and he brought back all of Max's previously slain villains back to life. There was also virtually nothing Max, Norman or Virgil could do to stop him, since he could easily track them down. He gets what he needs to complete his final plan (the portal cap) and the world ''would have'' been his if Max hadn't interfered in the middle of the ceremony at the last second, when he rewound the timeline back to the beginning when Max first got the cap.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: [[EvilAlbino Deathly pale skin]], evil-looking cape complete with HighCollarOfDoom, [[NightmareFace skull-like face]], [[LooksLikeOrlok pointy ears]] and [[FemmeFatalons sharp claws]], [[EvilSoundsDeep deep voice]] that almost sounds like [[GutturalGrowler a perpetual growl]], has (on more than one occasion) vocally expressed his desire to [[WouldHurtAChild kill]] and [[EatsBabies devour]] a preteen boy... and if that's not enough, his name is ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Skullmaster]]''!
* YourSoulIsMine: Skullmaster's Crystal of Souls is powered by souls, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just as the name implies]]. Unlike most cases of this trope, the Crystal can only absorb souls given up willingly. Of course both times this happened was because he tricked the people into doing so. (With the Atlanteans, he caused a disaster and convinced the people they could be saved if they gave up their souls to him. With the tribespeople of Dragon Island he tricked them into drinking dragon's blood which turned them into his mindless slaves. It didn't take much to repower the crystal after that.)

!!Warmonger
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/FrankWelker

Skullmaster's second-in-command, a red-skinned humanoid demon creature. Warmonger is the second most commonly appearing regular villain in the show, right after Skullmaster. He is based on a villain from the playset "Mighty Max Trapped In Skull Mountain" which, as noted below, was his one and only toy appearance, though there has been discovered an unnamed mega head playset based on him, which was never released.

* AdaptationalBadass: Warmonger only ever appeared in one toy playset: "Mighty Max Trapped In Skull Mountain." In the corresponding mini-comic, he was an ineffectual minor villain whose only notable accomplishment was getting splattered by friendly fire from Skullmaster's catapult. Compare to the cartoon, where he's quite capable in his own right and has even stood against Norman a time or two. [[spoiler:He still doesn't count as SparedByTheAdaptation, though, since Skullmaster deliberately kills him in the series finale.]]
* AscendedExtra: Warmonger's role in the first season was very limited, relegated mostly to appearing in the background and bossing around Skullmaster's other minions. As of the second season, he was confirmed to actually be Skullmaster's second-in-command and given a much larger role.
* TheDragon: Warmonger serves as Skullmaster's second-in-command, and the commander of his forces.
%%* HornedHumanoid
* SpikesOfVillainy: Warmonger's shoulder pads.
* TheStarscream: He's generally pretty loyal, but there are moments when he makes it clear he wouldn't mind being top dog. [[spoiler:Notably, he doesn't hesitate to take the opportunity to back-stab Skullmaster in the episode "I, Warmonger."]]
* VocalDissonance: Warmonger's hulking appearance would suggest a [[BadassBaritone deep, booming voice]], rather than the thin, raspy voice he actually has.

!!Cyberskull
-->'''Voiced by''': Danny Goldman

A genius programmer named Morlen Kurt who goes mad after credit for his masterpiece video game is stolen by a ruthless mega-corporation. He transfers his mind into {{Cyberspace}} and plots to {{take over the world}}.

Cyberskull appears in the episodes "The Cyberskull Virus" and "Cyberskull II: The Next Level", and he is one of the villains resurrected by Skullmaster's magic [[BackForTheFinale in the final episode]]. Cyberskull is based on the villain from the toy playset "Mighty Max Bytes Cyberskull" and "Mighty Max Shuts Down Cybot".
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* AGodAmI
--> '''Cyberskull:''' I am no longer a man! I am a god! A DIGITAL GOD! [[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHAHA!]]
* ComputerVirus: Cyberskull is often referred to as the Cyberskull Virus.
* ContagiousAI: In his second appearance, Cyberskull reveals that he can transfer himself to other computer systems wirelessly, and uses this to escape destruction a few times.
* HardLight: What Cyberskull is in his first appearance.
* HollywoodNerd: Kurt was even more of a nerd than Ernie before he became the Cyberskull Virus. Even after his transformation, he speaks entirely in computer lingo, promising to [[NeverSayDie "delete"]] people he dislikes and referring to interactions with others as "interfacing."
* HumongousMecha: Builds one to be his new body in his second appearance.
* KillerRabbit: He briefly uses the body of a tiny Cyberskull action figure...which happens to possess incredibly advanced FrickinLaserBeams that make it a match even for Norman.
* TheMinionMaster: In his second appearance, after revealing himself to have become a ContagiousAI, Cyberskull reveals that he can even take control of ''humans''. By putting a special lapel pin on his victim (actually a wireless transceiver) he can take control over them, and he uses this to create an army of {{Mind Control}}led minions to take Max and friends captive.
* RealityWarper: Cyberskull's Hard Light form is this. He can transform physical objects into energy and insert them into Cyberspace, at which point he can do whatever he wants with them.
* TronLines: Everything related to Cyberskull's Cyberspace and Hard Light shenanigans appears like this.

!!Dr. Eggbert Zygote
-->'''Voiced by''': Kenneth Mars

A MadScientist, whose goal is to create a SuperiorSpecies of humans by using a machine to rapidly evolve/devolve living beings.

Dr. Zygote appears in the episodes "Zygote's Rythm" and again in "Zygote Music." He is originally from the toy "Mighty Max Blows Up Dino Lab."
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* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:The way that Zygote is finally defeated. As explained by Virgil, he has moved beyond such concepts as good and evil, and thus no longer has any reason to fight Max.]]
* BodyHorror: Rapid evolution is not a pretty thing to behold. His former lab assistants/human guinea pigs didn't turn out right, either.
* DevolutionDevice: How Zygote plans to create his species of perfect humans. It can also be run in reverse, rapidly evolving targets to a more advanced state.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Zygote definitely agrees. It's not entirely clear how reviving the dinosaurs will help advance his plans, but he went ahead and did it anyway.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: His goal is to create a more perfect form of human. In practice, he mostly just makes monsters.
* MadScientist: Obviously.
* ManChild: Definitely has shades of this in his dealings with Max.
--> '''Dr. Zygote:''' My dinosaur can beat up your dinosaur!
--> '''Max:''' Oh, now we're ''real'' mature!
* OneWingedAngel: Zygote attempts to pull this off in his fight against Max, using his DevolutionDevice in reverse to become a more advanced species of human. It's subverted, though, as his new form does have incredible psychic abilities [[HowDoIShotWeb but he has absolutely no clue how to use them]]. [[spoiler:He does figure it out in time for his next appearance, though.]]

!!Talon
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/DavidWarner

A giant soul-eating skull carried by an equally giant bird (called the Carrion Vulture in the toyline), which was confined to the astral plane at some point in the distant past and wants very much to be set free. His attempts at escape cause natural disasters on the physical plane, which draws the attention of the heroes and leads to his (temporary) release.

Talon menaces Max and company in season 2 episode 10: "The Souls of Talon" and again in [[BackForTheFinale the series finale]]. He is loosely based on the villain Clawber from "Mighty Max Crushes Clawber."
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* CompleteImmortality: As long as the Mystic Disc of Immortality is kept in Talon's treasure hoard in his realm of the astral plane, he can't be killed or even injured.
* EldritchAbomination: It's unclear exactly what Talon is or where it came from, but he's clearly something magical in nature, and pure evil.
* GiantFlyer: Talon's method of locomotion.
* FeatheredFiend: The second half of Talon, referred to in the toy as the Carrion Vulture.
* LeakingCanOfEvil: Talon was sealed in the astral plane by the PowersThatBe and could only escape with the cosmic cap. Angry at being denied access to the human world, Talon's bird attacks the gateway to the physical world, which (unbeknownst to Talon) causes natural disasters in the human world, drawing the attention of the heroes and leading to his release. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he's put back at the end of the episode, all of the souls he's gathered are released, and the rupture he created between worlds is repaired.]]
* LiteralSplitPersonality: The skull and the bird seem to be two halves of the same being, as evidenced by the fact that the skull goes into an unconscious state whenever the bird releases its grip on it.
* YourSoulIsMine: Talon is capable of pulling souls out of peoples' bodies and inhaling them. It's not known what, if any, benefits devouring souls gives him, though.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: One-Shot Villains]]

!!Spike
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/BradGarrett

A barbarian warrior who killed Norman's father 10,000 years ago and tried to kill Norman as well, only to fail and be frozen beneath an icy lake. After being accidentally released by modern day archaeologists he is determined to finish what he started.

Spike is the villain of the episode "Norman's Conquest" and is very loosely based on the horror head toy "Mighty Max Hammers Ax Man."
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* AmbiguouslyBrown: His skin color is a few shades darker than the other characters, but not in a way that makes it clear what race he is. Justified in that his tribe predates all current Earth cultures.
* BaldOfEvil: His head is completely shaved, [[ShortHairWithTail save for a ponytail]].
* BloodKnight: He openly admits that he has no reason to attack Norman's father, right before doing so anyway.
* TheDreaded: Even Norman is afraid of him. In fact, [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes along with spiders]], he is one of only two things Norman is scared of.
* ImplacableMan: He swore to kill Norman 10,000 years ago and is determined to keep that promise.
* MadeOfIron: He gets a bunch of branches stabbed into his face, falls into a frigid lake and is frozen for 10,000 years, is dropped into a trash compactor, gets dragged behind a train, falls off a bridge and still he keeps chasing Norman. Oh, those sticks in his face? He put one of them there himself!
* PsychopathicManChild: His manner of speech when trying to intimaidate his enemies are what you'd expect from a child on the playground, not from an adult warrior. The fact that he manages to be honestly scary in spite of that says a lot.
* RedRightHand: Of the NightmareFace variety. While fighting Norman's father he tripped and landed face-first on a log, ending up with a bunch of branches impaled through his face. Not even fazed, he broke one off and shoved it into his nose to prove that he FeelsNoPain.
* SealedEvilInACan: More accurately, Frozen Evil In A Lake. He's accidentally dug up and revived by archaeologists at the beginning of his episode.
* SuperStrength: Our introduction to the character involves him tossing cars around a junkyard like throw pillows.

!!Ravendark
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/JimCummings

A nordic sorcerer who appears in the episode "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie". He was long ago cursed to take the form of a bird of ill omen, which Skullmaster exploits by posing as the "dread lord Loki" and offering to remove the curse if Ravendark will awaken the Doom Dragon, which will then destroy the world and release Skullmaster from his prison.

Ravendark and the Doom Dragon are both based on villains from the toy "Mighty Max Slays The Doom Dragon."
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* CreepyRavens: What Ravendark has been forced to take the form of.
* EvilSorcerer: He's stated to be a necromancer, though we don't see him perform any actual necromancy, unless waking the Doom Dragon counts.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Once he realizes his "dread lord Loki" is actually Skullmaster and that Skullmaster broke his promise to remove the curse. Unfortunately for Ravendark, in his case RedemptionEqualsDeath.]]
* OmnicidalManiac: Waking the Doom Dragon means he gets to return to being a human full-time. It also means [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Earth gets torn in half]]. He planned to escape by traveling to another world.
* RedRightHand: Ravendark's eyes are both different colors, neither of which is normal for a human. (One has [[RedEyesTakeWarning red sclera with black iris]], the other is [[MonochromaticEyes pure white]].)
* ShapeshifterModeLock: Ravendark is forced to take the form of a raven, except when inside the cave of the Doom Dragon.
* WizardBeard: Although it may or may not be by choice; he's basically been forced to live inside the Doom Dragon's stomach for most of his life and he probably doesn't have many shaving implements in there.
* YourSoulIsMine: In order to stop the Doom Dragon and thwart Skullmaster's escape bid, he has to sacrifice his blood and soul to the ancient beast.
** In the final scene, a lone raven flies from the Doom Dragon's slumbering body, [[UncertainDoom leaving a big question mark over his survival]].

!!The Doom Dragon
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/JimCummings

An enormous dragon, featured in the episode "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie." It is foretold that when he is awakened he will "rupture Odin's rift, tearing the world asunder." Along with the other villain of that episode, Ravendark, he first appeared in the toy "Mighty Max Slays The Doom Dragon."
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* AdaptationalBadass: Compared to the Doom Dragon in the show, the figure that came with the original toy is tiny, being presented as roughly the same size as a human.
* AllMythsAreTrue: Like how Norman was apparently [[NorseMythology Thor]], [[KingArthur Lancelot]] and even [[Literature/TheBible Samson]] before the series began, Doom, over time, was also known as Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent and Ouroboros.
* AscendedExtra: In [[ExpandedUniverse some adventure storybooks]] based off the playset "Mighty Max Storms Dragon Island," he joins forces with Skullmaster proper against Max for a final showdown. They both meet their demise when Max fires the [[OneBulletLeft Arrow of Death]] at them. Blasting its way straight through Doom's head and out through Skullmaster's heart.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: "50 foot" is under-selling it. He's so massive that when asleep he can be mistaken for a mountain range.
* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: A literal example.
* BreathWeapon: As befits a dragon, he has the ability to breathe bursts of fire.
* CaveMouth: Doom is so massive that Max [[ThatsNoMoon mistakes his mouth for a large cave]].
* DontWakeTheSleeper: Seriously, don't. The Doom Dragon sleeps on top of a massive fault line called "Odin's Rift," which he intends to pull apart, breaking the entire Earth in half.
* DragonHoard: He hoards treasure like dragons do, [[BigEater except its all kept in his stomach]], probably since he's too big to fit into any cave.
* FailedASpotCheck: He fails to notice that Ravendark is responsible for his awakening and is currently inside him about to be responsible for sending him back into an eternal slumber.
* FriendlyEnemy: He's well-acquainted with Norman, who he knows as Thor the Thunderer, and even wants to strike up a [[WorthyOpponent little conversation before they do battle]].
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: He doesn't [[FlatCharacter even have a motive]] for wanting to destroy the planet, except [[ForTheEvulz that he's evil]].
* GiantEqualsInvincible: Subverted. He's impervious to conventional attacks, even the hammer of Thor does nothing but annoy Doom. Norman demonstrates, however, hitting massive rocks with enough force at him [[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll will indeed hurt the beast]].
* GodzillaThreshold: Waking him up spells the world's doom. Max practically makes an [[ShoutOut unintentional pun]] about this as well.
* HeavySleeper: How does 10,000 years sound?
%%* IncomingHam
* InvincibleVillain: Doom cannot be vanquished, merely put back to sleep.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: With a name like Doom Dragon, you can bet he's not going to be friendly.

!!The Creator of Corpus

An unnamed (though not for lack of trying) mad scientist. Tired of being constantly ignored by everyone around him, he created a BlobMonster called Corpus to get his revenge for him: a sort of sentient glue that seeks out and devours more of whatever it's originally applied to. (For example, when applied to a piece of metal it sought and devoured metal, when applied to a human it sought out and assimilated humans.)

The creator of Corpus appears in the episode "The Missing Linked." As the episode is based [[InNameOnly very, very loosely]] on the horror head "Mighty Max Survives Corpus" it is likely that the scientist is Mort, from that same playset.
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* AllThereInTheManual: Or rather, All There In The Merchandise. Although the character is never given a name in the episode it is, as mentioned above, likely that he is Mort from the Corpus playset.
* FreudianExcuse: Despite his brilliant intellect, he was ignored by everyone, driven out of his hometown, and forced to work in the town junkyard, which he turned into his own laboratory. He created two Corpus creatures - one from humans and one from automobiles, which he used to completely destroy his home town and everyone in it, before moving on to the surrounding villages.
* LargeHam: [[TheyCalledMeMad They called him mad]]! But he'll show them! Soon those nobodies will ''all '''know his name!!!'''''
* MadScientist: Along with GlovedFistOfDoom and EinsteinHair (complete with receding hairline)!
* NoNameGiven: Not by choice. Every time he attempts to say his name, he gets interrupted by someone. Becomes a RunningGag in the episode as he also tends to repeat whatever he was interrupted with as his name, before realizing and correcting himself.
--> '''Mad Scientist:''' Soon, they will all know my name! Yes! '''And my name is'''--\\
'''Max:''' Mud, if you ask me!\\
'''Mad Scientist:''' Mud! Yes! ...wait... no! No, that is ''not'' my name!
* PetMonstrosity: The aforementioned Corpus.

!!Dr. Robert Scorpio
-->'''Voiced by''': Charles Kimbrough

A scientist from TheFifties who went underground when he [[MistakenForApocalypse thought the world was ending]]. Unfortunately his bomb shelter had leaks, and happened to be underneath a nuclear test site. [[GoMadFromTheIsolation Forty years of isolation]] being slowly contaminated by nuclear fallout has left him... [[AxCrazy a little touched in the head]].

Dr. Bob Scorpio comes from the episode "Scorpio Rising." He is loosely based on Scorpion, a villain from the toy "Mighty Max Stings Scorpion" along with a small bit of Nuke Ranger from "Mighty Max Fights Nuke Ranger."
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* AccidentalMisnaming: Dr. Scorpio calls Max basically everything except "Max."
* AdaptationalHeroism: Or rather, Adaptational Slightly-Less-Evil...ism. As mentioned below, Dr. Robert Scorpio is an ObliviouslyEvil KnightTemplar. Contrast this to his toyline counterpart, Scorpion, a willing lackey of Skullmaster who was in charge of running the supervillain's Toxic Materials Mine.
* AffablyEvil: He does seem to be a pretty nice guy, what with his [[TheFifties 1950's manners and ettiquette]], just... that radiation poisoning. He even admits that [[YouGotSpunk likes Max's spunk]] when he's defeated and forced back underground at the end.
* CompositeCharacter: While his name and love of giant scorpions definitely come from the villain Scoprion, his evil plan [[spoiler:to overload a giant nuclear reactor and destroy all life on Earth]] comes directly from another villain, the Nuke Ranger.
* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Upon deciding that Max is actually a [[DirtyCommunists Soviet spy]], he decides he'll have to punish him. He even tells him "This will hurt me more than it hurts you" as he ''[[WouldHurtAChild pulls out a shotgun]]''.
* FriendToBugs: He loves his scorpions, [[BigCreepyCrawlies and the bigger the better]].
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: According to Max's calculations, Dr. Bob spent roughly 40 years underground, with no one and no thing to keep him company except the scorpions that crawled into his bomb shelter. He probably would've gone nuts even without the radiation poisoning.
* HairTriggerTemper: Using the word "nuke" or "nuclear" seems to be a BerserkButton for him. Notably, Max mentions nuking (as in microwaving) an apple pie, Dr. Bob mistakes it for [[NukeEm the other kind of "nuke"]] and gets quite irate before laughing it off and telling himself it's just some strange new slang.
* ILoveNuclearPower: He literally can't live without it.
* InsaneTrollLogic: [[spoiler:Scorpio is tired of being all alone underground, but he can't live without radiation. His solution? Flood the world with radiation so he can return to the surface! Of course, doing so will kill all of the normal humans, meaning he'll still be alone, and kill all of the plants and animals so he won't have any food either]].
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Dr. Bob explains his entire evil plan to Max after "adopting" him, not realizing Max is TheHero who intend to stop him.
-->'''Max:''' I met the mad scientist! I know what his plan is!\\
'''Virgil:''' How on Earth did you find out?\\
'''Max:''' He told me. Mad scientists do that.
* MadScientist: Dr. Scorpio does have an actual Ph.D, but it's not clear exactly what his field of study is. He seems to be [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist some strange combination of entomologist and nuclear physicist]].
* ObliviouslyEvil: He's basically a WellIntentionedExtremist (he thinks America has been [[RedScare conquered by the Soviet Union]] and wants to fight back), with a HairTriggerTemper and a tendency to go a little AxCrazy at times. He really does believe that he's the good guy, though, [[spoiler:even as he [[NukeEm attempts to destroy all of Nevada]]]].
* StandardFiftiesFather: The doctor attempts to be this to Max, even outright calling him "son."

!!Freako

A man who was born with a deformed, clown-like face. Growing up being mocked as a hideous freak, he decided to take revenge on the world by using magic funhouse mirrors to turn children into sideshow freaks.

Freako appears in the episode "Clown Without Pity." He is based on the villain of the horror head "Mighty Max Out-Freaks Freako."
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* BodyHorror: Freako's entire episode is built around this trope. The freaks he creates are hideously deformed even compared to himself, and watching it happen thanks to the magic funhouse mirrors is pretty awful.
* FreudianExcuse: Spending your whole life being made fun of for looking like a freak would make anyone a little angry.
* ILoveNuclearPower: Although cartoon Freako was born as a freak, the toyline version of Freako was mutated into a clown by radiation, and uses radiation to mutate children into freaks like himself.
* MonsterClown: He was born with extremely pale skin, swollen bright red lips, and a deformed face that makes him look vaguely like a clown. After being made fun of for it his entire life he decided to take on the monster clown persona willingly in order to get revenge.

!!Lockjaw

The demon of violence who was summoned in ancient times by The Strangers, a tribe of barbarians who hoped to destroy Norman and his clan. Norman and Virgil managed to defeat the demon and bound it in chains of adamnite and sealed it in an immortal tree, buried its axe under a mountain, and threw the key to its chains into the bottom of a lake. Cut to the present day when, [[ContrivedCoincidence in an amazing coincidence]], someone chopped down the tree, bulldozed the mountain, and drained the lake.

Lockjaw menaced the team in the episode "The Axeman Cometh" and was based loosely on the villain Big Red from "Mighty Max Tangles With Lockjaw."
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* AdaptationalBadass: Big Red from "Mighty Max Tangles With Lockjaw" was apparently a mundane serial killer armed with an axe. Lockjaw is actually a PhysicalGod and the AnthropomorphicPersonification of physical violence.
* AnAxeToGrind: It's also an AbsurdlySharpBlade, which makes sense considering it's also made of adamnite.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Lockjaw is the personification of physical violence.
* BoundAndGagged: He was bound in chains of adamnite, and gagged with an adamnite plate that locks under his chin, keeping his jaw from opening, in order to prevent him from using his [[MakeMeWannaShout destructive scream]], or really making any vocalization other than growling.
* CompleteImmortality: Becomes a big part of the episode's moral message; the urge to commit violence can not be defeated by more violence, nor can it be destroyed. It must be contained.
* TheCorrupter: Its very presence corrupts human minds, making them more violent. In someone who is already very violent, like [[BloodKnight Norman]], it drives them into a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy berserk frenzy]].
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Lockjaw's eyes glow red [[PowerGlows right before he uses his destructive scream]].
* HadesShaded: His skin is very dark grey.
* HornedHumanoid: Of the goat-like variety.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Apparently it's actually pronounced "loke-yah." Max, of course, insists on pronouncing it like it's spelled.
* MadeOfEvil: He's not just violent, he's literally the physical incarnation of the concept of physical violence.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Lockjaw's greatest power and the reason why his jaw was...well, locked. His screams of rage destroy everything around him.
* MythologyGag: In the toyline, the villain Big Red was a psychopathic lumberjack who became a serial killer. In the series, Lockjaw is released from his confinement by unwitting lumberjacks.
* SealedEvilInACan: As mentioned, he was bound in adamnite chains and sealed inside a giant tree.
* TheSpeechless: {{Subverted|Trope}}. With his jaw locked shut he could only grunt and growl, and this combined with his status as "unfeeling killing machine" led Max to think he was going to be this. Cue Max's surprise when Lockjaw's faceplate is removed...
* UnstoppableRage: Besides embodying violence, he's also unkillable thanks to being a demon.

!!Mummy King Venom
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/FrankWelker

An ancient pharaoh and apostle of Apophis who has lived as a mummy for 3,000 years, extending his un-life and his power by means of a sacred rite of renewal and a mystical ankh. After Max and Bea are accidentally transported to Egypt Max takes the ankh not realizing what it is. Venom sends his servants to America to retrieve the ankh and the girl Max gave it to, who they plan to use as a sacrifice to extend Venom's life and power even further. This brings Max and Bea back to Egypt to confront him and save their kidnapped friend Jiffie.

Venom appeared in the episode "Snakes and Laddies." He was based off the Mummy King (later renamed Venom) from "Mighty Max Conquers the Palace of Poison" and "Mighty Max Strikes Fang." His giant serpent might be based on the giant snake from the shrunken head "Wraptile."
----
* DeathByAdaptation: In the toyline, after being defeated once he returns again to threaten Max a second time, and even then he's not actually killed. In the series, he doesn't make it past his first appearance.
* IdiotBall: When exposed to moonlight the Ankh of Power burns and eventually kills whatever living thing it touches, trapping their life force to be later consumed. We have seen, however, that grabbing it by the chain it hangs from is perfectly safe, and you'd think Venom would know this considering he's owned the thing for 3,000 years... so trying to grab the ankh directly after Max throws it on the ground was pretty dumb.
* LargeHam: Mock him, fool, but once he has taken your life force from the Ankh of Power, no less than Apophis himself shall honor him! Soon, he and he alone shall be ''master of '''cosmic destiny'''''!
* {{Mummy}}: The Mummy ''King'', even.
* NefariousPharaoh: Or apparently "the last of the Supreme Pharaohs!"
* PetMonstrosity: The giant serpent, and in the toyline Pharaoh Phang.
* WouldHurtAChild: Although he does express remorse over it, he is nonetheless perfectly willing to use even children as sacrifices in his rite of renewal. In fact, in a surprising display for a kids' show, the opening sequence of the episode shows him doing just that with a captured boy.

!!Nadja
-->'''Voiced by''': Rene Auberjonois

A demon sorcerer and former servant of Kali, until he betrayed her and for his insolence she sealed him in a tiny statue. After finally being released he planned to summon an avatar of Kali and control it so that he could conquer India.

Nadja appeared in the season two episode "Good Golly, Miss Kali." He was based on the villain Pharaoh Phang from the battle warrior playset "Mighty Max Strikes Fang".
----
* AdaptationalBadass: In the toyline, Pharaoh Phang was bigger, but was a mere servant of Venom. In the series, he's on his own and he's the one doing the controlling... to the point that he's able to brainwash a ''god''!
* LeakingCanOfEvil: He was sealed in the form of a foot-or-so tall statue in a museum, but was able to secure his release by manipulating humans through their dreams.
* SuperSpit: His giant snake form is capable of spitting poison.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Has the ability to transform into a giant snake.

!!Torrlak the Torturer

Once upon a time, Torrlak was one of [[Literature/TheOdyssey Odysseus']] soldiers. When Odysseus defeated and blinded the cyclops Polyphemus, Torrlak stayed behind to feed the cyclops which, having been blinded, could no longer fend for itself. Over the years, Torrlak went insane and now terrorizes the inmates of a particularly heinous HellholePrison in Turkey.

Torrlak appears in the episode "The Day of the Cyclops", and is based on the villain Torturer from "Mighty Max Outwits Cyclops."
----
* TheDragon: To the cyclops' eye. Torrlak feeds it... because for some reason an eyeball needs to eat.
* MadeOfIron: When they fight in Torrlak's lair, Norman strangles Torrlak with a chain, throws him into an iron maiden, and then drops the iron maiden into a pit of spikes. None of that manages to kill him.
* PetMonstrosity: The cyclops' eye, at least in the toy. In the series, it's {{Inverted|Trope}} as Torrlak is the eye's servant.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Scholars typically date the events of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' to 1188 BC. If Torrlak lived from then to 1993 (when the show is probably set) then he's about 3,181 years old.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}}. In the toy's mini-comic, Torrlak was killed when he accidentally ran into an iron maiden and was shut inside. In the show, he survived the iron maiden trap, as explained in MadeOfIron, above... only to later be thrown into a fire and presumably burned to death.]]
* TheSpeechless: His only vocalizations are wordless grunts and growls, and the occasional howl of rage.

!! Lao-Chu Shenwan
-->'''Voiced by''': Glen Chin

The Emperor of Rats foretold in Chinese legend, resurrected after 10,000 years and prophesied to [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy the world of humans]] with the help of his rat children. He also like traps, and rather than fight Max and team himself he seals them inside a magical maze formed from the ruins of his own temple.

Lao-Chu appeared in the episode "The Year of the Rat". He was based on the villain Rattus, from the toy "Mighty Max Traps Rattus."

----
* AdaptationalBadass: Rattus wasn't exactly a wimp - he had some decent technology and a number of mutants under his control, but he still only had Earthly strength. Lao-Chu, on the other hand, is an actual god and apparently an envoy of the Underworld, with actual demons at his command.
* BenevolentBoss: Although hateful toward most other beings, Lao-Chu is very loving to his rats, who refers to as his children. Although his role in prophecy is to end the world of humans, his actual stated goal is to turn the world into a paradise for his rats. As Norman himself said about Lao-Chu's resurrection:
--> '''Norman:''' It's good. ...if you're a rat.
* BondVillainStupidity: So you're confronted by a hero who is best known for his cleverness and quick-thinking and who wants very badly to destroy you. You have him surrounded with literally thousands of your minions and he has no hope of penetrating your magic barrier. What do you do? If you said "lock him in a maze, the center of which contains the only thing capable of destroying me" then congratulations, you're just as stupid as Lao-Chu.
* DemonicPossession: The Lao-Chu that the heroes encounter is actually a possessed human, an archaeologist named Ki Wan who unwittingly summoned Lao-Chu's spirit and was taken over by it. Lao-Chu then used VoluntaryShapeshifting (presumably) to transform Ki Wan's body into a human-rat hybrid.
* {{Expy}}: His toy incarnation is an even better example due to being a mutant and living in the sewers, but the humanoid rat in a robe is very reminiscent of Splinter from ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''.
* FantasticRacism: Lao-Chu utterly despises humans, mostly because of the way they mistreat his rat children. When Max first appears before him, he calls humans out for using rats in laboratory experiments and proclaims rodents to be a SuperiorSpecies.
--> '''Lao-Chu:''' What creature is more intelligent than the rat? Why else would you ''humans'' use us for your experiments?
* FightingAShadow: Even if one could get past his magic, they would only succeed in destroying whatever human body Lao-Chu happened to be inhabiting. His real life force is contained within a red jade heart at the center of his maze-like temple. [[spoiler:Even if one breaks the heart, that only destroys Lao-Chu's ability to manifest in this plane of reality. The real Lao-Chu is still alive and well in the Underworld and can return if his heart is put back together, or after 10,000 years.]]
* KillAllHumans: It's his role in prophecy but, as stated in FantasticRacism, it's made clear that he would still try to eradicate humanity even if it ''wasn't'' his job.
* TheMinionMaster: He is the ruler of all rat-kind and all rats on Earth are driven to do his bidding, but he also has some more powerful minions, including [[PetMonstrosity a giant rat and a demon minotaur]] in his maze.
* PettingZooPeople: After [[DemonicPossession taking the body of the archaeologist Ki Wan]] he transforms his new body into a human-rat hybrid with very shaggy fur. Judging by the statue in his temple, this is probably what his true self looks like as well.
* SealedEvilInACan: Lao-Chu himself existed in another dimension and could only be given life in this world when a human found and activated his red jade heart [[WhenThePlanetsAlign on the seventh night of the seventh month, when the seven lights of Tsu-Sheng are in the sky]].
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:At the end of the episode, a few rats are seen gathering and scurrying off with the pieces of Lao-Chu's jade heart, presumably with the intention of putting it back together and searching for another human host to revive their master.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Walking Spoilers (Open This Folder At Your Own Risk)]]

'''These guys are all basically {{WALKING SPOILER}}S. Simply putting them into one of the above categories would spoil entire episodes, so they go here instead.'''

'''Since you've already been warned, expect UNMARKED SPOILERS ahead. Proceed at your own risk!'''

!!Professor [=MacDougall=]
-->'''Voiced by''': Miriam Flynn

A scientist who discovered that werewolves were real and immortal protectors of nature. Naturally, being a MadScientist, she decided to do the only rational thing and kidnap every werewolf in Scotland, then drain their blood to try and become immortal herself. The rampant murder sprees brought on by her serum attracted the Mighty One's attention, and he eventually teams up with Cameron, the last werewolf not yet captured by the professor, in order to take her down.

[=MacDougall=] appears in the episode "Werewolves of Dunneglen." She is loosely inspired by Werewolf, from the horror head "Mighty Max Hounds Werewolf."
----
* AxCrazy: Unlike most cases of JekyllAndHyde, [=MacDougall=] is completely aware of the murderous rampages her "Hyde" form goes on and seems to be perfectly happy with them. She even cheerfully refers to Max and Cameron as "breakfast" before transforming for the final battle.
* EvilIsBigger: Her transformation is even larger than other werewolves!
* ImAHumanitarian: It's never made clear whether she eats the humans she kills or just tears them to pieces, but if her final line to Max is any indication, she's not opposed to the idea.
* JekyllAndHyde: In her case, "Hyde" is a beast only loosely related to the werewolves she draws her power from. Her transformation is about twice the size of a normal werewolf, with [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four arms]] and [[MultipleHeadCase three heads]].
* MadScientist: Her goal was originally to try and create an ImmortalityInducer from werewolf blood. It's not clear when or why she decided to switch to killing people for fun, but it clearly happened.
* OnlySaneMan: Subverted. She seems to be this early on, as she's the only person arguing for the innocence of the three people the constable has locked up in the station house. It's quickly revealed her real goal is much more evil. See AWolfInSheepsClothing, below.
* PetMonstrosity: Not [=MacDougall=] herself, but the villain she's based on has two of them: the [[{{Hellhound}} Horror Hounds]].
* ShoutOut: [=MacDougall=]'s three-headed wolf form may be a shoutout to the mythical [[UsefulNotes/GreekMythology Cerberus]].
* AWolfInSheepsClothing: Quite literally, given what she turns into. She's originally introduced as the OnlySaneMan (or woman, in this case) and seems genuinely nice. She's notably the only person arguing for the innocence of the wrongly accused Cameron. We later find out she's a MadScientist, and she's only arguing for Cameron to be freed from jail so she can abduct him the same way she has the rest of his pack.

!!Maximilian

Introduced as a potential alternate [[ChosenOne Mighty One]] after one of Virgil's summons accidentally brought him to Tibet, Maximilian competes to determine who is the real cap-bearer in the Season 2 episode "Max vs. Max."

Needless to say, Maximilian is NOT the cap-bearer. What isn't so obvious at first is that he is TheMole being controlled by Skullmaster. His job was to ingratiate himself with the heroes, follow them into the Lost City, and steal the cap to let Skullmaster in so he could steal the Lemurian Arcana and repair the Crystal of Souls.
----

* MightyMaxHeroesAndAllies
*

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Heroes]]
The [[PowerTrio three main characters]] of the series: Max the chosen one, his guardian Norman, and his mentor Virgil.

!!Max
[[quoteright:179:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mightymax_9466.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/RobPaulsen

The central character and TheHero. As the Mighty One, it's his destiny to defeat Skullmaster and save the world. So says prophecy, anyway. As far as Max is concerned, he's just an average 11-year-old boy caught up in a destiny he doesn't want.

* AlienLunch: He ends up enjoying a peanut butter and ''onion'' sandwich, to say nothing of the meals he usually makes for himself.
* BadassNormal: Aside from the cap and his destiny as the Mighty One there's not really anything all that special about him. That said, his lack of super powers has never stopped him from kicking evil's butt.
* BrilliantButLazy: At least one episode shows that he has a tendency to not do his homework or study before tests (though this might be due to WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld), but he easily comes up with one IndyPloy after another.
* ChosenOne: Or rather, the Mighty One. This is described as being his one and only special power (aside from being the bearer of the cap). The power of his destiny is so strong that it can override and wipe out other peoples' destinies, which is why he's the only one who can face Skullmaster.
* DeadpanSnarker: Max's main role in the comedy aspects of the show.
-->'''Virgil:''' Max, my boy, you are the Earth's only hope.
-->'''Max:''' Thanks, I almost forgot.
* DisappearedDad: Max's father was at least mentioned in early toys as being the one who left Max the cap, but he was AdaptedOut of the cartoon entirely. He's never even so much as mentioned in the show.
* GuileHero: Not being big and strong at all, Max's greatest asset is his mind. Even with help from Norman and Virgil it's still generally Max's [[IndyPloy ability to think on his feet]] that saves the day.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Understandably, there are plenty of times Max would like to give up the cap, the danger, and the monsters and just live a happy, normal life with his friends.
** ScrewDestiny: He tries to do so on several occasions. [[YouCantFightFate It doesn't usually work]].
** ResignedToTheCall: He does become this eventually, even showing HeroicWillpower from time to time.
* IndyPloy: Although he's already clever to begin with, Max is quickly forced to learn to think on his feet.
* KidHero: Played straight and also subjected to the occasional {{Deconstruction}}.
* PopCulturedBadass: He's a kid and he likes the same things most modern kids like.
* RunningGag: He has a few, mostly his tendency to refer to Virgil as "chicken."
* StepfordSnarker: Eventually shows signs of this in later episodes.
%%* WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld

!!Virgil
[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgil_8023.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TonyJay

An ancient Lemurian who serves as mentor to the Mighty One. He was once [[spoiler:Skullmaster's friend and mentor]], and he was the sole survivor when Skullmaster eradicated the rest of the Lemurian race. He has spent the last 10,000 years trying to defeat Skullmaster and repay his treachery.

Virgil appeared in all but a small handful of episodes. He also made several toyline appearances, though not until after the cartoon took off. His voice actor even performed in a couple of the commercials.

* BarefootCartoonAnimal: He wears only a red cloak.
* TheComicallySerious: As far as Virgil's role in the comedic aspects of the show go, he's mostly this, though he does also occasionally show aspects of DeadpanSnarker and OnlySaneMan. He also occasionally falls prey to NotSoAboveItAll, such as when he calls video games childish and then later ends up enjoying one.
* DeadpanSnarker: Not ''nearly'' as much as the others, but he still has his moments.
* DeterminedDefeatist: There are definitely times when he comes across as a defeatist, thanks to his insistence that YouCantFightFate, [[spoiler: when he reveals that he's destined to die alongside Skullmaster]]. Still, he's not about to give up. He accepts things that he knows are fate and tries to change what he can, hoping it will all work out in the end.
* FeatherFingers: Max even calls them "built-in feather dusters," which Virgil does not seem to find amusing.
* FormulaicMagic: Virgil doesn't really cast spells, but he is capable of using mathematics to predict the future with near-perfect accuracy, using something he calls Lemurian Calculus.
* HostageForMacGuffin: [[spoiler:Skullmaster holds Virgil hostage in exchange for Max's cosmic cap in the SeriesFinale.]]
* InsistentTerminology: He's a ''fowl'', actually, not a chicken. A RunningGag is made of this throughout the show, thanks to Max's teasing tendencies. He gets one back on Max, though, by insistently referring to him as "Mighty One" or "Mighty Max" despite Max hating both.
* LastOfHisKind: The rest of the Lemurians were wiped out by Skullmaster when the villain first attempted to steal the Cosmic Cap. Exactly ''how'' Skullmaster managed to exterminate them all is [[NoodleIncident left unexplained]], however.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Ends up enjoying video games after previously calling them "childish."
* TheObiWan: [[spoiler:Complete with death at the hands of the BigBad.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Occasionally.
* ParentalSubstitute: Shares this role with Norman in lieu of Max's DisappearedDad.
%%* ShorterMeansSmarter
* TheSmartGuy: So much so that it borders on [[TheOmniscient actual omniscience]]. [[NotSoOmniscientAfterAll Usually]].
%%* YouCantFightFate

!!Norman
[[quoteright:233:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/norman2_9915.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/RichardMoll, Creator/JasonMarsden (Young Norman)

A 10,000 year old warrior who has been charged with becoming the guardian of the Mighty One, though he has also served many other roles in history, [[NorseMythology Thor]] and [[KingArthur Lancelot]] among them. As Virgil says, he protects Max from the "minor inconveniences that pop up from time to time."

Like Virgil, he was in all but a small handful of episodes and had a number of toyline appearances later on.

%%* ActionHero
* {{Badass}}: Would you expect the guardian of TheChosenOne to be anything less?
%%* BadassBaritone
* BerserkButton: [[PapaWolf Threaten or hurt Max in Norman's presence and you can expect to get the crap kicked out of you]]. On a lesser note, mentioning [[NoodleIncident Rangoon]] around Norman will start an argument.
%%* TheBigGuy
%%* BloodKnight
* CatchPhrase: He has two, in fact.
-->"I eat ___ for breakfast!"
-->"[[PunctuatedForEmphasis That. Is a big. ___.]]"
* CoolSword: Norman's sword is [[SimpleYetAwesome fancy enough to not look plain, while also looking like it would be very effective and practical]]. It's versatile, too - in one episode he even attaches a chain to it and uses it as a grappling hook.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has his moments as this, though not quite as much so as Max.
* FailOSuckyname: Norman was several of folklore's greatest heroes like Thor, Samson, Little John, Hercules, and Sir Lancelot. Now he's going by his real name which, while not awful, is certainly a lot less cool.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Though it's not the only weapon he's ever used. He also [[DropTheHammer used a hammer]] at one point, a leftover from back when he went by the name of Thor, and he [[AnAxeToGrind used his father's old war-axe]] in another episode.
%%* HeroicSacrifice
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler:His father's death at the hands of Spike when he was just a child seems to be this.]] Thankfully, he's able to move on and even corrects his mistake as best as he can.
* NinetiesAntiHero: Oh yes. Absolutely [[BloodKnight loves to fight]], carries a [[{{BFS}} big sword]], is [[HeroicBuild big and muscular]], and is always ready with a BadassBoast or BondOneLiner. At the same time, he also averts some of the related tropes: he's not entirely fearless, he doesn't [[KnightInSourArmor hate the world]], and he does have people [[PapaWolf that he cares very deeply for]]. One could say he's a (slightly) LighterAndSofter version of the Nineties Anti-Hero.
* NoodleIncident: Rangoon serves as this and a rather comical BerserkButton.
* ParentalSubstitute: Norman shares something of a fatherly role with Virgil, in regards to Max.
** PapaWolf: Threaten Max in Norman's presence and you will regret it. Actually hurt Max in Norman's presence and...well, you probably won't live long enough to regret it.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Ten-thousand, in fact.
* SlasherSmile: A particularly scary one, which he shows in the intro sequence to every episode. Shown in the picture, above right.
* StrategySchmategy: Norman's first response to any bad situation is generally to forget strategies and smash it with his sword. A common outcome is Norman getting hit hard by TheWorfEffect.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Has a pretty severe case of arachnophobia. [[spoiler:It gets worse when it's revealed that he's fated to be killed by a giant spider. It's unclear if that fate is the cause of his arachnophobia or if it's merely coincidental but either way, that's rough.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Allies]]

!!Max's Mom
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TressMacNeille

An archaeologist who is often away from home, she is nevertheless able to occasionally step in for one of Max's adventures--willingly or not.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: She knows that monsters, ancient Lemurian chicken people, and magic exist, but refuses to believe in voodoo.
* DoomMagnet: At least in one episode.
* GoodParents: Is generally understanding of Max's position of the Mighty One, though he's still her little boy.
--> '''Mom:''' I used to change the Mighty One's diapers! I worry!
%%* MamaBear
* NoNameGiven: It's even [[{{Lampshading}} lampshaded]] in one episode.
--> '''Norman:''' Hello, Ms. ... Ms. ... um ... ''(thinks for a moment)'' ... Mom.

!!Bea
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/KathSoucie

Along with Felix, Bea is one of Max's two best friends. Compared to Max she is far more intelligent and level-headed and she has aided (and even saved) Max on multiple occasions. Although a major character in the show, Bea never appears in any of the toys. She is, however, a playable character in the LicensedGame.

* EmbarrassingFirstName: She much prefers to be called "Bea" rather than her real name, "Beatrice."
* HiddenDepths: In the episode "Beetlemania" it's revealed she knows how to pilot a plane, much to Max's surprise. Apparently her mother taught her.
* TheSmartGuy: Right after Virgil, of course.
* {{Tsundere}}: Type A, especially towards Max.

!!Felix
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/CoreyBurton

Along with Bea, Felix is one of Max's two best friends. Although he's always willing to help Max out he usually gets left behind before the adventure actually kicks off. Like Bea, Felix never appears in the toys but is a playable character in the LicensedGame. This doubles as the only time we see him take an active role in Max's adventures.

* BlindingBangs
* NonActionGuy: He would much rather eat and laze around than go on adventures.
* TheQuietOne: He just doesn't have a lot to say.
--> '''Max:''' Poor Jiffy. All alone...with Felix! ...same thing, really.

!!Ernie
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/CharlieAdler

A nerd from Max's school who helps him save the world from alien invaders.

%%* AnnoyingLaugh
* ClassicalAntiHero: He saves the world while also being wimpy and a total loser. He does get a bit better by the end of the episode, but never quite stops being obnoxious.
* ComputerVirus: How he defeats the alien invasion.
* DemotedToExtra: Ernie gets a starring role in one episode and then is relegated to appearing in background shots of Max's classroom.
* HollywoodNerd: No real person could ever be as much of a nerd stereotype as Ernie is.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He's on the receiving end of one from Max, which ends up inspiring him to actually become the hero who saves the day.

!!Jiffy
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/KatieLeigh

A short-lived crush of Max's, who had a prominent role in the episode "Snakes and Laddies."

* ComicallyMissingThePoint:
-->'''Jiffy:''' Max! Thank goodness you called! I have a big test tomorrow!\\
'''Max:''' Oh, really? Do you need me to come over and help you study?\\
'''Jiffy:''' No! I need someone to come over and tell all these weird people in [[BlackCloak black robes]] under my window to go away, so I ''can'' study!
* CuteBookworm: She is a quite pretty blonde girl, hence Max's fixation on her. But she's only interested in studying.
--> '''Bea:''' Poor Max. The only way Jiffy'd go for him is if he turned into a textbook.
* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:She's kidnapped by Venom after Max unknowingly gives her Venom's mystical amulet as a gift]].
* DumbassHasAPoint: "It serves you right for stealing that necklace from poor Mr. Venom in the first place!" While on the surface it's just another example of her missing the point, it helps Max figure out a way to defeat the villain: [[spoiler:throw the supercharged ankh at Venom, destroying him with his own magic]].
* GeniusDitz: A textbook case of DumbBlonde with practically no common sense, and such skewed priorities that even when giant snakes in hooded robes are carrying her off to be sacrificed all she can think about is all the studying she needs to do. At the same time, she is ''really'' good at studying and academics, especially math. Basically, she's a future AbsentMindedProfessor in the making.

!!Lava Lord
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/FrankWelker

The former ruler of the underworld which exists at the Earth's core. When Skullmaster was brought to Skull Mountain by the previous Mighty One his first act was to overthrow Lava Lord and seal him in stone, then take control of the underworld. Lava Lord is released from his confinement at the beginning of the second season.

Lava Lord first appeared in the first episode of season 2, "Pandora's Box." He had two toyline appearances, "Mighty Max Melts Lava Beast" and "Mighty Max Blasts Magus."

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the toyline, Lava Lord is absolutely a villain who wants to kill Max so that he can take over the world. In the cartoon Lava Lord becomes a NominalHero. He still dislikes Max, though in this case it's because he sees Max as a "worm" that's not worth his time - the issue of Lava Lord's end goal is never brought up. Lava Lord never does come to like Max, but despite this the two never come into direct conflict and actually [[EnemyMine end up working together]] against Skullmaster on two separate occasions.
* AdaptationalWimp: In the toyline, Lava Lord was a dangerous villain thanks to his signature weapon, [[{{BFS}} the Fireforce Sword]]. In the show, he relies entirely on his giant robot Magus, and seems to be kind of useless without it.
* EvilVersusEvil: Lava Lord ''hates'' Skullmaster, and for good reason.
* HumongousMecha: Magus, Lava Lord's creation which he plans to use against Skullmaster.
** ElementalAbsorption: Magus absorbs lava through its feet to power its lasers.
* MagmaMan: Naturally, since he is the former ruler of LethalLavaLand.
* NominalHero: As mentioned above; he's an evil creature who, on their first encounter, seems [[WouldHurtAChild more than happy to give Max a lava bath]], but he still technically counts as one of the good guys in the story despite that, if only because Skullmaster is so much worse.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: He really couldn't care less about Max's survival or the fate of the world. All he wants is {{Revenge}} on Skullmaster.
* SealedEvilInACan: He was sealed up once by Skullmaster, then released by accident [[spoiler:when Max broke Skullmaster's Crystal of Souls]]. He remains sealed inside the Earth's core, however, [[spoiler:but then Max releases him a second time in an attempt to defeat Skullmaster in the series finale]].

!!Beowulf
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/JimCummings

The old Scandinavian hero who fought and slew Grendel with his bare hands, now a failed wrestler. He's the first of the [[BadassCrew four heroes]] that Max collects during his RetiredBadassRoundup in the Season 1 finale "The Maxnificent Seven." He teaches Max the heroic attribute of spirit.

* BarefistedMonk: Beowulf fights most of his battles with his bare hands...
* CarryABigStick:...at least until he breaks off a stalagmite to use as a club.
* BrokenAce: Once one of the greatest warriors of all time until some unknown thing happened to make him [[{{Mangst}} lose all of his confidence]].
* FatSlob: What Beowulf has become. Max comes close to using this exact phrase to describe him, in fact.
%%* RetiredBadass
%%* ScreamingWarrior
* StoutStrength: Once he gets his confidence back, he demonstrates this by fighting most of Skullmaster's minions, including Warmonger, with his bare hands.

!!Jonayaiyin
-->'''Voiced by''': Michael Horse

A Native American shaman and warrior known as the "Hunter of Monsters." He is the second of the four heroes gathered by Max in the Season 1 finale, and he teaches Max the heroic attribute of focus.

* ArcherArchetype: Jonayaiyin's preferred weapon is the bow and arrow.
%%** TheStraightAndArrowPath
%%* BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins
* InHarmonyWithNature: When the characters first meet him, he is sitting alone on a cliff in front of a small campfire.
* MagicalNativeAmerican: Played straight, along with most related tropes. The one subtrope of this that he actually averts is TontoTalk.
%%* OldMaster
%%* RetiredBadass

!!Hanuman
-->'''Voiced by''': Clyde Kusatsu

The monkey king of UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}, who decided he no longer wanted to be a hero and thus resided in a zoo. He is the third of the four heroes gathered by Max in the Season 1 finale and he teaches Max the heroic attribute of wit.

* BarefootCartoonAnimal: He only wears a {{Loincloth}} when encountered in the zoo. After putting on his warrior vestments, he still doesn't wear shoes. Justified in that, like most monkeys, he has hand-like feet which not only probably wouldn't fit in shoes, but also provide increased agility which would be negated if he wore shoes.
* ClassicalAntiHero / LovableCoward: He's afraid of death out of a fear of karma; for the things he's done, he's sure he'll be [[{{Reincarnation}} reincarnated]] as something awful, like a tapeworm. Eventually he finds the courage to fight anyway, saying "[[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth Maybe I'll come back as a butterfly]]." [[spoiler:The end of the episode hints that he was right.]]
* CombatPragmatist: As noted below, part of his fighting style involves exploiting both what his allies and his enemies do. When Jonayaiyin shoots one of Skullmaster's {{Giant Enemy Crab}}s with an arrow, Hanuman kicks the wounded crab down the slope, bowling over all of the other crabs following it.
* PettingZooPeople: In terms of appearance, he's basically your average monkey, only of human-like size and proportions.
* RetiredBadass: In his case it was a fear of death and karmic retribution that led him to give up the dangerous life of an adventurer and settle down in a nice, quiet zoo.
* ScrewDestiny
--> '''Virgil:''' This is his [Max's] destiny! He can not walk away from that!
-->'''Hanuman:''' I did.
** ResignedToTheCall: He does reluctantly decide to go along with Max, even [[spoiler:willingly sacrificing his life to save Max from Skullmaster]].
* TheTrickster: Virgil uses this exact word to describe him. His fighting style relies on thinking on his feet and letting his enemy do most of the work for him, which is the basis of the heroic attribute he teaches Max.

!!Modjadji
-->'''Voiced by''': Olivia Virgil White

An African warrior princess who retired and became a game warden. She is the last of the four heroes gathered by Max in the Season 1 finale, who teaches him about the heroic attribute of intuition.

* BadassBureaucrat: These days she fights her battles with red tape... and occasionally she wrestles a rhinoceros to the ground.
* BattleCouple: Her dialogue with Norman suggests that they were this at some point. In particular, Norman references the time they fought the Harpies together.
* BladeOnAStick: Modjadji's WeaponOfChoice is a spear.
* HotBlooded
--> '''Modjadji:''' (''after saving Max from a [[RhinoRampage charging rhinoceros]] and wrestling the beast into submission'') So, who's a paper-pusher?
* HyperAwareness: She manages to see an ambush of lava beasts coming by feeling them moving through the ground. This is the basis of the heroic attribute she teaches Max.
* NewOldFlame: Norman's dialogue in the episode implies that he and Modjadji may have once dated.
* RetiredBadass: At least retired from being a warrior. These days she works as a game warden, and fights her battles with red tape as she puts it.

!! King Kalamarus
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kalamarus_751.png]]

The ruler of a species of [[PettingZooPeople humanoid cephalopods]] who have been trapped in a cave at the bottom of the ocean for 1,000 years thanks to a vicious giant squid. When Max and company go to investigate the disappearance of ships in the area they come across Kalamarus and his people. Together, they defeat the giant squid, making the waterways safe and rescuing the squid people from their imprisonment.

Kalamarus appeared in the episode "Less Than 20,000 Squid Heads Under The Sea". He was based loosely on the villain Kalamarus from the doom zone "Mighty Max Caught By The Man-Eater."

* AdaptationalHeroism: One of the biggest examples in the entire series. In the toyline, ''Doctor'' Kalamarus was a MadScientist who [[FaceMonsterTurn accidentally transformed himself into a squid monster]] and then decided to build a giant submarine shaped like a shark and use it to [[OmnicidalManiac exterminate all life in the ocean]], apparently just [[ForTheEvulz for the Hell of it]]. Cartoon Kalamarus, by comparison, is a benevolent ruler of his people who has not one shred of villainy in him.
* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Quite surprisingly to Max, he's capable of speaking english despite the fact that his species have been trapped in a cave at the bottom of the ocean for 1,000 years. He apparently learned by reading the labels on trash that has been dumped into the sea by humans.
* LovableCoward: This seems to be his entire species' [[PlanetOfHats racial hat]], so much so that his civilization has been trapped in a cave at the bottom of the sea for 1,000 years for fear of being eaten by a giant squid. Despite this he does manage to come through in the end, helping Max and company defeat the squid.
* LovecraftLite: A particularly notable example. While they look like something out of the {{Cthulhu Mythos}}, they are in fact perfectly friendly.
* PettingZooPeople: Kalamarus and his race are [[UnscaledMerfolk a cephalopod-based merfolk race]] with [[CthulHumanoid tentacle faces]].

!!Cameron
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TonyJay

A Scotsman who is really a werewolf, one of the immortal creatures of Dunneglen. He and his pack were being hunted by a mysterious monster, and one by one, the others vanished, until he alone remained. The constable had taken him as a suspect, leaving Max to clear his name and rescue his pack. He appeared in the episode "Werewolves of Dunneglen".

* ClearMyName: Along with finding out what happened to his pack and hopefully rescuing them, this is the other half of his goal, after he was wrongly accused of the brutal murders taking place in Dunneglen.
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Cameron is able to change from wolf to man at will. Additionally, Cameron says that he and his pack are actually ''wolves'' that take the form of ''men'' rather than the other way around.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Cameron says he's "lived for centuries," which is also how he managed to learn the legends of the Mighty One.

!!Gor the Caveman
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/RonPerlman

A neanderthal from ancient times who was granted super-strength, invulnerability, and immortality by a meteorite. The meteor gave these same powers to a sabertooth cat, turning it into a fearless monster that preyed on everything it came across, even humans. Realizing how dangerous the cat was, Gor sealed himself and the beast away in a cave. When the cave is unsealed by construction workers building a subway tunnel the cat escapes and Gor joins the heroes in the quest to hunt it down.

Gor appears in the episode "Tar Wars" and is based on an enemy from the doom zone "Mighty Max Grapples With Battle Cat".

* AdaptationalHeroism: Tied with Kalamarus as the biggest example in the entire series. His toyline incarnation wasn't as bad a villain (he was more primitive and brutish than outright evil) but his cartoon incarnation is way more of a hero.
* {{Expy}}: A caveman with superhuman strength who was granted immortality by a meteorite? [[VandalSavage Sounds familiar...]]
* NighInvulnerable: If there's anything that can hurt the guy we don't see it in the episode.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Gor is stated to be a neanderthal. Given when that subspecies of human went extinct this would make him at least 30,000 years old. As stated by Max, he may have been the Earth's first superhero.
* SealedEvilInADuel: Specifically, he was the "good" half of the duel. His enemy was a vicious sabertooth cat that was granted immortality, invulnerability, and super strength by the same meteorite that gave Gor his powers.
* TheUnintelligible: He speaks Neanderthal, which to most people just sounds like grunts.

!! Ki Wan
-->'''Voiced by''': Glen Chin

An archaeologist who unwittingly summoned the demon god Lao-Chu Shenwan, Emperor of the Rats, and was subsequently possessed by him. He appears in Lao-Chu's maze as a spirit, having been forced out of his own body, and helps Max and friends to find and shatter the red jade heart that ties Lao-Chu to this world.

Ki Wan appeared in the season 2 episode, "The Year of the Rat."
----
* AstralProjection: With his body taken over by Lao-Chu, he became a spirit and used this form to help Max and the team find Lao-Chu's heart in the center of the maze.
* MustMakeAmends: He's willing to do absolutely anything to remove Lao-Chu from this world and fix what he's done, [[spoiler:even when it seems that doing so [[HeroicSacrifice will kill him too]].]]
* UnwittingPawn: Ki Wan didn't really want to resurrect Lao-Chu, it was merely his fascination with the ancient myth and his desire to see if the red jade heart was real that led him to the temple and to become possessed.

[[folder: Recurring Villains]]

!!Skullmaster
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TimCurry

The BigBad of the entire series. He has plotted for 10,000 years, destroyed at least two major civilizations (the Lemurians and the Atlanteans), and even overthrown the ruler of the underworld, all apparently done in the name of increasing his own power. By the end he is one of the most threatening and successful villains in cartoon history.

Skullmaster first appeared in episode 1, "A Bellwether In One's Cap" and appears many, many more times throughout the series. He also had four toy appearances: "Mighty Max Trapped In Skull Mountain", "Mighty Max Storms Dragon Island", "Mighty Max Head-To-Head With Hydra", and "Mighty Max Assaults Skullmaster".

* BadBoss: Skullmaster bears little to no loyalty for his minions and is more than happy to sacrifice them to get what he wants. Notably, he uses the souls of all his followers to re-power his Crystal of Souls in the finale.
* BigBad: Skullmaster is ''the'' driving force behind the series, with his hands in everything from beginning to end, sometimes even when the audience themselves aren't fully aware of it.
* BondVillainStupidity: Usually averted, but he has fallen victim to this on a few occasions, [[spoiler:most notably in the end of "Blood of the Dragon". He has Max and his allies cornered on a beach with nowhere for them to go. Max bluffs surrender and Skullmaster, rather than just kill him, decides that it would be more deliciously evil to let him surrender and prove to his allies and the hero-worshipping people of Dragon Island that he's nothing but a coward... this buys time for the floating island to move close to a portal, and for Max and crew to escape.]]
* TheChessmaster: Skullmaster has so many {{Batman Gambit}}s, {{Xanatos Gambit}}s, {{Evil Plan}}s and [[TimeForPlanB Backup Plans]] in play at once that it defies belief.
* TheDeterminator: No matter how many times Max ruins his plans, Skullmaster always has another plan ready. [[spoiler:[[TheBadGuyWins It works out for him in the end, too]].]]
* DisintegratorRay: It turns out the Crystal of Souls can be used directly as a weapon, firing a beam of energy that vaporizes anything it hits.
* EvilSorcerer: Combined with his bodybuilder physique and use of [[{{BFS}} Big Freaking Sword]], making him a MagicKnight.
* EvilFormerFriend: [[spoiler:Skullmaster is this to Virgil.]]
* {{Expy}}: Skullmaster is very reminiscent of Skeletor from ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983''.
* LargeAndInCharge: Skullmaster appears to be somewhere between one and a half to two times the size of an average human. [[EvilIsBigger He's even bigger than Norman]]!
* LargeHam: Naturally. He is voiced by Creator/TimCurry, after all.
* LeakingCanOfEvil: He was trapped in the center of the Earth 5,000 years ago by Max's predecessor, but was able to command his minions on the surface of Earth despite being trapped in Skull Mountain. [[spoiler:Max lets him out at the beginning of the second season.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: His greatest trait, anyone who doesn't know him can fall victim to his plans very easily and even then he still manages to find a way to trick his enemies into giving him whatever he needs.
* NearVillainVictory: [[spoiler:Came dangerously close in the series finale. His Crystal of Souls was rebuilt and re-powered, and he brought back all of Max's previously slain villains back to life. There was also virtually nothing Max, Norman or Virgil could do to stop him, since he could easily track them down. He gets what he needs to complete his final plan (the portal cap) and the world ''would have'' been his if Max hadn't interfered in the middle of the ceremony at the last second, when he rewound the timeline back to the beginning when Max first got the cap.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: [[EvilAlbino Deathly pale skin]], evil-looking cape complete with HighCollarOfDoom, [[NightmareFace skull-like face]], [[LooksLikeOrlok pointy ears]] and [[FemmeFatalons sharp claws]], [[EvilSoundsDeep deep voice]] that almost sounds like [[GutturalGrowler a perpetual growl]], has (on more than one occasion) vocally expressed his desire to [[WouldHurtAChild kill]] and [[EatsBabies devour]] a preteen boy... and if that's not enough, his name is ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Skullmaster]]''!
* YourSoulIsMine: Skullmaster's Crystal of Souls is powered by souls, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just as the name implies]]. Unlike most cases of this trope, the Crystal can only absorb souls given up willingly. Of course both times this happened was because he tricked the people into doing so. (With the Atlanteans, he caused a disaster and convinced the people they could be saved if they gave up their souls to him. With the tribespeople of Dragon Island he tricked them into drinking dragon's blood which turned them into his mindless slaves. It didn't take much to repower the crystal after that.)

!!Warmonger
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/FrankWelker

Skullmaster's second-in-command, a red-skinned humanoid demon creature. Warmonger is the second most commonly appearing regular villain in the show, right after Skullmaster. He is based on a villain from the playset "Mighty Max Trapped In Skull Mountain" which, as noted below, was his one and only toy appearance, though there has been discovered an unnamed mega head playset based on him, which was never released.

* AdaptationalBadass: Warmonger only ever appeared in one toy playset: "Mighty Max Trapped In Skull Mountain." In the corresponding mini-comic, he was an ineffectual minor villain whose only notable accomplishment was getting splattered by friendly fire from Skullmaster's catapult. Compare to the cartoon, where he's quite capable in his own right and has even stood against Norman a time or two. [[spoiler:He still doesn't count as SparedByTheAdaptation, though, since Skullmaster deliberately kills him in the series finale.]]
* AscendedExtra: Warmonger's role in the first season was very limited, relegated mostly to appearing in the background and bossing around Skullmaster's other minions. As of the second season, he was confirmed to actually be Skullmaster's second-in-command and given a much larger role.
* TheDragon: Warmonger serves as Skullmaster's second-in-command, and the commander of his forces.
%%* HornedHumanoid
* SpikesOfVillainy: Warmonger's shoulder pads.
* TheStarscream: He's generally pretty loyal, but there are moments when he makes it clear he wouldn't mind being top dog. [[spoiler:Notably, he doesn't hesitate to take the opportunity to back-stab Skullmaster in the episode "I, Warmonger."]]
* VocalDissonance: Warmonger's hulking appearance would suggest a [[BadassBaritone deep, booming voice]], rather than the thin, raspy voice he actually has.

!!Cyberskull
-->'''Voiced by''': Danny Goldman

A genius programmer named Morlen Kurt who goes mad after credit for his masterpiece video game is stolen by a ruthless mega-corporation. He transfers his mind into {{Cyberspace}} and plots to {{take over the world}}.

Cyberskull appears in the episodes "The Cyberskull Virus" and "Cyberskull II: The Next Level", and he is one of the villains resurrected by Skullmaster's magic [[BackForTheFinale in the final episode]]. Cyberskull is based on the villain from the toy playset "Mighty Max Bytes Cyberskull" and "Mighty Max Shuts Down Cybot".
----
* AGodAmI
--> '''Cyberskull:''' I am no longer a man! I am a god! A DIGITAL GOD! [[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHAHA!]]
* ComputerVirus: Cyberskull is often referred to as the Cyberskull Virus.
* ContagiousAI: In his second appearance, Cyberskull reveals that he can transfer himself to other computer systems wirelessly, and uses this to escape destruction a few times.
* HardLight: What Cyberskull is in his first appearance.
* HollywoodNerd: Kurt was even more of a nerd than Ernie before he became the Cyberskull Virus. Even after his transformation, he speaks entirely in computer lingo, promising to [[NeverSayDie "delete"]] people he dislikes and referring to interactions with others as "interfacing."
* HumongousMecha: Builds one to be his new body in his second appearance.
* KillerRabbit: He briefly uses the body of a tiny Cyberskull action figure...which happens to possess incredibly advanced FrickinLaserBeams that make it a match even for Norman.
* TheMinionMaster: In his second appearance, after revealing himself to have become a ContagiousAI, Cyberskull reveals that he can even take control of ''humans''. By putting a special lapel pin on his victim (actually a wireless transceiver) he can take control over them, and he uses this to create an army of {{Mind Control}}led minions to take Max and friends captive.
* RealityWarper: Cyberskull's Hard Light form is this. He can transform physical objects into energy and insert them into Cyberspace, at which point he can do whatever he wants with them.
* TronLines: Everything related to Cyberskull's Cyberspace and Hard Light shenanigans appears like this.

!!Dr. Eggbert Zygote
-->'''Voiced by''': Kenneth Mars

A MadScientist, whose goal is to create a SuperiorSpecies of humans by using a machine to rapidly evolve/devolve living beings.

Dr. Zygote appears in the episodes "Zygote's Rythm" and again in "Zygote Music." He is originally from the toy "Mighty Max Blows Up Dino Lab."
----
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:The way that Zygote is finally defeated. As explained by Virgil, he has moved beyond such concepts as good and evil, and thus no longer has any reason to fight Max.]]
* BodyHorror: Rapid evolution is not a pretty thing to behold. His former lab assistants/human guinea pigs didn't turn out right, either.
* DevolutionDevice: How Zygote plans to create his species of perfect humans. It can also be run in reverse, rapidly evolving targets to a more advanced state.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Zygote definitely agrees. It's not entirely clear how reviving the dinosaurs will help advance his plans, but he went ahead and did it anyway.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: His goal is to create a more perfect form of human. In practice, he mostly just makes monsters.
* MadScientist: Obviously.
* ManChild: Definitely has shades of this in his dealings with Max.
--> '''Dr. Zygote:''' My dinosaur can beat up your dinosaur!
--> '''Max:''' Oh, now we're ''real'' mature!
* OneWingedAngel: Zygote attempts to pull this off in his fight against Max, using his DevolutionDevice in reverse to become a more advanced species of human. It's subverted, though, as his new form does have incredible psychic abilities [[HowDoIShotWeb but he has absolutely no clue how to use them]]. [[spoiler:He does figure it out in time for his next appearance, though.]]

!!Talon
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/DavidWarner

A giant soul-eating skull carried by an equally giant bird (called the Carrion Vulture in the toyline), which was confined to the astral plane at some point in the distant past and wants very much to be set free. His attempts at escape cause natural disasters on the physical plane, which draws the attention of the heroes and leads to his (temporary) release.

Talon menaces Max and company in season 2 episode 10: "The Souls of Talon" and again in [[BackForTheFinale the series finale]]. He is loosely based on the villain Clawber from "Mighty Max Crushes Clawber."
----
* CompleteImmortality: As long as the Mystic Disc of Immortality is kept in Talon's treasure hoard in his realm of the astral plane, he can't be killed or even injured.
* EldritchAbomination: It's unclear exactly what Talon is or where it came from, but he's clearly something magical in nature, and pure evil.
* GiantFlyer: Talon's method of locomotion.
* FeatheredFiend: The second half of Talon, referred to in the toy as the Carrion Vulture.
* LeakingCanOfEvil: Talon was sealed in the astral plane by the PowersThatBe and could only escape with the cosmic cap. Angry at being denied access to the human world, Talon's bird attacks the gateway to the physical world, which (unbeknownst to Talon) causes natural disasters in the human world, drawing the attention of the heroes and leading to his release. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he's put back at the end of the episode, all of the souls he's gathered are released, and the rupture he created between worlds is repaired.]]
* LiteralSplitPersonality: The skull and the bird seem to be two halves of the same being, as evidenced by the fact that the skull goes into an unconscious state whenever the bird releases its grip on it.
* YourSoulIsMine: Talon is capable of pulling souls out of peoples' bodies and inhaling them. It's not known what, if any, benefits devouring souls gives him, though.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: One-Shot Villains]]

!!Spike
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/BradGarrett

A barbarian warrior who killed Norman's father 10,000 years ago and tried to kill Norman as well, only to fail and be frozen beneath an icy lake. After being accidentally released by modern day archaeologists he is determined to finish what he started.

Spike is the villain of the episode "Norman's Conquest" and is very loosely based on the horror head toy "Mighty Max Hammers Ax Man."
----
* AmbiguouslyBrown: His skin color is a few shades darker than the other characters, but not in a way that makes it clear what race he is. Justified in that his tribe predates all current Earth cultures.
* BaldOfEvil: His head is completely shaved, [[ShortHairWithTail save for a ponytail]].
* BloodKnight: He openly admits that he has no reason to attack Norman's father, right before doing so anyway.
* TheDreaded: Even Norman is afraid of him. In fact, [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes along with spiders]], he is one of only two things Norman is scared of.
* ImplacableMan: He swore to kill Norman 10,000 years ago and is determined to keep that promise.
* MadeOfIron: He gets a bunch of branches stabbed into his face, falls into a frigid lake and is frozen for 10,000 years, is dropped into a trash compactor, gets dragged behind a train, falls off a bridge and still he keeps chasing Norman. Oh, those sticks in his face? He put one of them there himself!
* PsychopathicManChild: His manner of speech when trying to intimaidate his enemies are what you'd expect from a child on the playground, not from an adult warrior. The fact that he manages to be honestly scary in spite of that says a lot.
* RedRightHand: Of the NightmareFace variety. While fighting Norman's father he tripped and landed face-first on a log, ending up with a bunch of branches impaled through his face. Not even fazed, he broke one off and shoved it into his nose to prove that he FeelsNoPain.
* SealedEvilInACan: More accurately, Frozen Evil In A Lake. He's accidentally dug up and revived by archaeologists at the beginning of his episode.
* SuperStrength: Our introduction to the character involves him tossing cars around a junkyard like throw pillows.

!!Ravendark
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/JimCummings

A nordic sorcerer who appears in the episode "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie". He was long ago cursed to take the form of a bird of ill omen, which Skullmaster exploits by posing as the "dread lord Loki" and offering to remove the curse if Ravendark will awaken the Doom Dragon, which will then destroy the world and release Skullmaster from his prison.

Ravendark and the Doom Dragon are both based on villains from the toy "Mighty Max Slays The Doom Dragon."
----
* CreepyRavens: What Ravendark has been forced to take the form of.
* EvilSorcerer: He's stated to be a necromancer, though we don't see him perform any actual necromancy, unless waking the Doom Dragon counts.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Once he realizes his "dread lord Loki" is actually Skullmaster and that Skullmaster broke his promise to remove the curse. Unfortunately for Ravendark, in his case RedemptionEqualsDeath.]]
* OmnicidalManiac: Waking the Doom Dragon means he gets to return to being a human full-time. It also means [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Earth gets torn in half]]. He planned to escape by traveling to another world.
* RedRightHand: Ravendark's eyes are both different colors, neither of which is normal for a human. (One has [[RedEyesTakeWarning red sclera with black iris]], the other is [[MonochromaticEyes pure white]].)
* ShapeshifterModeLock: Ravendark is forced to take the form of a raven, except when inside the cave of the Doom Dragon.
* WizardBeard: Although it may or may not be by choice; he's basically been forced to live inside the Doom Dragon's stomach for most of his life and he probably doesn't have many shaving implements in there.
* YourSoulIsMine: In order to stop the Doom Dragon and thwart Skullmaster's escape bid, he has to sacrifice his blood and soul to the ancient beast.
** In the final scene, a lone raven flies from the Doom Dragon's slumbering body, [[UncertainDoom leaving a big question mark over his survival]].

!!The Doom Dragon
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/JimCummings

An enormous dragon, featured in the episode "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie." It is foretold that when he is awakened he will "rupture Odin's rift, tearing the world asunder." Along with the other villain of that episode, Ravendark, he first appeared in the toy "Mighty Max Slays The Doom Dragon."
----
* AdaptationalBadass: Compared to the Doom Dragon in the show, the figure that came with the original toy is tiny, being presented as roughly the same size as a human.
* AllMythsAreTrue: Like how Norman was apparently [[NorseMythology Thor]], [[KingArthur Lancelot]] and even [[Literature/TheBible Samson]] before the series began, Doom, over time, was also known as Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent and Ouroboros.
* AscendedExtra: In [[ExpandedUniverse some adventure storybooks]] based off the playset "Mighty Max Storms Dragon Island," he joins forces with Skullmaster proper against Max for a final showdown. They both meet their demise when Max fires the [[OneBulletLeft Arrow of Death]] at them. Blasting its way straight through Doom's head and out through Skullmaster's heart.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: "50 foot" is under-selling it. He's so massive that when asleep he can be mistaken for a mountain range.
* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: A literal example.
* BreathWeapon: As befits a dragon, he has the ability to breathe bursts of fire.
* CaveMouth: Doom is so massive that Max [[ThatsNoMoon mistakes his mouth for a large cave]].
* DontWakeTheSleeper: Seriously, don't. The Doom Dragon sleeps on top of a massive fault line called "Odin's Rift," which he intends to pull apart, breaking the entire Earth in half.
* DragonHoard: He hoards treasure like dragons do, [[BigEater except its all kept in his stomach]], probably since he's too big to fit into any cave.
* FailedASpotCheck: He fails to notice that Ravendark is responsible for his awakening and is currently inside him about to be responsible for sending him back into an eternal slumber.
* FriendlyEnemy: He's well-acquainted with Norman, who he knows as Thor the Thunderer, and even wants to strike up a [[WorthyOpponent little conversation before they do battle]].
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: He doesn't [[FlatCharacter even have a motive]] for wanting to destroy the planet, except [[ForTheEvulz that he's evil]].
* GiantEqualsInvincible: Subverted. He's impervious to conventional attacks, even the hammer of Thor does nothing but annoy Doom. Norman demonstrates, however, hitting massive rocks with enough force at him [[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll will indeed hurt the beast]].
* GodzillaThreshold: Waking him up spells the world's doom. Max practically makes an [[ShoutOut unintentional pun]] about this as well.
* HeavySleeper: How does 10,000 years sound?
%%* IncomingHam
* InvincibleVillain: Doom cannot be vanquished, merely put back to sleep.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: With a name like Doom Dragon, you can bet he's not going to be friendly.

!!The Creator of Corpus

An unnamed (though not for lack of trying) mad scientist. Tired of being constantly ignored by everyone around him, he created a BlobMonster called Corpus to get his revenge for him: a sort of sentient glue that seeks out and devours more of whatever it's originally applied to. (For example, when applied to a piece of metal it sought and devoured metal, when applied to a human it sought out and assimilated humans.)

The creator of Corpus appears in the episode "The Missing Linked." As the episode is based [[InNameOnly very, very loosely]] on the horror head "Mighty Max Survives Corpus" it is likely that the scientist is Mort, from that same playset.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: Or rather, All There In The Merchandise. Although the character is never given a name in the episode it is, as mentioned above, likely that he is Mort from the Corpus playset.
* FreudianExcuse: Despite his brilliant intellect, he was ignored by everyone, driven out of his hometown, and forced to work in the town junkyard, which he turned into his own laboratory. He created two Corpus creatures - one from humans and one from automobiles, which he used to completely destroy his home town and everyone in it, before moving on to the surrounding villages.
* LargeHam: [[TheyCalledMeMad They called him mad]]! But he'll show them! Soon those nobodies will ''all '''know his name!!!'''''
* MadScientist: Along with GlovedFistOfDoom and EinsteinHair (complete with receding hairline)!
* NoNameGiven: Not by choice. Every time he attempts to say his name, he gets interrupted by someone. Becomes a RunningGag in the episode as he also tends to repeat whatever he was interrupted with as his name, before realizing and correcting himself.
--> '''Mad Scientist:''' Soon, they will all know my name! Yes! '''And my name is'''--\\
'''Max:''' Mud, if you ask me!\\
'''Mad Scientist:''' Mud! Yes! ...wait... no! No, that is ''not'' my name!
* PetMonstrosity: The aforementioned Corpus.

!!Dr. Robert Scorpio
-->'''Voiced by''': Charles Kimbrough

A scientist from TheFifties who went underground when he [[MistakenForApocalypse thought the world was ending]]. Unfortunately his bomb shelter had leaks, and happened to be underneath a nuclear test site. [[GoMadFromTheIsolation Forty years of isolation]] being slowly contaminated by nuclear fallout has left him... [[AxCrazy a little touched in the head]].

Dr. Bob Scorpio comes from the episode "Scorpio Rising." He is loosely based on Scorpion, a villain from the toy "Mighty Max Stings Scorpion" along with a small bit of Nuke Ranger from "Mighty Max Fights Nuke Ranger."
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* AccidentalMisnaming: Dr. Scorpio calls Max basically everything except "Max."
* AdaptationalHeroism: Or rather, Adaptational Slightly-Less-Evil...ism. As mentioned below, Dr. Robert Scorpio is an ObliviouslyEvil KnightTemplar. Contrast this to his toyline counterpart, Scorpion, a willing lackey of Skullmaster who was in charge of running the supervillain's Toxic Materials Mine.
* AffablyEvil: He does seem to be a pretty nice guy, what with his [[TheFifties 1950's manners and ettiquette]], just... that radiation poisoning. He even admits that [[YouGotSpunk likes Max's spunk]] when he's defeated and forced back underground at the end.
* CompositeCharacter: While his name and love of giant scorpions definitely come from the villain Scoprion, his evil plan [[spoiler:to overload a giant nuclear reactor and destroy all life on Earth]] comes directly from another villain, the Nuke Ranger.
* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Upon deciding that Max is actually a [[DirtyCommunists Soviet spy]], he decides he'll have to punish him. He even tells him "This will hurt me more than it hurts you" as he ''[[WouldHurtAChild pulls out a shotgun]]''.
* FriendToBugs: He loves his scorpions, [[BigCreepyCrawlies and the bigger the better]].
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: According to Max's calculations, Dr. Bob spent roughly 40 years underground, with no one and no thing to keep him company except the scorpions that crawled into his bomb shelter. He probably would've gone nuts even without the radiation poisoning.
* HairTriggerTemper: Using the word "nuke" or "nuclear" seems to be a BerserkButton for him. Notably, Max mentions nuking (as in microwaving) an apple pie, Dr. Bob mistakes it for [[NukeEm the other kind of "nuke"]] and gets quite irate before laughing it off and telling himself it's just some strange new slang.
* ILoveNuclearPower: He literally can't live without it.
* InsaneTrollLogic: [[spoiler:Scorpio is tired of being all alone underground, but he can't live without radiation. His solution? Flood the world with radiation so he can return to the surface! Of course, doing so will kill all of the normal humans, meaning he'll still be alone, and kill all of the plants and animals so he won't have any food either]].
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Dr. Bob explains his entire evil plan to Max after "adopting" him, not realizing Max is TheHero who intend to stop him.
-->'''Max:''' I met the mad scientist! I know what his plan is!\\
'''Virgil:''' How on Earth did you find out?\\
'''Max:''' He told me. Mad scientists do that.
* MadScientist: Dr. Scorpio does have an actual Ph.D, but it's not clear exactly what his field of study is. He seems to be [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist some strange combination of entomologist and nuclear physicist]].
* ObliviouslyEvil: He's basically a WellIntentionedExtremist (he thinks America has been [[RedScare conquered by the Soviet Union]] and wants to fight back), with a HairTriggerTemper and a tendency to go a little AxCrazy at times. He really does believe that he's the good guy, though, [[spoiler:even as he [[NukeEm attempts to destroy all of Nevada]]]].
* StandardFiftiesFather: The doctor attempts to be this to Max, even outright calling him "son."

!!Freako

A man who was born with a deformed, clown-like face. Growing up being mocked as a hideous freak, he decided to take revenge on the world by using magic funhouse mirrors to turn children into sideshow freaks.

Freako appears in the episode "Clown Without Pity." He is based on the villain of the horror head "Mighty Max Out-Freaks Freako."
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* BodyHorror: Freako's entire episode is built around this trope. The freaks he creates are hideously deformed even compared to himself, and watching it happen thanks to the magic funhouse mirrors is pretty awful.
* FreudianExcuse: Spending your whole life being made fun of for looking like a freak would make anyone a little angry.
* ILoveNuclearPower: Although cartoon Freako was born as a freak, the toyline version of Freako was mutated into a clown by radiation, and uses radiation to mutate children into freaks like himself.
* MonsterClown: He was born with extremely pale skin, swollen bright red lips, and a deformed face that makes him look vaguely like a clown. After being made fun of for it his entire life he decided to take on the monster clown persona willingly in order to get revenge.

!!Lockjaw

The demon of violence who was summoned in ancient times by The Strangers, a tribe of barbarians who hoped to destroy Norman and his clan. Norman and Virgil managed to defeat the demon and bound it in chains of adamnite and sealed it in an immortal tree, buried its axe under a mountain, and threw the key to its chains into the bottom of a lake. Cut to the present day when, [[ContrivedCoincidence in an amazing coincidence]], someone chopped down the tree, bulldozed the mountain, and drained the lake.

Lockjaw menaced the team in the episode "The Axeman Cometh" and was based loosely on the villain Big Red from "Mighty Max Tangles With Lockjaw."
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* AdaptationalBadass: Big Red from "Mighty Max Tangles With Lockjaw" was apparently a mundane serial killer armed with an axe. Lockjaw is actually a PhysicalGod and the AnthropomorphicPersonification of physical violence.
* AnAxeToGrind: It's also an AbsurdlySharpBlade, which makes sense considering it's also made of adamnite.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Lockjaw is the personification of physical violence.
* BoundAndGagged: He was bound in chains of adamnite, and gagged with an adamnite plate that locks under his chin, keeping his jaw from opening, in order to prevent him from using his [[MakeMeWannaShout destructive scream]], or really making any vocalization other than growling.
* CompleteImmortality: Becomes a big part of the episode's moral message; the urge to commit violence can not be defeated by more violence, nor can it be destroyed. It must be contained.
* TheCorrupter: Its very presence corrupts human minds, making them more violent. In someone who is already very violent, like [[BloodKnight Norman]], it drives them into a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy berserk frenzy]].
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Lockjaw's eyes glow red [[PowerGlows right before he uses his destructive scream]].
* HadesShaded: His skin is very dark grey.
* HornedHumanoid: Of the goat-like variety.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Apparently it's actually pronounced "loke-yah." Max, of course, insists on pronouncing it like it's spelled.
* MadeOfEvil: He's not just violent, he's literally the physical incarnation of the concept of physical violence.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Lockjaw's greatest power and the reason why his jaw was...well, locked. His screams of rage destroy everything around him.
* MythologyGag: In the toyline, the villain Big Red was a psychopathic lumberjack who became a serial killer. In the series, Lockjaw is released from his confinement by unwitting lumberjacks.
* SealedEvilInACan: As mentioned, he was bound in adamnite chains and sealed inside a giant tree.
* TheSpeechless: {{Subverted|Trope}}. With his jaw locked shut he could only grunt and growl, and this combined with his status as "unfeeling killing machine" led Max to think he was going to be this. Cue Max's surprise when Lockjaw's faceplate is removed...
* UnstoppableRage: Besides embodying violence, he's also unkillable thanks to being a demon.

!!Mummy King Venom
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/FrankWelker

An ancient pharaoh and apostle of Apophis who has lived as a mummy for 3,000 years, extending his un-life and his power by means of a sacred rite of renewal and a mystical ankh. After Max and Bea are accidentally transported to Egypt Max takes the ankh not realizing what it is. Venom sends his servants to America to retrieve the ankh and the girl Max gave it to, who they plan to use as a sacrifice to extend Venom's life and power even further. This brings Max and Bea back to Egypt to confront him and save their kidnapped friend Jiffie.

Venom appeared in the episode "Snakes and Laddies." He was based off the Mummy King (later renamed Venom) from "Mighty Max Conquers the Palace of Poison" and "Mighty Max Strikes Fang." His giant serpent might be based on the giant snake from the shrunken head "Wraptile."
----
* DeathByAdaptation: In the toyline, after being defeated once he returns again to threaten Max a second time, and even then he's not actually killed. In the series, he doesn't make it past his first appearance.
* IdiotBall: When exposed to moonlight the Ankh of Power burns and eventually kills whatever living thing it touches, trapping their life force to be later consumed. We have seen, however, that grabbing it by the chain it hangs from is perfectly safe, and you'd think Venom would know this considering he's owned the thing for 3,000 years... so trying to grab the ankh directly after Max throws it on the ground was pretty dumb.
* LargeHam: Mock him, fool, but once he has taken your life force from the Ankh of Power, no less than Apophis himself shall honor him! Soon, he and he alone shall be ''master of '''cosmic destiny'''''!
* {{Mummy}}: The Mummy ''King'', even.
* NefariousPharaoh: Or apparently "the last of the Supreme Pharaohs!"
* PetMonstrosity: The giant serpent, and in the toyline Pharaoh Phang.
* WouldHurtAChild: Although he does express remorse over it, he is nonetheless perfectly willing to use even children as sacrifices in his rite of renewal. In fact, in a surprising display for a kids' show, the opening sequence of the episode shows him doing just that with a captured boy.

!!Nadja
-->'''Voiced by''': Rene Auberjonois

A demon sorcerer and former servant of Kali, until he betrayed her and for his insolence she sealed him in a tiny statue. After finally being released he planned to summon an avatar of Kali and control it so that he could conquer India.

Nadja appeared in the season two episode "Good Golly, Miss Kali." He was based on the villain Pharaoh Phang from the battle warrior playset "Mighty Max Strikes Fang".
----
* AdaptationalBadass: In the toyline, Pharaoh Phang was bigger, but was a mere servant of Venom. In the series, he's on his own and he's the one doing the controlling... to the point that he's able to brainwash a ''god''!
* LeakingCanOfEvil: He was sealed in the form of a foot-or-so tall statue in a museum, but was able to secure his release by manipulating humans through their dreams.
* SuperSpit: His giant snake form is capable of spitting poison.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Has the ability to transform into a giant snake.

!!Torrlak the Torturer

Once upon a time, Torrlak was one of [[Literature/TheOdyssey Odysseus']] soldiers. When Odysseus defeated and blinded the cyclops Polyphemus, Torrlak stayed behind to feed the cyclops which, having been blinded, could no longer fend for itself. Over the years, Torrlak went insane and now terrorizes the inmates of a particularly heinous HellholePrison in Turkey.

Torrlak appears in the episode "The Day of the Cyclops", and is based on the villain Torturer from "Mighty Max Outwits Cyclops."
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* TheDragon: To the cyclops' eye. Torrlak feeds it... because for some reason an eyeball needs to eat.
* MadeOfIron: When they fight in Torrlak's lair, Norman strangles Torrlak with a chain, throws him into an iron maiden, and then drops the iron maiden into a pit of spikes. None of that manages to kill him.
* PetMonstrosity: The cyclops' eye, at least in the toy. In the series, it's {{Inverted|Trope}} as Torrlak is the eye's servant.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Scholars typically date the events of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' to 1188 BC. If Torrlak lived from then to 1993 (when the show is probably set) then he's about 3,181 years old.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}}. In the toy's mini-comic, Torrlak was killed when he accidentally ran into an iron maiden and was shut inside. In the show, he survived the iron maiden trap, as explained in MadeOfIron, above... only to later be thrown into a fire and presumably burned to death.]]
* TheSpeechless: His only vocalizations are wordless grunts and growls, and the occasional howl of rage.

!! Lao-Chu Shenwan
-->'''Voiced by''': Glen Chin

The Emperor of Rats foretold in Chinese legend, resurrected after 10,000 years and prophesied to [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy the world of humans]] with the help of his rat children. He also like traps, and rather than fight Max and team himself he seals them inside a magical maze formed from the ruins of his own temple.

Lao-Chu appeared in the episode "The Year of the Rat". He was based on the villain Rattus, from the toy "Mighty Max Traps Rattus."

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* AdaptationalBadass: Rattus wasn't exactly a wimp - he had some decent technology and a number of mutants under his control, but he still only had Earthly strength. Lao-Chu, on the other hand, is an actual god and apparently an envoy of the Underworld, with actual demons at his command.
* BenevolentBoss: Although hateful toward most other beings, Lao-Chu is very loving to his rats, who refers to as his children. Although his role in prophecy is to end the world of humans, his actual stated goal is to turn the world into a paradise for his rats. As Norman himself said about Lao-Chu's resurrection:
--> '''Norman:''' It's good. ...if you're a rat.
* BondVillainStupidity: So you're confronted by a hero who is best known for his cleverness and quick-thinking and who wants very badly to destroy you. You have him surrounded with literally thousands of your minions and he has no hope of penetrating your magic barrier. What do you do? If you said "lock him in a maze, the center of which contains the only thing capable of destroying me" then congratulations, you're just as stupid as Lao-Chu.
* DemonicPossession: The Lao-Chu that the heroes encounter is actually a possessed human, an archaeologist named Ki Wan who unwittingly summoned Lao-Chu's spirit and was taken over by it. Lao-Chu then used VoluntaryShapeshifting (presumably) to transform Ki Wan's body into a human-rat hybrid.
* {{Expy}}: His toy incarnation is an even better example due to being a mutant and living in the sewers, but the humanoid rat in a robe is very reminiscent of Splinter from ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''.
* FantasticRacism: Lao-Chu utterly despises humans, mostly because of the way they mistreat his rat children. When Max first appears before him, he calls humans out for using rats in laboratory experiments and proclaims rodents to be a SuperiorSpecies.
--> '''Lao-Chu:''' What creature is more intelligent than the rat? Why else would you ''humans'' use us for your experiments?
* FightingAShadow: Even if one could get past his magic, they would only succeed in destroying whatever human body Lao-Chu happened to be inhabiting. His real life force is contained within a red jade heart at the center of his maze-like temple. [[spoiler:Even if one breaks the heart, that only destroys Lao-Chu's ability to manifest in this plane of reality. The real Lao-Chu is still alive and well in the Underworld and can return if his heart is put back together, or after 10,000 years.]]
* KillAllHumans: It's his role in prophecy but, as stated in FantasticRacism, it's made clear that he would still try to eradicate humanity even if it ''wasn't'' his job.
* TheMinionMaster: He is the ruler of all rat-kind and all rats on Earth are driven to do his bidding, but he also has some more powerful minions, including [[PetMonstrosity a giant rat and a demon minotaur]] in his maze.
* PettingZooPeople: After [[DemonicPossession taking the body of the archaeologist Ki Wan]] he transforms his new body into a human-rat hybrid with very shaggy fur. Judging by the statue in his temple, this is probably what his true self looks like as well.
* SealedEvilInACan: Lao-Chu himself existed in another dimension and could only be given life in this world when a human found and activated his red jade heart [[WhenThePlanetsAlign on the seventh night of the seventh month, when the seven lights of Tsu-Sheng are in the sky]].
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:At the end of the episode, a few rats are seen gathering and scurrying off with the pieces of Lao-Chu's jade heart, presumably with the intention of putting it back together and searching for another human host to revive their master.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Walking Spoilers (Open This Folder At Your Own Risk)]]

'''These guys are all basically {{WALKING SPOILER}}S. Simply putting them into one of the above categories would spoil entire episodes, so they go here instead.'''

'''Since you've already been warned, expect UNMARKED SPOILERS ahead. Proceed at your own risk!'''

!!Professor [=MacDougall=]
-->'''Voiced by''': Miriam Flynn

A scientist who discovered that werewolves were real and immortal protectors of nature. Naturally, being a MadScientist, she decided to do the only rational thing and kidnap every werewolf in Scotland, then drain their blood to try and become immortal herself. The rampant murder sprees brought on by her serum attracted the Mighty One's attention, and he eventually teams up with Cameron, the last werewolf not yet captured by the professor, in order to take her down.

[=MacDougall=] appears in the episode "Werewolves of Dunneglen." She is loosely inspired by Werewolf, from the horror head "Mighty Max Hounds Werewolf."
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* AxCrazy: Unlike most cases of JekyllAndHyde, [=MacDougall=] is completely aware of the murderous rampages her "Hyde" form goes on and seems to be perfectly happy with them. She even cheerfully refers to Max and Cameron as "breakfast" before transforming for the final battle.
* EvilIsBigger: Her transformation is even larger than other werewolves!
* ImAHumanitarian: It's never made clear whether she eats the humans she kills or just tears them to pieces, but if her final line to Max is any indication, she's not opposed to the idea.
* JekyllAndHyde: In her case, "Hyde" is a beast only loosely related to the werewolves she draws her power from. Her transformation is about twice the size of a normal werewolf, with [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four arms]] and [[MultipleHeadCase three heads]].
* MadScientist: Her goal was originally to try and create an ImmortalityInducer from werewolf blood. It's not clear when or why she decided to switch to killing people for fun, but it clearly happened.
* OnlySaneMan: Subverted. She seems to be this early on, as she's the only person arguing for the innocence of the three people the constable has locked up in the station house. It's quickly revealed her real goal is much more evil. See AWolfInSheepsClothing, below.
* PetMonstrosity: Not [=MacDougall=] herself, but the villain she's based on has two of them: the [[{{Hellhound}} Horror Hounds]].
* ShoutOut: [=MacDougall=]'s three-headed wolf form may be a shoutout to the mythical [[UsefulNotes/GreekMythology Cerberus]].
* AWolfInSheepsClothing: Quite literally, given what she turns into. She's originally introduced as the OnlySaneMan (or woman, in this case) and seems genuinely nice. She's notably the only person arguing for the innocence of the wrongly accused Cameron. We later find out she's a MadScientist, and she's only arguing for Cameron to be freed from jail so she can abduct him the same way she has the rest of his pack.

!!Maximilian

Introduced as a potential alternate [[ChosenOne Mighty One]] after one of Virgil's summons accidentally brought him to Tibet, Maximilian competes to determine who is the real cap-bearer in the Season 2 episode "Max vs. Max."

Needless to say, Maximilian is NOT the cap-bearer. What isn't so obvious at first is that he is TheMole being controlled by Skullmaster. His job was to ingratiate himself with the heroes, follow them into the Lost City, and steal the cap to let Skullmaster in so he could steal the Lemurian Arcana and repair the Crystal of Souls.
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[[quoteright:179:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mightymax_9466.jpg]]

[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgil_8023.jpg]]

* InsistentTerminology: He's a ''fowl'', actually. A RunningGag is made of this throughout the show.

[[quoteright:233:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/norman2_9915.jpg]]

'''Jiffy:''' No! I need someone to come over and tell all these creepy guys in [[BlackCloak black robes]] to go away, so I ''can'' study!

Dr. Bob Scorpio comes from the episode "Scorpio Rising." He is loosely based on Scorpion, a villain from the toy "Mighty Max Stings Scorpion."

* DeathByAdaptation: In the toyline, after being defeated once he returns again to threaten Max a second time, and even then he's not actually killed. In the series, he doens't make it past his first appearance.

* BondVillainStupidity: What do you do with a hero who is best known for his cleverness and quick-thinking and who wants very badly to destroy you? If you said "lock him in a maze, the center of which contains the only thing that can defeat you" then congratulations, you're just as stupid as Lao-Chu.