These are the heroes of our story, and the characters who help them out.
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The Heroes
The three main heroes of the series. There's Max, The Hero and Chosen One of prophecy. Next is Norman, the guardian of the chosen one and possibly the greatest warrior in all the world. Last is Virgil, the mentor to the chosen one and seer who predicts the future to know when and where Max is needed. Mighty Max
- Voiced by: Rob Paulsen
The central character and The Hero. 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.
- All-Loving Hero: While he accepts that in his line of work taking lives is an unfortunate necessity, he'd prefer not to let anyone die save the most horrible of villains. For example, in "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie" he tries to convince Ravendark the sorcerer not to sacrifice himself to stop the Doom Dragon. Even as Ravendark casts him and Virgil out to safety, Max cries out that there had to be another way. There wasn't.
- Badass Normal: 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.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Max is a pretty nice guy, but he can be downright ruthless at times, like killing a Giant Spider with a Turbine Blender and killing Dr. MacDougall by trapping her in her lab and setting it to explode.
- Bizarre Taste in Food: He ends up enjoying a peanut butter and onion sandwich, to say nothing of the meals he usually makes for himself.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: 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 Wake Up, Go to School & Save the World), but he easily comes up with one Indy Ploy after another.
- He's often shown to be well read and knowledgeable about several topics, even citing Jules Verne as a hero of his.
- Casanova Wannabe: His interactions with Jiffie show him as being one of these.
- The Chosen One: 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.
- Deadpan Snarker: 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.
- Disappeared Dad: Max's father was at least mentioned in early toys as being the one who left Max the cap, but he was Adapted Out of the cartoon entirely. He's never even so much as mentioned in the show.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Max is well read, quick thinking and able to come up with Indy Ploys that invariably save the day.
- Guile Hero: 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 ability to think on his feet that saves the day.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: 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.
- Screw Destiny: He tries to do so on several occasions. It doesn't usually work. On one notable occasion, he actually tried to go on the offensive against Skullmaster, despite Virgil warning him it wasn't time. It led to the deaths of the four heroes who accompanied him.
- Resigned to the Call: He does become this eventually, even showing Heroic Willpower from time to time.
- Indy Ploy: Although he's already clever to begin with, Max is quickly forced to learn to think on his feet.
- Kid Hero: Played straight and also subjected to the occasional Deconstruction.
- Mundane Made Awesome: One of Max's strong points was to point out the obvious and use that to his advantage. In Wings of Talon, Max realized that as powerful as it was, the Gatekeeper was just a glorified doorman, and if it messed up, it'd have to answer to higher powers; so he used that to negotiate with the Gatekeeper and escape the astral plane.
- Mundane Utility: Is not above using his cap to do things like travel to faraway places for R&R.
- My Greatest Failure: He doesn't harp on it; but it's clear that losing the four heroes who accompanied him caused a shift in Max. While he still cracked jokes; he took his duties much more seriously.
- Oblivious to Love: His best friend Bea clearly has a thing for him, but he doesn't seem to notice. He does tease her about being jealous of Jiffie in the episode "Snakes And Laddies", though she venomously denies it.
- Pop-Cultured Badass: He's a kid and he likes the same things most modern kids like.
- Running Gag: He has a few, mostly his tendency to refer to Virgil as "chicken."
- Stepford Snarker: Eventually shows signs of this in later episodes.
- You Fight Like a Cow: Max shouts quips constantly, whether his life is in danger or not.
- Tenor Boy: In courtesy of Rob Paulsen.
Norman, the Guardian
- Voiced by: Richard Moll, Jason Marsden (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, Thor and 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.
- Action Hero: He will fight any threat that comes his way.
- Badass Boast: His response when Talon claims that since he's immortal Norman can't hurt him? "I like a challenge."
- Berserk Button: 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 Rangoon around Norman will start an argument.
- The Big Guy: Not only is he literally larger than Max and Virgil, but he also tends to do the physical tasks and fighting.
- Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Max's first ally to bite it in the series finale.
- Blood Knight: He's often very eager to fight his enemies and gets disappointed when he misses his chance.
- Catchphrase: He has two, in fact."I eat ___ for breakfast!"
- Cool Sword: Norman's sword is 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.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments as this, though not quite as much so as Max.
- Eternal Hero: He's lived for 10,000 years and has taken many guises across those years. Many of which are heroes of their respective cultures (e.g. Hercules/Heracles, Thor, Samson, etc.)
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Though it's not the only weapon he's ever used. He also used a hammer at one point, a leftover from back when he went by the name of Thor, and he used his father's old war-axe in another episode.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!. Spike tries this on Norman. Norman defies it, saying he can live with that.
- I Shall Taunt You: Whenever he faces a threat, he can't help throwing challenges at them. One good example is his fight with the Doom Dragon in "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie", where he and the titular dragon exchange taunts and threats throughout their fight.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Is more than willing to make these when necessary, and it isn't unusual for him to stand his ground against an enemy while urging Max and Virgil to run. He's fated to make one, and does so during the finale.
- Hidden Depths: He knows more than he says.
- Julius Beethoven da Vinci: He was Hercules, Thor, Samson, Lancelot and Little John.
- My Greatest Failure: 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.
- '90s Anti-Hero: Oh yes. Absolutely loves to fight, carries a big sword, is big and muscular, and is always ready with a Badass Boast or Bond One-Liner. At the same time, he also averts some of the related tropes: he's not entirely fearless, he doesn't hate the world, and he does have people that he cares very deeply for. One could say he's a (slightly) Lighter and Softer version of the Nineties Anti-Hero.
- Noodle Incident: Rangoon serves as this and a rather comical Berserk Button.
- One Myth to Explain Them All: Throughout history Norman has occasionally offered service to The Powers That Be, taking on the names and creating the legends of many of of Earth's great warrior-heroes. The episode "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie" revealed that he was known as Thor when he served Odin, but it's also confirmed that he was Samson, Lancelot, and Little John as well.
- Papa Wolf: 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.
- Parental Substitute: Norman shares something of a fatherly role with Virgil, in regards to Max.
- Really 700 Years Old: He's lived for 10,000 years. In "Dawn of the Conqueror" he must battle a beast called The Conqueror from dawn to dusk, in order to gain the blessing of the gods and live for another 10,000 years.
- Slasher Smile: A particularly scary one, which he shows in the intro sequence to every episode. Shown in the picture, above right.
- Strategy, Schmategy: 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 The Worf Effect.
- Tenor Boy: In courtesy of Jason Marsden.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Has a pretty severe case of arachnophobia. 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.
- The Worf Effect: Norman alternates between being kicking ass and getting knocked aside by the current monster so Max can come up with a clever plan. But he DOES have plenty of badass moments.
- World's Best Warrior: So much so that most of the great warrior-heroes of Earth were actually Norman under various aliases. When he served Odin in the battle against the Doom Dragon he went by Thor the Thunderer, when he served JHVH he was Samson, and he later lived as Lancelot and Little John as well.
Virgil, the Mentor
- Voiced by: Tony Jay
"I am very wise, and will train you in the ways of being a hero - my specialty."
- Virgil
An ancient Lemurian who serves as mentor to the Mighty One. He was once 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 lent his talent to a couple of the later toy commercials.
- Ambiguously Gay: It's hard to tell since he's the only Lemurian seen in the show, but he compliments Ravendark's bird form for its "handsome plumage".
- Ambiguously Human: It’s implied in at least one episode that the “Lemurian Fowl” are just highly evolved humans, and possibly actually originally from humanity’s future.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: He wears only a red cloak.
- The Comically Serious: 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 Deadpan Snarker and Only Sane Man. He also occasionally falls prey to Not So Above It All, such as when he calls video games childish and then later ends up enjoying one.
- Deadpan Snarker: Not nearly as much as the others, but he still has his moments.
- Determined Defeatist: There are definitely times when he comes across as a defeatist, thanks to his insistence that You Can't Fight Fate, 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.
- Feather Fingers: Max even calls them "built-in feather dusters," which Virgil does not seem to find amusing.
- Formulaic Magic: 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.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Skullmaster holds Virgil hostage in exchange for Max's cosmic cap in the Series Finale.
- Informed Species: He repeatedly states that's not a chicken but a fowl. Unless Lemurian fowls look different, he looks nothing like either. Keep in mind that animals that belong to the term fowl includes ducks, pheasants, turkeys, geese and, yes, even chickens. The closest normal bird Virgil looks like is an owl.
- Insistent Terminology: He's a fowl, actually, not a chicken. A Running Gag 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.
- Last of His Kind: 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 left unexplained, however.
- The Mentor: This is his primary role in the Mighty One's destiny. In their first meeting, Virgil promises to "guide [Max] in the ways of being a hero, my specialty." However, this isn't his only function. He also uses his Lemurian Calculus to predict when and where the Mighty One will be needed.
- My Greatest Failure: The episode "Bring Me The Head of Mighty Max" suggests that the death of the previous Mighty One is this, there's actually an even greater failure in his past: Skullmaster was his former friend and student!
- Not So Above It All: Ends up enjoying video games after previously calling them "childish."
- Only Sane Man: He has occasionally played this. Being that he's basically The Spock to the group, there are plenty of times when he's the only one arguing against Max and Normans' crazy plans.
- The Owl-Knowing One: While he's never identified as an owl (he's a "Lemurian fowl"), he certainly looks like one, and has the intelligence to back it up.
- Parental Substitute: He shares this role with Norman in lieu of Max's Disappeared Dad.
- Really 700 Years Old: He's also 10,000 years old, just like Norman. Unlike Norman, however, the source of Virgil's longevity is left unanswered. It's entirely possible that's just how long Lemurians live.
- Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: It's implied by Virgil that other Lemurian fowls can actually fly, but he can't because he "learned to read instead." It turns out he can't swim either.
- Shorter Means Smarter: Virgil is very small, even compared to little kid Max. He's also one of the most brilliant minds in the world and one of the last remaining users of Lemurian Calculus.
- The Smart Guy: So much so that it borders on actual omniscience. Usually.
Friends and Family
Max lives at home with his single mother, and no known father figure. Though he doesn't have any siblings he does have a number of friends from school, some of whom have even gone on adventures with him.
Max's Mom
- Voiced by: Tress MacNeille
"I used to diaper The Mighty One! I worry!"
- Mom
An archaeologist who is often away from home. She unknowingly sent Max the cosmic cap at the beginning of the series and is one of the few people in his town who know that he's the Mighty One. She also manages to get pulled into a few of his adventures, whether intentionally or not.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: She knows that monsters, ancient Lemurian bird-people, and magic exist, and yet in one episode she insists that voodoo is all just superstition.
- Doom Magnet: A few times. She draws Max and company to Africa once after being captured by a tribe of sapient gorillas. Of course, there's also the zombie incident in Haiti...
- Good Parents: Even if she is away from home a lot, she tries her hardest and generally succeeds at being a good mother. In particular, she is understanding of Max's position of the Mighty One, though he's still her little boy.
- Mama Bear: Definitely, seeing her reaction when Max was locked in prison during "Day of the Cyclops" and Virgil insisted that they track down his stolen cap before getting him out. She only went along with it because Virgil told her getting the cap might be the only way to get him out, and by the end of it she was ready to wring his neck if he didn't forget about the cap and get Max out already.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: After a trip to Haiti she brings back a statue of an unknown deity, unaware that it contains the eggs of a zombie-creating parasite. Even she admits the ensuing Zombie Apocalypse is all her fault.
- No Name Given: It's even lampshaded in one episode.Norman: Hello, Ms. ... Ms. ... um ... (thinks for a moment) ... Mom.
Bea
- Voiced by: Kath Soucie
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 Licensed Game.
- Berserk Button: Max assuming she can't do things simply because she's a girl (such as playing baseball or flying a propeller plane) appears to be one.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She's clearly displeased with the attention Max shows Jiffie in "Snakes And Laddies", and grumpily observes Max brought her and Felix to a beach that just happened to be hosting a intra-sorority girls volleyball tournament in "Bring Me The Head of Mighty Max".
- Deadpan Snarker: Very much so. She snarks throughout her first appearance in "Snakes And Laddies" (though that's probably jealousy on her part), and in her other appearances snarks at Max almost constantly.
- Embarrassing First Name: She much prefers to be called "Bea" rather than her real name, "Beatrice."
- Hidden Depths: In the episode "Beetlemania" it's revealed she knows how to pilot a plane, much to Max's surprise. Apparently her mother taught her.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Sort of; when Max can't shut up about Jiffie in "Snakes and Laddies", she snaps at him and addresses him as "Maxwell".
- Skewed Priorities: In "Snakes And Laddies" she is more concerned over the demerits she'll suffer because of Max's actions than the fact they just escaped a group of ominous cloaked figures.
- The Smart Guy: Right after Virgil, of course.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Her interactions with Max come off as this, especially in "Bring Me The Head of Mighty Max" and "Beetlemania".
- Tsundere: Towards Max, definitely. She cares for him, but is easily annoyed at his antics and foolish decisions. That said, she gets especially irritated when Max pays attention to other girls.Bea: Haha! Jealous? Of Jiffie? Over you?! Keep dreaming, boy! Not even if you were the last guy on Earth, or the galaxy, or the universe, or the cosmos! Or even beyond that, in other dimensions!(later, after Max rescues her from Pharaoh Venom) Bea: Max, you do care about me! *kisses him on the cheek*
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: Has shades of this, especially when Max gushes over other girls right in front of her, completely oblivious to how irritated she gets.
- Weirdness Censor: She seems to take all the craziness that happens around Max in stride.
Felix
- Voiced by: Corey Burton
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 Licensed Game. This doubles as the only time we see him take an active role in Max's adventures.
- Non-Action Guy: He would much rather eat and laze around than go on adventures.
- The Quiet One: He just doesn't have a lot to say.Max: Poor Jiffy. All alone...with Felix! ...same thing, really.
- The Slacker: His manner of speech and general attitude paint him as one of these.
Ernie
- Voiced by: Charlie Adler
"I may be a nerd, but I am not a dweeb!"
- Ernie
A nerd from Max's school. He's assigned as Max's study partner in "The Brain-Suckers Cometh" and manages to drive Max so crazy that he asks for a new partner. Despite his annoying tendencies, he still manages to get recruited to help against the titular brain-sucking aliens in lieu of any other ideas, and ends up creating a computer virus to destroy their spaceship.
- Annoying Laugh: It sounds a bit like a donkey in reverse, and is one of the main reasons Max is annoyed by him.
- Classical Anti-Hero: 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.
- Computer Virus: How he defeats the alien invasion.
- Demoted to Extra: Ernie gets a starring role in one episode and then is relegated to appearing in background shots of Max's classroom.
- Genius Ditz: He has the technical know-how to sabotage the alien's computer system and yet he thinks that its a great idea to go speak about his triumph to some random natives, despite his companions reservations, who considering the fact that they danced around a cauldron would most likely want him for dinner.
- Insistent Terminology: As in the quote above, Ernie is a nerd, not a dweeb. He also openly objects to the term doofus.
- Tenor Boy: In courtesy of Charlie Adler.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He's on the receiving end of one from Max, which ends up inspiring him to actually become the hero who saves the day.
Jiffie
- Voiced by: Katie Leigh
A short-lived crush of Max's. She had a prominent role in the episode "Snakes and Laddies", when she was kidnapped by monsters after unwittingly taking a gift of a mystical ankh.
- Comically Missing the Point: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 black robes under my window to go away, so I can study! - Cute Bookworm: 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.
- Damsel in Distress: She's kidnapped by Venom after Max unknowingly gives her Venom's mystical amulet as a gift.
- Dumbass Has a Point: "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: throw the supercharged ankh at Venom, destroying him with his own magic.
- Genius Ditz: A textbook case of Dumb Blonde 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 Absent-Minded Professor in the making.
Gadge
- Voiced by: Christopher Carter
Gregory Harper was nicknamed Gadge by his classmates because of his uncanny ability with electronics and gadgets, an ability which actually came from his psychic power of telekinesis which allowed him to manipulate machines from the inside to make them do whatever he wants. When the villain Dr. Zygote discovered this, he kidnapped the kid and tried to use his DNA to advance his experiments. After being rescued by Max the two ended up becoming friends.
Gadge appeared in the episode "Zygote Music", when he helped save the day from the evolution-obsessed Mad Scientist.
- Body Horror: Gadge's abduction involved being melted into slime and sucked up by a vacuum. As expected, the process was not pretty.
- Friendless Background: If he ever had a friend before Max we don't hear about it. Most people he ever met were either scared of him due to his being a "freak" or wanted to take advantage of his abilities for their own gain. The episode even opens with two bullies threatening him to use his ability to rip off an ATM.
- Instant Expert: At first all he was ever able to do with his telekinesis was mess with electronics. He was able to figure out and use more advanced telekinetic abilities almost instantly after watching Zygote use his.
- No Social Skills: Understandably, he tends to assume that everyone he meets is just trying to take advantage of him and as such distrusts everyone.
The Four Heroes
These are the four great heroes of the world who aided Max in the season one finale, "The Maxnificent Seven." They are Beowulf from Europe, Mujaji from Africa, Yona-Ya-Yin from America, and Hanuman from Asia.
Beowulf
- Voiced by: Jim Cummings
"Let me show you a little trick I once taught a guy named Grendel!"
- Beowulf, to Warmonger
The old Scandinavian hero who fought and slew Grendel with his bare hands, now a failed wrestler. He's the first of the four heroes that Max collects during his Retired Badass Roundup in the Season 1 finale "The Maxnificent Seven." He teaches Max the heroic attribute of spirit.
- Barefisted Monk: Beowulf fights most of his battles with his bare hands ...at least until he breaks off a stalagmite to use as a club.
- Broken Ace: Once one of the greatest warriors of all time, who even Norman respected and idolized. Then some unknown thing happened to make him lose all of his confidence.
- Broken Pedestal: This is how Max breaks Beowulf out of his funk. Max makes a big show of talking about how Beowulf was one of his heroes and how he wanted to be like him. Beowulf says that Max shames him, and Max whispers to Virgil that's the idea. That rouses Beowulf to show that he can still muster his old fighting spirit.
- Dreadful Musician: Beowulf sings while he fights. Virgil says that Beowulf fights with great spirit, and Max says that he's also got a tin ear.
- Fat Slob: What Beowulf has become. Max comes close to using this exact phrase to describe him, in fact.
- Retired Badass: As mentioned in Broken Ace, some unknown incident took all of his confidence. He left the life of a hero behind and is now a professional wrestler, unknown and constantly on the verge of being fired.
- Screaming Warrior: His war cries, driven by his indomitable fighting spirit, are a thing to behold. This ties in to his heroic attribute of spirit.
- Stout Strength: Once he gets his confidence back, he demonstrates this by fighting most of Skullmaster's minions, including Warmonger, with his bare hands.
Yona-Ya-Yin
- 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.
- Braids, Beads and Buckskins: As an Old Master he has rejected the modern world and lives alone in the badlands of the American west, still living by the old ways. As such, he dresses according to the way the Native Americans did centuries ago, including beads and a wolfskin cloak.
- In Harmony with Nature: When the characters first meet him, he is sitting alone on a cliff in front of a small campfire.
- Magical Native American: Played straight, along with most related tropes. The one subtrope of this that he actually averts is Tonto Talk.
- Retired Badass: Until he was recruited to aid Max in taking on the Skullmaster, he was pretty much living a quite and peaceful life.
- The Straight and Arrow Path: Yona-Ya-Yin's philosophy and the heroic attribute he teaches is exemplified by his mastery of the bow.Yona-Ya-Yin: Skill is merely focus. (Draws back his bow and takes careful aim.) When focus is achieved you need only release it. (Fires, and downs a giant crab in a single shot.)
Hanuman
- Voiced by: Clyde Kusatsu
"Let's start walking. I'll show you the world! Anything's better than dying!"
- Hanuman
The monkey king of 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.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: 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.
- Classical Anti-Hero / Lovable Coward: He's afraid of death out of a fear of karma; for the things he's done, he's sure he'll be reincarnated as something awful, like a tapeworm. Eventually he finds the courage to fight anyway, saying "Maybe I'll come back as a butterfly." The end of the episode hints that he was right.
- Combat Pragmatist: As noted below, part of his fighting style involves exploiting both what his allies and his enemies do. When Yona-Ya-Yin shoots one of Skullmaster's Giant Enemy Crabs with an arrow, Hanuman kicks the wounded crab down the slope, bowling over all of the other crabs following it.
- Refusal of the Call: He initially refuses to join the quest, so Max gets Norman, Beowulf and Yona-Ya-Yin to forcibly drag him along.
- Resigned to the Call: He tries his hardest to screw destiny, but in the end he does reluctantly decide to go along with Max, even willingly sacrificing his life to save Max from Skullmaster.Virgil: This is [Max's] destiny! He can not walk away from that!
Hanuman: Oh? I did. - Retired Badass: 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.
- The Trickster: 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. It's also implied that this is how he gets Max to overcome his fears of facing Skullmaster. He offers to show Max the world, saying that Skullmaster will hold. Max declines, saying that he has to face his fears even if he doesn't want to.
Mujaji
- Voiced by: Olivia Virgil White
"So, who's a paper pusher, boy?"
- Mujaji, after wrestling a charging rhino to the ground
An African warrior princess believed to be an incarnation of the goddess known as Mujaji the Rain Queen. At least she was, until she retired from being a hero 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.
- Badass Bureaucrat: These days she fights her battles with red tape... and occasionally she wrestles a rhinoceros to the ground.
- Battle Couple: Her dialogue with Norman suggests that they were this at some point. In particular, Norman references the time they fought the Harpies together.
- Fur Bikini: What she changes into when she agrees to join the team.
- Hot-Blooded: She's a very spirited woman, as befits a warrior princess.
- Hyper-Awareness: 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.
- New Old Flame: Norman's dialogue in the episode implies that he and Mujaji may have once dated.
- Retired Badass: 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.
- Wrestler in All of Us: When a rhinoceros goes wild, Mujaji wrestles it into submission without even breaking a sweat.
Other Allies
Lava Lord
- Voiced by: Frank Welker
"So, tell me, little one... is there any reason I shouldn't toss you into that lava pit?"
- Lava Lord, upon first meeting Max
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."
- Adaptational Heroism: 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 Nominal Hero. 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 end up working together against Skullmaster on two separate occasions.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the toyline, Lava Lord was a dangerous villain thanks to his signature weapon, the Fireforce Sword. In the show, he relies entirely on his giant robot Magus, and seems to be kind of useless without it.
- Enemy Mine: While evil, he is at least willing to work with Max if it means he can get at Skullmaster.
- Evil Versus Evil: Lava Lord hates Skullmaster, and for good reason.
- Humongous Mecha: Magus, Lava Lord's creation which he plans to use against Skullmaster.
- Elemental Absorption: Magus absorbs lava through its feet to power its lasers.
- Magma Man: Naturally, since he is the former ruler of Lethal Lava Land.
- Nominal Hero: As mentioned above; he's an evil creature who, on their first encounter, seems 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.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: He really couldn't care less about Max's survival or the fate of the world. All he wants is Revenge on Skullmaster.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: He was sealed up once by Skullmaster, then released by accident when Max broke Skullmaster's Crystal of Souls. He remains sealed inside the Earth's core, however, but then Max releases him a second time in an attempt to defeat Skullmaster in the series finale.
King Kalamarus
- Voiced by: Charlie Adler
"Trash. You throw it away, we find it. Tastes good too. You aren't going to hurt us, are you?"
- Kalamarus, when asked how he understands English
The ruler of a species of 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."
- Adaptation Species Change: In the toyline, he was a human scientist who mutated himself into a squid being rather than the leader of a race of squid people.
- Adaptational Heroism: One of the biggest examples in the entire series. In the toyline, Doctor Kalamarus was a Mad Scientist who accidentally transformed himself into a squid monster and then decided to build a giant submarine shaped like a shark and use it to exterminate all life in the ocean, apparently just 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.
- Aliens Speaking English: 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.
- Lovable Coward: This seems to be his entire species' 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.
- Lovecraft Lite: A particularly notable example. While they look like something out of the Cthulhu Mythos, they are in fact perfectly friendly.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Kalamarus and his race are a cephalopod-based merfolk race with tentacle faces.
Cameron
- Voiced by: Tony Jay
"Werewolf? Aye, that I am: one o' the immortal were who've protected Dunnglen since time immemorial. But murderer? I'm innocent!"
- Cameron
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".
- Clear My Name: 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.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: 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.
- Really 700 Years Old: 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: Ron Perlman
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".
- Adaptational Heroism: 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? Sounds familiar...
- Nigh-Invulnerable: If there's anything that can hurt the guy we don't see it in the episode.
- Really 700 Years Old: 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.
- Sealed Evil in a Duel: 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.
- The Unintelligible: He speaks Neanderthal, which to most people just sounds like grunts (and makes it hard to guess he was actually voiced by a pretty well-known actor).
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."
- Astral Projection: 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.
- Must Make Amends: He's willing to do absolutely anything to remove Lao-Chu from this world and fix what he's done, even when it seems that doing so will kill him too.
- Unwitting Pawn: 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.
Tamori
Freed from his imprisonment but having left his minions behind, Skullmaster traveled to Dragon Island to recruit some new followers. Promising power and glory, Skullmaster tricked the people into drinking dragon's blood which transformed them into mindless Lizard Folk. Tamori drank the dragon's blood reluctantly, but would not give himself up to evil and so only partially transformed, gaining repitilian features but retaining some of his humanity and his free will. Seeing what had happened to himself and his people, Tamori fled the island to seek out the legendary Mighty One so that he could rescue what was left of his tribe.
Tamori appeared in the episode "Blood of the Dragon." He and the creatures his people became are based on the zilards from "Mighty Max Storms Dragon Island."
- The Freakshow: After fleeing Dragon Isle, Tamori was picked up by a traveling circus and became "the Lizard Boy", the show's prize freak.
- Lizard Folk: In his case, he only became half-lizard folk. He still has hair and his lizardy features are less pronounced than the fully transformed tribesmen.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Interestingly played with. Dragon's blood apparently transforms the drinker using the evil in them, so someone who's not quite abhorrent enough will only become partially reptilian.
- The Unintelligible: He only speaks the indigenous language of Dragon Isle's tribes. Virgil understands him and translates for Max and the audience.
J. Oliver Penderoil
- Voiced by: Jim Cummings
"J. Oliver Penderoil's the name! Ollie to my pals. Oil's my business. Ollie Oil! Might say it's my life... in fact, I do say it's my life!"
- Ollie
A rich Texas oil tycoon. After a bunch of his oil tankers all went missing in the same spot he commissioned the creation of a high tech submarine to try and find the cause. After discovering the ships were attacked by a giant squid and meeting a civilization of friendly squid people in an undersea cavern he reluctantly helps the heroes and the "squid-heads" defeat the giant monster.
Ollie appeared in the episode "Less than 20,000 Squid Heads Under The Sea". Although he never appeared in the toys, his submarine's design seems to have been based on part of Dr. Kalamarus' submarine from "Mighty Max Caught By The Man-Eater".
- Cool Boat: It's based loosely on Kalamarus' sub from the toy, but without the fake-shark exterior. It's also fully furnished and armed with an electric weapon capable of putting out "2,000 volts of the finest electricity money can buy."
- Dirty Coward: Max and the other heroes have just finished working out a plan to defeat the giant monster squid threatening them, only to have Ollie almost ruin the whole thing by skipping out on them and attempting to flee with their only weapon. Fortunately Max manages to talk him out of it.Ollie: Oh... no, no, you got me wrong. I'm just... I'm a coward. I admit it, I'm yellow as the rose of Texas. I ain't got no gallantry, son, all I got's money. I guess it don't buy everything...
- Eccentric Millionaire: Bordering on Outright Insane Millionaire, between his bizarre ramblings and... heck, the fact that his response to ships going missing was to build an armed submarine and take to the seas as opposed to having someone qualified look into it.Virgil: Take care, Mighty One. I have doubts about our host's mental stability.
Max: Not me. I know he's crazy. - Fat, Sweaty Southerner in a White Suit: White suit and everything, he tries his hardest to come across as a true Southern Gentleman but deep down he's just greedy and cowardly.
- Miser Advisor: He cares about very little beyond money, and tries to convince the others to care about that too. He offers to make Max "Vice President of Squid-Evading", plans to turn an ancient undersea city into a tourist attraction, and at the end tries unsuccessfully to convince the others to collaborate on a movie. And he'll split the proceeds with all of them... 80-20, of course.
J.C. Megas
- Voiced by: Corey Burton
The ruthless CEO of the world-spanning corporation MegaCorp. His ruthless business practices directly led to the creation of the supervillain Cyberskull. He tries, with little success, to be useful against said villain, but mostly just gets in the way. He appears in the episodes "The Cyberskull Virus" and "Cyberskull 2: The Next Level."
- Aesop Amnesia: His second appearance opens with him ordering his underlings to buy a competing corporation so he can gut it for money, proving he clearly didn't learn anything from the first time his greed created a supervillain.
- Anti-Hero: He's technically an ally of Max and does seem to have some understanding of the responsibilities that come with running the largest corporation on Earth (see Everyone Has Standards, below), but he's also not above ruthlessly destroying his corporate rivals or stealing from his own employees.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: In his second appearance, he's been brainwashed by Cyberskull's mind control lapel pins.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Has absolutely no problem destroying his corporate rivals, stealing from employees, or otherwise ripping people off.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite how ruthless he can be with his corporate rivals, he does seem to understand the responsibilities that his position of power brings. Notably, in his second appearance he's none too pleased to learn that Cyberskull rerouted all of his power satellites, thereby shutting down electronic systems across the globe.
- Skewed Priorities: When he's briefly released from Cyberskull's mind control, his first reaction is to ask why he's wearing a robe, and his second is to ask where his pocket protector is.
