Contemporary DC characters often have multiple versions. The same is now true of Maxima, a character who first appeared in Action #645 and who’s reappeared in current continuity in Supergirl (vol 5). This profile reflects the character as she appeared in the Crucible arc in Supergirl #36 – 40. Please refer to this page at dc.wikia.com for info on her previous version.
Maxima is a teenaged student at the Crucible, a preparatory school for training and educating young superpowered humans and non humans to become heroes and defenders of their worlds. As is policy with students at this outer space academy, Maxima is placed with a small group of fellow students for training purposes, which soon comes to include Supergirl. She shows leadership capability, is knowledgeable and unafraid to challenge others in authority. An example of this is during a lecture when she contradicts a professor after he whitewashes a planet wide account of civil rights violations during a lecture. This also speaks to a deep sense of empathy for others in difficult and terrible situations. While Maxima functions as part of this small team and does well during training she also seems to prefer her own company. In the course of one conversation, Maxima confides to Kara that her family only sees her as a woman who should do her part to help repopulate her world’s dwindling inhabitants, implying that this might be the only option she has in order to be perceived by her people as their leader.
A plot by one of Crucible’s leading professors, the same one she challenged, to clone and weaponize super beings (using Kon-El/ Superboy) is uncovered and greatly affects the academy and its staff. Maxima accepts an interim staff position with the intent to help rebuild the school and exercise her leadership abilities. Supergirl decides to return to Earth in the wake of these events. In a heartfelt goodbye, Maxima opens up to Kara to confess admiration and love for her, saying that Kara is the kind of person she wants to be with. The series ends with #40 and Maxima will likely join numerous other LGBT characters in limbo.
Maxima’s powers appear to include super strength, invulnerability, and an ability to manipulate an energy based knife, though it’s unclear if this is her own creation.
Maxima created by Roger Stern and George Perez and first appeared in Action #645. This version of Maxima first appeared in Supergirl #36 (2011) and she is revealed as lesbian in Supergirl #40.
Art by Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, and Hi Fi.
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