With the Inhuman Royal Court box now widely available— seemingly everywhere except the UK and EU—there’s been plenty of buzz around one of its key pieces: Maximus the Mad. While AMG acknowledged shipping delays to the US, there’s been no official word from them or Asmodee on the holdup across the UK and Europe.

But this article isn’t here to rant about distribution woes.

Instead, we’re diving deep into Maximus himself—his strengths, quirks, and how to get the most out of him on the table in Marvel: Crisis Protocol.

I’ve held off publishing this piece until I had meaningful reps with Maximus across different scenarios. Everything here is grounded in actual gameplay—no speculation and to focus on practical insights.

Let’s unpack the madness.

Maximus The Mad

Maximus The Mad is a member of the Inhuman Royal Family and Black Bolt’s younger brother. He has a highly developed brain which grants him telepathy, mind control, the ability to create illusions, and genius level intellect.

Maximus has always felt he should be the true King of the Inhumans and has enacted many ploys to oust his older brother. He was later driven mad when his powers became supercharged and he was shown every moment of his life at once.

In MCP this translates to a 4 threat leader with high Mystic defence, potent Mystic attacks, the ability to move other characters, and the ability to force attack dice to be rerolled.

His leadership gives the first attack and defence each turn an extra reroll, but it comes with a “mad” twist. The reroll is mandatory, and if it rolls a Failure the character gets placed within Range 1 and Max gains a power.

Maximising Maximus

With Range 4 on his builder and only 2 physical defense, Maximus needs careful placement. The current meta is full of throws and heavy physical hitters—get caught out of position and he’s eating pavement.

I typically park him on a rear objective where he can stay safe until it’s time to strike. If the fight’s on the midline, I flank him toward areas with fewer ranged threats and lower Mystic defense. A buddy with Bodyguard or strong retaliation potential—like Gorgon—is essential.

Saving Brace
If I’m packing “Brace for Impact“, I hold it for Maximus unless using it elsewhere massively swings the game.

Key Abilities
Max’s MVP power is “Did You Forget Why You Are Here?” I almost always hold his activation until late in the round—ideally last—to maximize targets and minimize counterplay.

Close second? It’s Madness, My Favourite Kind. With only 2 physical defense, this ability is clutch for shrugging off big hits. It requires power though, so I’m looking to land solid builder attacks each turn to keep his engine running.

The Builder
Decent range, average dice, and the bonus that many characters flunk Mystic saves. It usually gives just enough power to keep his kit online. If the enemy is already Stunned (hello, Gorgon!), that Suppression trigger can really ruin their day.

The Spender
Rarely used—too pricey given Max’s reliance on other powers. But if I must delete someone and have the power, I’ll go for it. Stagger is a nice fallback if they somehow survive.

Power Management & TTC Setup
Max is greedy when it comes to power—especially if you’re eyeing Plots Within Plots or Great Refuge (never both, too expensive).
Turn 2 or 3, I’ll sometimes activate Max early and go aggressive, hoping the opponent dazes him and leaves him flipped with 6+ power. That sets up a devastating TTC + Madness turn. Attilan Rising helps too, spreading that sweet power across your squad.

Where To Play Maximus

Inhumans

Maximus is a blast as a leader (more on that below), but he also shines under Black Bolt. Thanks to power sharing, he can fuel his toolkit reliably every round. Pair Black Bolt’s Range 2 bodyguard with Max’s Range 3 rerolls, and you’ve got a power-hungry, nearly unbreakable secure-holding bubble—if you can keep it powered up.

He also brings something Inhumans haven’t had before: strong Mystic attacks and a disruptive forced advance. Against Web Warriors or Kingpin Criminals, Max adds the kind of control tools that can level the playing field.

Convocation

I gave Maximus a run with Convocation—not my strongest affiliation, but he was fun. Flanking with Ancient One, the pair held their side with ease. Iron-Bound Books made him feel super durable, and Plane of Poldahk let him pop off with an 8-damage spender spike.

He brings solid tools, and Convocation’s tech makes him even better. A surprisingly great match.

Web Warriors

On paper, Maximus plus Plots Within Plots looked like a Web Warriors dream—super late-game control and slippery extract carriers.

In practice? Not quite. He was too slow ramping up the power for Plots, even if the payoff was fun. I once held 3 of 4 extracts and used push effects to trigger a satisfying Plots move—but it felt like a one-turn gimmick, not a long-term strategy.

Still, if you’re feeling spicy, he’s a fun wildcard pick for Webs.

Avengers?

I meant to try this but forgot. I really want to see how A Day Unlike Any Other makes Max run, and if he can mesh well in a control setup. Anyone tried this? Comment below!

Maximus the Magnificent: Leadership Breakdown

There’s a popular take that Maximus’ leadership is too chaotic to be reliable. But after many games with “Mad Max” at the helm, I’m here to tell you: it’s fun, it’s effective, and it’s far less disruptive than people think.

Let’s break it down.

The Real “Risks” of His Leadership

1. The Scary “Failure” Place

Yes, there’s a 1-in-8 chance your reroll gives you a Failure, triggering the forced Range 1 place. From round 2 onward, I usually make 8–10 rerolls per round, so this happens once a round on average—but sometimes less. When it does?

If you’re attacking, the risk is minimal:

• It only triggers on your first attack action.
• Many characters have their own movement abilities
• Inhumans have four characters with ally movement—including Max himself. And remember: the place gives Max 1 power, which helps him fix positioning.

Pro tip: use attacks with built-in movement. You can choose to resolve the leadership or the movement first, letting you reposition yourself after the place.

If you’re defending, it’s trickier. You might get bumped out of cover or off a secure, but again—you have options:

• If the displaced model hasn’t activated, just walk back on.
• If they’ve already gone, other characters like Maximus, Medusa, Lockjaw, or Black Bolt can move them.
• Warpath can even reposition them if your opponent doesn’t place them directly toward the attacker.

Worst-case scenario? You lose a point. But that’s rare—and fixable.

Reminder: If the target gets Dazed, they can’t be placed, and Max doesn’t gain power.

2. “Losing” a Success to the Reroll

The other concern is the leadership forcing you to reroll a success, especially with small dice pools like Max’s 2 physical defense dice. But the odds aren’t as bad as they look.

Let’s talk numbers:

• 2-dice defense: 6% chance of losing a success
• 3-dice: 3.5%
• 4-dice: 1.8%

And that’s before factoring in the Inhuman reroll, which can often regain the lost success.

Attacking? Here are approx odds:

• 4 dice: 4% chance of losing a success
• 5 dice: 1.6%
• 6 dice: ~1%

Want to avoid the risk? Keep Max in cover and aim to attack with higher dice pools early in the turn.

So What Do You Gain?

Plenty.

Maximus’ leadership grants a bonus reroll on the first attack and defense each turn. That’s a 50% chance of extra damage on offense and a 37.5% chance of blocking more on defense. Across a typical round, that averages:

• +2.5 damage dealt
• +1.9 damage prevented

You can really feel the extra successes, and when the rare Failure pops up? Max gets power—fuel for his own disruptive toolkit.

This leadership enables:

• More consistent offense from dicey characters.
• Better durability against wide or attrition-heavy teams.
• Flexible, wide strategies that don’t rely on front-loading all your power into turn 1 like Black Bolt often demands.

Sure, Black Bolt gives you strong round 1 options. But “Mad Max” brings mid-to-late game control, more power cycling, and extra value from dice across the board. His leadership isn’t just viable—it’s fun, flexible, and surprisingly reliable once you build around it.

Give it a spin. You might find your “failure” rerolls into game-winning plays.

Great Characters Under Maximus

Maximus’ leadership unlocks good potential in a bunch of characters—both Inhumans and splash picks. Here are some standout options who thrive under his rule:

Black Bolt (Both Versions)

Both classic and King Black Bolt love Max’s rerolls—more consistency, more damage.

• King BB is especially tanky with damage reduction and defensive rerolls stacked.
• Offensively, Hit & Run lets him avoid awkward placements from leadership-triggered Failures.

Gorgon

Top-tier Inhuman.

• Charge means he can fix bad placements.
• Taunt protects Max.
• Stun synergizes with Max’s Suppression trigger.
  He brings defense, damage, and setup all in one.

Quicksilver

No reroll? No problem. Max gives him the consistency he craves.

• Extra reroll helps land triggers like Can I Borrow That?
• Bonus reroll works on Mystic defence making him a little more resilient against magic-heavy teams.

Nick Fury Jr.

Elite extract play.

• Grunts enable double-grab turn 1 and now get two rerolls when attacking.
• More consistent power gen for Fury.
• Eye in the Sky protects Max or your key pieces at the perfect moment.

Logan

Already gets rerolls when he’s alone—Max gives him a third.

• Place after attack means he skips the leadership’s downside.
• Extra defence reroll keeps him swinging longer.

Angela

Turn 1 grab queen and another self-placer.

• Her builder can be swingy—Max smooths that out.
• Defensive reroll is a solid bonus, especially since enemies can’t modify dice into her.
• Excellent at deleting light targets fast.

Nightcrawler

Another self-placing attacker = no worry about offensive triggers.

• Applies Stun to set up Suppression synergy.
• When fuelled with power, he becomes a potential delete button.

Shang-Chi

Already deadly—Max just makes it a little more consistent.

• Rerolls make his offense even nastier.
• His in-built advance neutralizes any awkward leadership placements.

Spider-Men

Pick any Spidey—they love Max.

• Extra rerolls mean more consistency on key scenario plays.
• Web Swing helps reposition if displaced.
• Witty Banter + Madness is a hilarious and brutal combo for forcing bad rolls on enemies.

Final Thoughts

The Inhuman Royal Court is still evolving, but don’t sleep on Maximus. He brings disruption, survivability, and some big-brain combos—either as a leader or under another.

Got a spicy Max setup?
Discovered a sneaky combo?
Or just want to gush about reroll math?

Drop a comment and let’s chat!