Issue 104 - Maxwell Lord

Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get Counseling

• Intro
  • Welcome back for Season 5
  • Describe changes to show
    • New website
    • Patrons now guest on trade paperback reviews
    • Ariel’s column - Some Of Its Parts
• Background (03:52)

• Maxwell Lord created by Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire in Justice League #1 (May 1987)
• Father was a businessman who committed suicide after a product he created caused cancer, and his mother convinced him that powerful people cannot be trusted
• In the post-Crisis world, he wanted to bring the Justice League together - was actually under the control of a supercomputer created by Metron
• Later breaks free of the control of the computer, and befriends the League
• Gains mild telepathy during the Invasion event, and instead of using the powers for good, begins to distrust the metahuman community - using the powers gives him a nosebleed
• After being injured in a battle, he gains a cyborg-like body, but has to battle Kilg%re the computer for control
• Countdown to Infinite Crisis - he kills Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, and reveals that he is in control of a global surveillance network on the Justice League
• Controls Superman to have him attack Batman and Wonder Woman - Diana snaps his neck to stop him, but the footage goes viral and her reputation is destroyed
• Booster Gold tries to go back in time to prevent Lord from killing Ted Kord, but all it does is make things worse, so Booster realizes Ted has to die for a better future
• Lord is resurrected during Blackest Night/Brightest Day, and uses technology to boost his powers, making the world forget him - then uses tech to create an army of robots to attack the Justice League, and kills Jamie Reyes, the third Blue Beetle, the same way he killed Ted
• New 52/Rebirth - reboots him as head of Checkmate, a secret government organization - he is the Black King, and uses his position and power to pit metahumans against one another
• Later ends up as part of Amanda Waller’s Task Force XI, aka another Suicide Squad
• Issues (7:56)
  • Distrust of metahumans despite being one of them
  • Overbearing mother (17:30)
  • Need to be in control (25:20)
• Break (33:43)
  • Plugs for Not If I Reboot You First, Parent Quest, and Howard Mackie
• Treatment (35:53)
  • In-universe - Use fibers of Lasso of Truth to keep Maxwell more honest and self-aware
  • Out of universe - Use ketamine in place of lasso to help person experience things outside their immediate sphere
• Skit (42:14)
• Ending (49:52)
  • Recommended reading: Justice League/Justice League International (The Giffen/DeMatteis years), Infinite Crisis
  • Next episodes: Vision/Scarlet Witch relationship, Clones, Catwoman
  • Plugs for social

References:

• Booster Gold episode - Doc (6:28)
• “Parents Just Don’t Understand” - Anthony (25:12)
• She-Hulk episode - Doc (27:38)
• Lex Luthor episode - Anthony (41:49)
• Wilson Fisk episode - Anthony (41:50)

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