“ Let's... Go Turbo!
—Max Steel, Battle cry
Max Steel is the main protagonist and titular character of Max Steel. They consist of the fusion of the Takion-human hybrid Maxwell McGrath and the Ultralink named Steel. They form a symbiotic relationship in which Max's T.U.R.B.O. Energy is controlled and harnessed by Steel. Besides a wide array of devices made by the N-Tek genius Roberto "Berto" Martinez, Max and Steel have access to an arsenal batle armors named as Turbo Modes to face their foes.
The first Max Steel (referred to as "Jim Steel" in supplementary material) was the result of the fusion of the alien warrior Ja'em Mk'rah (also known as James "Jim" McGrath) and the Ultralink Steel. When Ja'em's homeworld, planet Takion, was attacked by the Ultralinks, he and his people attempted to fend off the invasion. Steel attempted to bond with him, but Ja'em questioned him and Makino's ways, causing the Ultralink to rebel against his own kind. After merging and creating the first Max Steel, Ja'em and Steel protected Earth against Makino and his forces, as well as other alien planets. After a violent betrayal, Steel was shut down and Ja'em was teleported into deep space. The Ultralink would be reactivated sixteen years later, and bond with Maxwell McGrath, James' son, to form the second Max Steel.
In Turbo-Charged, Maxwell and Steel are permanently separated by the masked villain Dr. Prometheus Halifax, who wants to explore the true potential of McGrath's powers. Max's encounter with the villain has caused him to generate a green energy much stronger than his previous blue T.U.R.B.O, making it impossible for Steel to control. While they are no longer bonded, Maxwell still uses the name "Max Steel" on missions.
Maxwell McGrath is voiced by Andrew Francis, while Steel is voiced by Sam Vincent. Jim McGrath is voiced by Trevor Devall. Max Steel (Maxwell McGrath) debuted in Come Together Part One, while Jim Steel debuted in Scrambled.
History[]
Origins[]
During an Ultralink Invasion on Planet Takion, an Ultralink warrior N'Baro Aksteel X377 (better known as Steel) begun to doubt Makino's destructive ways. After witnessing several Takonian warriors fighting against the invaders, Steel was intrigued by their heroic actions. He observes one of the warriors, Ja'em Mk'rah fend off the attack of a Xenoshok using his T.U.R.B.O. Energy, and hesitantly prepares to Ultralink with him. However, the warrior stops him and questions why his people were attacking his homeworld. Steel replies to him that it was simply within an Ultralink's program to absorb and expand, for the glory of their master, Makino. Ja'em questions Steel further, causing him to conclude that Makino's ways are wrong. The Ultralink wonders what he could do against his master's ways, but he is struck down by the Xenoshok. The Xenoshok prepares to attack Ja'em, but before it has the chance, Steel Ultralinks with him, causing a large T.U.R.B.O. energy explosion that knocks down the creature. Steel disengages from Mk'rah's chest and each of them relay their names to each other. However, it was too late to save the Planet Takion, as Makino had already begun the planet-linking process using his Alphalink. Ja'em Mk'rah and Steel were forced to evacuate and planned to arrive at Makino's next target: Earth.
When the pair eventually arrived on Earth, Ja'em Mk'rah took on the name James (Jim) McGrath. They created the top secret organization known as N-Tek alongside Miles Dread, Forge Ferrus, and Molly McGrath to defend Earth from the forces of Makino. They worked on projects to stop Makino and his armada of Ultralinks, such as the Turbo Star and the Morphos project -- although the latter was shut down due to its immense power.
During the first Makino invasion of Earth, Jim and Steel successfully defeated Makino's troops alongside the forces of N-Tek.
After the invasion, Molly and Jim became married and had a son named Maxwell McGrath. Later, N-tek began to work on a T.U.R.B.O powered weapon called the Turbo Star which would be used to defeat Makino should he ever return to Earth. However, during one of the tests, Miles Dread (one of N-Tek's founders) used a device that he had constructed to absorb Jim's T.U.R.B.O Energy for himself. But it goes horribly wrong as it triggered a massive explosion. The blast teleports Jim into deep space and sends Dread across the planet as well as all the pieces of Turbo Star. The blast also leaves Steel disabled for the next 16 years, and damages his memory core.
The Second Max Steel[]
Sixteen years later, Jim McGrath and Molly McGrath's son, Maxwell McGrath, starts to generate large amounts of T.U.R.B.O. energy as a teenager. After causing a massive explosion, Max is introduced to N-Tek, a secret organization led by his uncle, Forge Ferrus. He is placed into a chamber to keep his power under control, but things go awry as he starts to overload and damage the place. As he tries to escape, he unintentionally reactivates Steel, who, like his father before him, Ultralinks with him. Together, tbey form the second Max Steel. They then escape from N-Tek and head to the canyons, where they properly introduce themselves to each other.
While Max and Steel's relationship had a rocky start, they eventually became good friends. They learned to live, work and fight together. Using their powers for good, they fight villains such as Miles Dread and later the Elementors, Toxzon and Extroyer, as well save the lives lives of many people including Max's closest friends Sydney and Kirby. However, Max and Steel still had many doubts about their past, which Forge, Molly or anyone around them refused to answer. This led to them make risky decisions in order to get answers, such as allying with Colonel Jasper F. Castle, who initially introduced himself as an ally to Max and Steel, promising to tell them things about their past when he was one of Miles Dread's allies. During a conflict with Extroyer, Steel touched his Ultralink, causing him to see one of its memories where another Max Steel was seen, causing Max and Steel to get even more confused.
Max Steel and N-Tek's conflict with Miles Dread eventually culminates in the second Ultralink Invasion on Earth. Steel learns that he is a part of a destructive alien species bent on conquering worlds, causing him to nearly resign from N-Tek, while Forge reveals that the other Max Steel that they had seen was actually Max's father, much to Max and Steel's shock. Max Steel and N-Tek manage to stop the second invasion, and spend the next months training their abilities to fight against the Ultralinks.
The Ultralink Invasion[]
Makino continously sends new soldiers to deal with Max Steel, such as a squadron of three evil Ultralinks known as Blast, Chomp and Prism Link and one of his most trusted and dangerous commanders, Metal Elementor, but they are all defeated by Max and N-Tek. Max meets Ven-Ghan, a bounty hunter from an alien council who attempted to capture Steel for his supposed crimes. While they initially were enemies, Max Steel and Ven-Ghan became allies after realizing they were fighting for the same goal: stop Makino and his armada.
While Max and Steel had partially learned the truth about their pasts, they still had many questions left. While N-Tek's systems were vulnerable, Steel hacks into Forge's computer and retrieves many files. They find out about a device named "Turbo Star", but didn't knew what it was due to the fact the files were encripted. Unknown to them, Miles Dread and his right-hand man, Jason Naught, were searching for the device as well. Max Steel and Miles Dread clash two times while searching for the pieces of the Turbo Star, with the villain coming out victorious in the two occasions. In the process, they learn that the device is actually a weapon that could potentially destroy Makino, and upon revealing it to Forge that they knew about it, he gets extremely angry and scolds them.
During a fight with the Ultralink squadron, Max and Steel are hit by a virus sent by Blast Link that causes Steel to go haywire. Forge and Molly finally decide to tell them truth, revealing that Max's father was actually an alien and that he fought against Makino's evil Ultralinks and stoped the first invasion on Earth. As the virus takes hold of Steel, the duo witness the Ultralink's past as if they were there, watching as Max's father, James', meeting him and bonding with him, thus finally answering their questions about their origins. Max manages to cure Steel from the virus by rebooting him with large amounts of T.U.R.B.O. energy, and ultimately defeats Blast, Chomp and Prism, who are then captured by N-Tek. Shaken by the reveal, Max and Steel leave.
Meanwhile, Makino finds a way to head to Earth via a wormhole to finally settle things with Max Steel and N-Tek. Upon arriving, he sends out Miles Dread and Mega-Elementor to Ultralink Forge and attacks N-Tek's canyon base. After absorbing the parts of a N-Tek Jump Jet, Makino decides to fight against Max Steel by himself. The hero tries his best to overpower the villain, but ultimately fails. Steel is separated from Max, and Ven-Ghan arrives just in time to help them. Makino is teleported away from Max thanks to Ven-Ghan, and McGrath is taken to N-Tek's base, which explodes shortly after they arrive. While Jefferson, Kat, Molly, Berto and the remaining N-Tek agents intercept Makino's forces at THI, Max and Ven-Ghan head to the Makino Destroyer orbiting Earth. The two eventually manage to save Steel, and Max finally rebonds with him. The duo unlocks Turbo Rocket Mode, allowing them to defeat Makino with their newfound power and save the Earth.
Unknown to Max Steel and N-Tek, Makino had survived from his last encounter with the hero, and was coming to Earth at full speed -- as revealed by Miles Dread. In hopes of defeating Makino, Max and Steel head to the third and last location of the Turbo Star piece, and engage in battle with Miles Dread, who successfully retrieves the last piece. While the villain built his own structure for the Turbo Star, Max Steel and Ven-Ghan patrolled Copper Canyon to find evil Ultralinks remaining from Makino's last attack. Meanwhile, N-Tek was building the Daedelus Platform to deal with Makino's aramada.
Max and Steel eventually come with a plan to steal the Turbo Star from Miles Dread's hands. After a long battle, the duo successfully retrieves the weapon and N-Tek captures Miles Dread and Jason Naught. Max tries to reason with Forge to allow him to use the weapon, but he angrily refuses to. Eventually, Makino's Ultralink armada arrives on Earth. While N-Tek's Daedelus Platform was effective against Makino at first, things go awry and Max once again tries to convince Forge to allow him to use the Turbo Star. Reluctanctly, he allows them, and the duo head to the Alphalink to face Makino. They eventually find out that the planet-eating device is actually powered by his father Jim, who was kept as a prisoner by Makino for sixteen long years. After freeing Jim, Max, Mk'rah and Steel finally defeat Makino with a large blast of T.U.R.B.O. energy, causing the Alphalink to implode from the inside. They head back to Earth, where Jim reunites with Molly and N-Tek.
Makino's return and Morphos[]
The rise of Team Turbo[]
The Nexus[]
Appearance[]
Max Steel wears a full-body armor that takes the form of a close-fitting black-white-blue technological suit.
In Turbo-Charged, Max's previous blue armor is damaged and Steel build another one for him to use. He wears a mask that covers his face that resembles his previous blue one, a sleveless black suit with the green M logo on his chest and silver boots, and silver and black gauntlets with green gloves.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Superhuman Strength: Due to Max's half-alien nature, his strength and other attributes such as speed and stamina are increased considerably, making him stronger than an average individual. As Max Steel, his strength is harnessed in combat via Steel's Turbo Modes, with varying levels of power.
- Superhuman Durability: Max Steel's SteelSuit is incredibly resistand and durable, being able to resist dangerous and corrosive toxins. In addition, the suit seems to be able to automatically repair itself.
- T.U.R.B.O Energy: Maxwell generates large amounts of T.U.R.B.O. energy, which he uses to fight off the villains, feed Steel, activate his Turbo Modes or power his Turbo gear, and others.
- Green T.U.R.B.O. Energy: In Turbo-Charged, as a result of his encounter with Terrorax, Max starts to generate a green variation of his T.U.R.B.O. energy, which enhances his physical capabilities even further. For example, Max could easily lift heavy rocks with one of his hands, and run 30 kilometers without feeling exhausted.
- Turbo Modes: Upon linking with Steel, Max had a large arsenal of battle armors named as Turbo Modes, with each having different abilities. While Max generates the T.U.R.B.O. energy, Steel feeds on it and harness it on combat, using his alien technology to create various armors. Some of the Turbo Modes need more energy to function, while others don't need and/or drain as much power. In Turbo-Charged, Max Steel's modes became completely technological.
- Connect-Tek Armor: In Turbo-Charged, after Max loses his connection with Steel, the latter develops a new armor equipped with Connect-Tek technology. It allows Max to configure and reconfigure its pieces to create new Turbo Modes, which, unlike its past blue version, are completely technological rather than techno-organic. Max also used weapons such as Power Gloves, Blaster and Sword as a temporary solution for the lack of Turbo Modes.
- Turborang and Turbo Pulse: In the Turborang, Max can launch Steel like a boomerang in his adversaries, dealing large amounts of damage and causing a large T.U.R.B.O. explosion. In the Turbo Pulse, he is able to blast away enemies with a large pulse made out of T.U.R.B.O. energy.
Arsenal[]
Max had access to a large arsenal of weapons and vehicles, all of them built by N-Tek's genius, Berto. The weapons were previously charged by C.Y.T.R.O..
Weapons[]
- Turbo Blaster: Created by Berto for field use and carried by Berto's robot C.Y.T.R.O..
- Turbo Sword: A powerful sword that has a blade made of pure T.U.R.B.O. energy, able to cut through most metals. It is also the most powerful weapon existing on Earth, as proven in Live by the Sword.
- Turbo Lash: Similar to Turbo Sword but instead of blade, it has a whip made from T.U.R.B.O. energy.
- Turbo Drills: This weapon was able to break into almost anything, but since it is too heavy for the Turbo Base Mode, Max needs his Turbo Strength Mode to do it.
- Turbo Star (temporarily): A powerful weapon designed by Jim to stop Makino once and for all. After the accident, the device was split into three parts by Forge and hidden in three different locations. The Turbo Star allows the user launch large bursts of T.U.R.B.O. energy, dealing large amounts of damage to their foes.
- Connect-Tek Sword: A sword that formerly belonged to Max's father. It can split itself into two.
Vehicles[]
- Turbo Cycle: A motorcycle built by Berto. It can defy the laws of physics with impressive maneuvers.
- Turbo Car: This vehicle was once owned by Vin & Dwayne prior to Berto's modifications. The Turbo Car was equipped with missile launcher, high speed, Auto-GPS, advanced N-Tek communication and a Stealth mode.
- Turbo Jet: A vehicle built by Berto. It is controlled by an artificial intelligence named as T.J., and is equipped with various weapons such as Turbo pulse guns and wing blades, and has an Aqua mode, allowing it to travel on water.
- Cyclo-Spin Bike: A new vehicle that Max gains in Turbo-Charged.
- Turbo Mobile: A new vehicle built by Steel in Turbo-Warriors. It can either work as a vehicle, or adapt to the user's humanoid form and become an armor.
Weaknesses[]
- If Max is separated from Steel, he can get stuck in a specific Turbo Mode, which can be bad depending the occasion. For example, in Turbo Deep Star Sea, Max got stuck in Turbo Scuba Mode, which made it very difficult to defeat Metal Elementor and the other Ultralinks, since the mode doesn't have super-strength or any special attribute other than its underwater capabilities, such as swimming at high speed.
- If Max is separated from Steel for more than eight hours, Max will overload with T.U.R.B.O. Energy and then will explode, causing his death.
Gallery[]
Max Steel (Character)'s gallery can be seen here. |
Trivia[]
- Max Steel cannot remove his Turbo Base Mode, although that Steel can create suits for Maxwell to blend with humans via Turbo Camouflage Mode.
- In Turbo-Charged, as a result of Max and Steel's connection being broken by Terrorax, his suit was no longer permanently attached to his body, and could be removed.
- While Max Steel's appearance greatly differs from his classic incarnation, his suit resembles the latest technological suits that the character gained in the last animated movies of the franchise.
- Max Steel gained such name due to the fact that, when Max and Steel were interviewed by a news reporter, Max and Steel said their respective names and the reporter interpreted it as "Max Steel".
- In some episodes, such as Gone Fishin', it is shown that his suit is damaged and cracking. However, the suit presumably auto repairs, since it appears intact in other episodes.
- Due to his heroic actions, Max Steel is a huge success in Copper Canyon, and has gained a line of games and toys, even having his own film made in-universe. In Me, Myself, and Extroyer, Max Steel gained a statue, which was promptly destroyed in the end of the episode to stop the titular villain.
- Steel is very satisfied with the Max Steel identity, as he is a huge fan of comics as seen in Supermania. His obssession with superheroes caused him to create a Turbo Mode named as Turbo Super Mode, which incorporated a typical stereotyped superhero.
[]
Season 1 Characters | ||
---|---|---|
N-Tek | Maxwell McGrath · Steel · Commander Forge Ferrus · Molly McGrath · Roberto Martinez (C.Y.T.R.O.) · Jefferson Smith · Jim McGrath · Katherine Ryan · Commander Parker · N-Tek Agents · N-Tek Soldiers · N-Tek Scientists | |
Villains | Miles Dread · Jason Naught · Dread Naughts · Extroyer (Extroyer's Ultralink) · Toxzon · Fishy · Goopanoids (Green Toxin, Acid, Toxic Bacteria and Radioactive) · The Elementors (Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Ultimate) · Axel · Centipede Links · Colonel Jasper F. Castle · Colonel Castle's Army · Dwayne · Gun Links · Murakami · Sewer Monsters · Tank Links · The Ninjas · Thieves · Vin | |
Copper Canyon High School | Butch · Dean · Dr. Thornhill · Jake · Kirby Kowalski · Sydney Gardner | |
Others | Cobrassaurus · Hero-Man · Klean Kal · · Laser-Lass · Lewis · Martin · Max's old neighbors · Mr. Jones · The Vendor · THI Workers · Toxic Piranhas · Toxic Zombies · Troy's Pet Tiger |