“I am Ven-Ghan, the Ultralink Hunter. —Ven-Ghan to Max and Steel, Ultralink Invasion Part One
Ven-Ghan (sometimes misspelled as VenGhan or Ven Ghan), also known by his alias The Ultralink Hunter or The Vengeance Bringer[2], is a recurring character introduced in the second season of Max Steel. A skilled bounty hunter and a member of The Black Star Council, Ven-Ghan utilizes gravity-based powers to face and capture intergalactic criminals. He initially came to Earth with the intent of capturing Steel, wrongfully believing he had betrayed and killed his former host, Ja'em Mk'rah. As a result, he clashed with Maxwell and Steel several times. During one of their confrontations, he manages to capture Steel but is soon taken prisoner by Ultimate Elementor. Later, they are taken to a Makino Destroyer, where Ven-Ghan is tortured until Steel uses his T.U.R.B.O. reserves to save him. They are later found by Maxwell, who re-bonds with Steel, and together they successfully escape the ship, parting on neutral terms with the other two.
Upon learning about Makino's arrival on Earth, Ven-Ghan returns to the planet to assist Maxwell, as Steel had been captured by the warlord. The two teamed-up to face the villain, with the heroic Ultralink saving Ven-Ghan's life during the fight. Following Makino's defeat, Ven-Ghan betrays the Black Star Council, signalizing to them that Steel was destroyed during their battle. However, the council later learns about his betrayal, and sends Ven-Ghan's former mentor, Ragnok, to capture him and Steel. After defeating the villainous hunter, Ven-Ghan plays a key role in Max Steel and N-Tek's last battle against Makino, who had arrived with the Alphalink and a massive armada of Ultralinks.
Ven-Ghan was born in the alien world Kaduonn.[1] At a young age, Metallak and his army of evil Ultralinks attacked his planet and destroyed it. Ven-Ghan managed to escape, being the last survivor of his species.[3] During an undetermined period of time, he joined the Black Star Council, with Ragnok mentoring him.[4] Over time, Ven-Ghan became their "Righteous Hand", utilizing his incredible gravity powers to track down intergalactic war criminals, primarily Ultralinks.[2]
At some point, Ven-Ghan and Ragnok crossed paths and he captured a bounty that his mentor considered his own. Ever since, the two became bitter rivals.
Ven-Ghan infiltrated Earth's atmosphere using Ven-Geance and stalked Maxwell for a couple of days.
Ven-Ghan, Max and Steel talk.
During Max Steel's fight with Miles Dread, Ven-Ghan created a portal beneath the hero, teleporting him to an abandoned warehouse. There, he presented himself to Max and Steel, revealing his intentions of bringing the Ultralink to justice. McGrath refuses to allow this to happen, stating that Steel was his friend. Ven-Ghan mentions about the legend of "Ja'em Mk'rah", justifying that the Ultralink couldn't be trusted. He pulls his blaster and tells Max to step aside.
Ven-Ghan threatens Max, who activates Turbo Strength Mode and charges at the hunter. He quickly teleports himself, claiming that Max fought horribly, and hurled his Ultralinks at him. Upon seeing them, Max asks why he had Ultralinks with them, of which Ven-Ghan states that they were rehabilitated and reprogrammed to serve for "their" cause, much to Max's confusion. He asks if he wasn't allied with Makino, angering the hunter, who tells him that the warlord was his fugitive. Max activates Turbo Flight Mode and tackles at him, debilitating him for few seconds.
Ven-Ghan captures Steel.
He gets up and attacks Max with his blaster. Ven-Ghan slowly approaches him, but Max quickly activates the Turbo Lash and ensnares Ven. He attempts to convince him that Steel was one of the heroes, yet Ven-Ghan ignores. N-Tek contacts Max and Ven-Ghan activates his Ultralinks, using them to knock the hero down while he was distracted. The hunter uses one of the containment spheres to capture Steel, who desperately shouts for Max. The hunter opens a portal and goes through, leaving a containment capsule behind that explodes shortly after he leaves.
Ven-Ghan teleports near to his ship, the Ven-Geance. Steel attempts to convince him that he was not a fugitive, stating that he had memory lapses and couldn't remember the atrocities that the hunter had talked about. He gets angry and accuses Steel of his "Ultralink lies", telling him that he would be brought to the tribunal and would be destroyed for his crimes. He heads to his ship while Steel compliments the vehicle, although he ignores it. The hunter prepares to leave while Steel continues to annoy him, angering Ven-Ghan. Steel decides to use his T.U.R.B.O. energy to destroy the sphere and falls on a fissure, much to Ven-Ghan's annoyance.
While investigating the fissure, Max and C.Y.T.R.O. approach him. Ven-Ghan quickly spots them and goes back to Ven-Geance and tells them that they were warned to not interfere. He releases a pair of gravity seekers, which chases the duo. During the pursue, Max grabs onto the surface of the hunter's ship and asks him if bringing Ultralinks to justice was more important than his life, of which Ven-Ghan agrees and proceeds to boost Ven-Geance's speed, leaving Max and C.Y.T.R.O. behind and allowing the gravity seekers to hit them, causing a massive explosion. Upon seeing it, Ven-Ghan shrugs it off, stating that they were mere casualties of justice.
Max and Ven-Ghan fight.
While Max was trying to control his T.U.R.B.O. outbursts for the sake of Steel, Ven-Ghan approaches him and tells him that his loyalties were misplaced, angering the teen. He promptly tackles Ven-Geance, stating that he didn't knew anything about loyalty and once again attempts to convince him that they were on the same side, although Ven-Ghan ignores. He explains that he was a part of a much higher authority and that they gave him much better weapons. Angry, Max attempts to tackle him, but Ven-Ghan quickly dodges and uses his sword to create an energy lash and continuously throw Max back and forth at the ground. He tells Max that he had fought bravely and proceeds to toss him at a mountain. C.Y.T.R.O. recovers Steel and approaches Max while Ven-Ghan pulls his blaster and shoots at them, causing a massive explosion. They successfully link once again and escape, angering Ven-Ghan, who is seen shooting at distance.
Ven-Ghan prepares to capture Steel.
Later on, while Max and Steel are dealing with Miles Dread and his Ultralink, Ven-Ghan locates them and captures the latter. He angers Dread, who quickly charges at him. Ven-Ghan grabs one of his capsules and throws in the air, opening a portal with projectiles of N-Tek tanks that he had obtained earlier, hitting Dread. He attempts to capture Steel once again, though Max intervenes. The hunter claims that one Ultralink was enough for him and leaves.
"Ven-Ghan is an interesting character. His home world was destroyed at a young age and he spent his life training to bring his enemies to justice. He has a steely sense of honor, which can be rigid and uncompromising. And once he's set his mind on something it's next to impossible to change it. But underneath it all he still has heart. He has a purpose and drive propelled by the pain of the loss of his loved ones. So... he could become an ally, but Max or Steel would have to do something extraordinary to make that happen." — Giles Panton
Ven-Ghan's home planet was destroyed when he was a child and he has spent his life training to bring those responsible to justice, regardless of their power and how unstoppable they are. This shows a great sense of honor but he may end up being rigid or he cannot commit to something and that makes once one goal in mind nothing can stop until it is fixed.
Abilities[]
Skills[]
Enhanced Strength: Ven-Ghan is stronger than an ordinary person.
Enhanced Speed: Ven-Ghan is a lot faster than a regular human.
Enhanced Agility: Ven-Ghan is notably very agile, being capable of jumping from high places and easily dodging from projectiles sent by Ultimate Elementor.
Teleportation: Ven-Ghan can teleport from from one spot to another through the usage of portals.
Gravity Manipulation: Ven-Ghan has the ability to control gravity around himself and others, able to compress gravitons in order to shrink massive objects to more manageable sizes or compress gravity itself to open warp gates.
Expert Hunter: Ven-Ghan is a skilled hunter in bringing war criminals to the Black Star Council, earning the title of "Righteous Arm" due to his ability.
Equipment[]
Laser Blaster: Ven-Ghan utilizes a black-colored, rifle-like laser blaster capable of shooting small to large energy bursts. It also possesses gravitational powers, being capable of attracting objects nearby, to augment the power of the shot.[5] Like other of his equipment, Ven-Ghan can attract it to his hands or spine.
Sword: Ven-Ghan's weapon of choice. It can be used for close-range combat and shoot small energy bursts, as exemplified in Carninal Food. In Ultralink Invasion Part Two, it was shown the sword could project an energy field around a target, which was connected to the sword through a tendril. It could be also used to unlink Ultralink from their hosts. Like other of his equipment, Ven-Ghan can attract it to his hands or spine.
Ven-Geance: Ven-Ghan's means of transport. It is equiped with a large arsenal of weapon and has a stealth mode, allowing it to become invisible.
Gravity Seekers: A pair of bow-shaped devices that could localize the gravity of an object to chase them.
Containment Spheres: Ven-Ghan was often accompanied by a trio of Ultralink pods. They were heavy enough to knock down and restrain a weakened Maxwell McGrath. He utilizes the spheres to trap Ultralinks fugitives. They are capable of unlinking an Ultralink from its host without damaging the latter at all.
Containment Capsules: Grenade-shaped devices kept on Ven-Ghan's left leg. They are capable of opening wormholes, doubling as containment traps in order to change flight paths, such as redirecting N-Tek laser fire which he turned back onto Dread to defeat him.
Communicator: Ven-Ghan has a communicator on his left forearm.
Weaknesses[]
Life Support: The technological piece attached to Ven-Ghan chest is his life support, as stated by himself in Makino Strikes Part Two. If damaged, he is unable to teleport himself.
Appearance[]
Ven-Ghan is a tall Kaduonnian with an athletic body type. He has black hair styled as a mohawk, light green skin and five eyes, having a pair on each side of his face and one on the middle. He wears a burgundy-colored mask with yellow-colored accents on the eyes, chin and lower jaw. When he speaks, the sides of his cheek light-up in white. He wears a black-burgundy-purple sleeveless bodysuit with yellow-colored accents on the neck, chest, knees and feet. His chest features a logo roughly resembling the letter M and has energy tendrils resembling the letter V. He has muscular green arms, with his left shoulder possessing the logo of the Black Star Council and has black bandage wrapped around his forearms. He has a yellow-colored communication device on his left forearm and wears black fingerless gloves. Ven-Ghan is often accompanied by three Ultralink pods and his sword and/or blaster attached to his back.
Steel: "Why is it so hard to believe I am a good guy!?"
Ven-Ghan: "The council warned me how two-faced you can be. You did turn on Ja'em Mk'rah. And destroyed him."
Ven-Ghan and Steel are allies, but initially started out as enemies. He believed him to be the most dangerous Ultralink ever[5] and wrongfully believed Steel was behind Ja'em Mk'rah's demise. He constantly attempted to bring the Ultralink to justice, leading to several confrontations between the hunter and Max Steel. During one of their clashes, Ven-Ghan and Steel were captured by Ultimate Elementor, who later imprisoned the two in a Makino Destroyer. While the hunter attempted to escape, Steel attempted to reason with him. However, Ven-Ghan refused to listen to him, as the Black Star Council had warned him about how the Ultralink was supposedly "two-faced". Despite this, Steel later used his T.U.R.B.O. reserves to save the hunter. The two are later found by Maxwell, and the trio team-up to escape from the ship. After successfully doing so, Ven-Ghan talks with the two, claiming that the Black Star Council could be wrong about Steel.
In Makino Strikes Part Two, Ven-Ghan returns to Earth after he learned that Makino had invaded it. During Maxwell and Steel's fight against the villain, Ven-Ghan intervened and saved McGrath. The two later teamed-up to take down Makino, yet Ven-Ghan made it clear that he was just helping Maxwell to capture Steel. During the fight against the warlord, Ven-Ghan's life is saved by Steel. He later betrays the Black Star Council, claiming that the Ultralink had been destroyed during their fight against Makino. Ven-Ghan began to work with Steel and Maxwell to capture lost Ultralinks in Copper Canyon, and, in Fugitive, he claimed that the two were under his protection after the council sent Ragnok to face them.
Initially, Max and Ven-Ghan were enemies. Because he wanted to capture Steel, Max got on his way and attempted to convince him that the Ultralink was well intentioned, but Ven didn't believed him.
Ven-Ghan has a deep hatred for Makino, since he was responsbile for the destruction of his homeworld. As such, Ven spent years of his life training to become a good warrior and one day face Makino and finally have revenge. He eventually fights him in Makino Strikes Part Two.
"Stop your talking or I will stop it for you." — Ultralink Invasion Part Two
"You fought bravely. In another time, perhaps we could have been allies. But in this one ... farewell." — Ultralink Invasion Part Two
"One day, you will stand before the Black Star Council, and you will know the true meaning of fear." — The Ultralink hunter
"I swore to the Black Star Council that I would take you back, Steel. But you've risked your life for me. Perhaps I was wrong about you, Steel. Maybe the council was too. You fought bravely. Until we meet again." — The Ultralink Hunter
Ven-Ghan appears in The Ultralink Hunter. In it, he introduces himself to the audience, revealing his intentions of bringing Steel to justice, and chases the Ultralink throughout a park in Copper Canyon.
Ven-Ghan appears in Carnival Food. In it, he faces a hungry Max in a carnival event.
Ven-Ghan appears in Catch Me if You Can. In it, he relentlessly chases Max and Steel throughout Copper Canyon, only for the duo to outwit him every time.
Games[]
Ven-Ghan appears in Turbo Tactics as a playable character. He attacks the enemies using his sword, which can be upgraded to deal greater damage.
A 12" action figure of Ven-Ghan, named as Roto Blast Ven-Ghan, was released in early 2014. An international release was seemingly planned, but cancelled.
A 6" action figure of Ven-Ghan, named as Dual Force Ven-Ghan, was released in early 2014.
A 6" action figure of Ven-Ghan, simply named as Ven-Ghan, was slated to be released in 2014, but was seemingly cancelled.
A 12" action figure of Ven-Ghan, named as Ultra Hunt Ven-Ghan, was released in late 2014.
Behind the Scenes[]
Giles Panton, Ven-Ghan's voice actor, stated that the character holds a special place on his heart as he was the first character he voiced to become an action figure.[6]
Ven-Ghan, alongside Metal Elementor, was one of the two new characters to be featured in the initial Season 2 trailers. In them, Ven-Ghan teleports himself and utilizes his sword to destroy several Makino ships.
Out of all the villains that Max faced, Ven-Ghan was the only who redeemed himself.
As seen in My Best Friend is an Ultralink, Max has Ven-Ghan's phone number in his phone. When Kirby saw Ven-Ghan's image, Max protested that he was his cousin. He also got angry when Max called him his cousin when he (Max) answered the phone.
In the episode credits, Ven-Ghan's name is sometimes misspelled as VenGhan or Ven-Ghan.
He has a literal view of things, making it hard for him to understand humour.
In Ultralink Invasion Part One, Ven-Ghan mentions a word/term of his language when fighting against Max, stating he fought like a "dagma". While it is unknown what the term means, he confirmed that he did not meant it in a good way.
Ven-Ghan's name bears a resemblance to the German word fangen, which means "to catch" or "to be caught". Given the character's role as a bounty hunter, it is possible that this word influenced the creation of his name.
