Mighty Max (TV series)

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Mighty Max

Mighty Max Logo
Format Animated series/Science fiction/Horror
Created by Rob Hudnut, Mark Zaslove
Starring Rob Paulsen, Richard Moll, Tim Curry, Tony Jay, Frank Welker, Tress MacNeille, Kath Soucie, Corey Burton
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 40
Production
Running time 21 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel UPN
Original run 1993 – 1994
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Mighty Max is an animated action/sci-fi/horror television series which aired from 1993 to 1994 to promote the British Mighty Max toys, an offshoot of the Polly Pocket line, created by Bluebird Toys in 1992. It ran for two seasons, with a total of 40 episodes airing during the show's run. It starred the voice talents of Rob Paulsen as Max, Richard Moll as Norman, Tony Jay as Virgil, and Tim Curry as Skullmaster.

Contents

Television series

Story

The series follows Max, an adventurous preteen boy who receives a package in the mail. The package contains a small statue of a fowl, inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs. The translation reveals a message which reads: "You have been chosen to be the cap-bearer. Go to the mini-mart and wait for a sign, Mighty Max." Shocked by the message, Max drops the statue, shattering it and revealing a red baseball cap emblazoned with a yellow "M" which he puts on.

Upon arriving at the mini-mart, he is chased by a lava-monster sent by Skullmaster, a megalomaniacal demon who lives within the earth and has the power to create evil minions. As Max races away, the cap activates a vortex which transports him instantly from his current location (which is assumed to be somewhere in the United States), to the Mongolian desert, where Max is met by Virgil, a nearly-omniscient Lemurian, whose appearance is that of an anthropomorphic "fowl" (a running gag in the series is that Max refers to Virgil as a "chicken" to which the Lemurian replies "Fowl, actually."). Virgil explains that Max's reception of the cap was prophesized circa 3,000 BC. Max, Virgil, and Norman, his Viking bodyguard (he is three times larger than Max), travel together around the world, defending Earth against the minions of Skullmaster, who is responsible for the downfall of both the Lemurians and the people of Atlantis. Norman is supposedly immortal and has improvised being various legends, including Sir Lancelot, Thor, Samson, and Hercules, as first talked about in episode 5, "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie." Norman finds Thor's hammer and helm and uses them throughout the episode. When Max first sees him he asks, "You were Thor!?" and Virgil explains that to maintain the Cosmic Balance they had to call in outside help.

Most plot-driving episodes involve Skullmaster or one of his demons, but in many episodes, Max is required to intervene to stop an independent villain. While all episodes involve travel across Earth, one involves time travel, and the portal can even extend into the astral plane as seen in the episode "Souls of Talon".

While generally lighthearted and comical, the show's violence and descriptions of violent acts were considered graphic by some viewers. Many episodes began with a prologue of a person being killed by the episode's menace, while nothing graphic is shown it was more grown up than most shows aimed at children.

The show's dark series finale featured Max, Norman, and Virgil pitted against Skullmaster and their previously defeated foes. Both Norman and Virgil are killed, leaving Max as the only one to defeat Skullmaster, who is about to gain ultimate power. In the final struggle, Max is unable to defeat Skullmaster, and instead of allowing him to conquer the world uses the cap to send time backwards to the events of the first episode, creating a time paradox. At first, he doesn't remember anything and experiences dejà vu, but after he reads Virgil's modified letter, he recalls everything.

Some fans have criticized the final episode's conclusion for "looping" the end of the series to the beginning. This was most likely the only way the creators could have been allowed to give the series anything resembling a conclusion, however, as cartoon producers of the time were very insistent on the "return to normalcy" storytelling format. Regardless, fans of the show to this day are vocal in their requests for the entire series to be released on DVD[citation needed].

Characters

Max (voiced by Rob Paulsen) — The hero of the series, Max is a rambunctious teenager who is very good at getting out of (and into) trouble. One day, he receives a mysterious package containing a videotape and a red baseball cap with a large, yellow "M" on it. The cap is actually an ancient key to various portals found throughout time and space, and as he soon finds out, Max has been chosen as its bearer and protector. Upon donning the cap, he becomes the Capbearer - the Mighty One. Max soon meets his Lemurian mentor Virgil, a 4-foot-tall creature resembling a chicken, and Norman, a ten-thousand year old Norse warrior who would serve as Max's bodyguard. Lastly, Max meets his arch-enemy Skullmaster, the evil warlord who killed the entire Lemurian race in search of the key. Now Max must protect the key and the portals from Skullmaster, as well as maintain balance in the world. This often means foiling alien plots, defeating evil in all forms, and generally having fun doing it. Max makes clear his reluctance to be the Mighty One, which only seems to get him into trouble and even greater danger. He would rather get on with being a normal everyday kid and play with his friends, but Virgil and the cap leave him with little choice.

Virgil (voiced by Tony Jay) — The last living Lemurian, the next step in human evolution, as revealed in one episode. The Lemurians either created or discovered the portals, and later created the key in order to access them. Having a bird-like appearance, the Lemurians valued knowledge above all else and compiled the most extensive library the world has ever known. They were destroyed by Skullmaster in his quest for the key. Virgil is over ten thousand years old, and is very knowledgeable about both the past and future. However, the majority of his trust rests on his ancient texts, and he seems to lack compulsion. Virgil is always serious, and quite often frustrated by Max's carefree ways. What's more, although he looks like a talking chicken and is often referred to as such, he keeps insisting that he is actually a fowl. It should also be noted that Virgil was Skullmaster's teacher, and he is often reminded of this fact.

Norman (voiced by Richard Moll) — Max's bodyguard. In the time of the early Vikings, a young Norman watched his father die at the hands of Spike, a deranged and bloodthirsty warrior. Because of his size at the time, Norman couldn't help when he had the chance (he was unable to lift his father's war-axe), and thus blamed himself for the tragedy; at his father's grave, he vowed to become the greatest warrior that ever lived (cf. "Norman's Conquest"). After a lifetime of battle, Norman was approached by Virgil to become the guardian. He earned his immortality by defeating the Conqueror, an undefeated champion, and swore to defend the Mighty One with his life if necessary (cf. "Dawn of the Conqueror"). As the Mighty One's bodyguard, Norman is usually serious but unlike Virgil, he seems to enjoy Max's carefree ways. Norman's exploits through the ages were the basis of numerous legends, including Thor, Hercules, Samson, and Little John, presumably among others. Norman is shown throughout the series to be practically impervious to fear, though he is not above disgust. The only creatures which give him pause for terror are spiders. In the show he meets several of tremendous size and strength. It is in hinted in the final episode he may have finally met his match in combat and died at the eight hands of an enormous spider. His common catch phrase is, "I eat ____ for breakfast", usually following the introduction or emergence of the group's latest foe, such as, "I eat zombies for breakfast." Another is the wry statement made upon meeting one of the many monsters they encounter, "That is a big ____."

Skullmaster (voiced by Tim Curry) — The primary villain of the series and the arch-nemesis of the Mighty One, Skullmaster is an ancient warrior-sorcerer whose lust for power has driven him to destroy at least two civilizations, the Lemurians and the Atlanteans. He destroyed the Lemurians out of wrath when they would not give him the secrets of the key, and he used the souls of Atlantis to power his Crystal of Souls. At some point, Skullmaster was imprisoned deep within the earth, where he sealed the reigning king, Lava Lord, into solid rock and took control of his minions. During the second season, Skullmaster is free to roam the earth and proceeds to cause all kinds of trouble.

Warmonger (voiced by Frank Welker) — Skullmaster's right-hand man, so to speak. The dimwitted Warmonger usually finds himself doing Skullmaster's dirty work, but also enjoys the positions of relative power this gives him over other minions. Cruel and sadistic, he briefly showed ambition when he tried to kill Skullmaster in the episode "I, Warmonger". Believing himself successful, Warmonger then found himself at a loss as to what to do with his newfound power and position. The death of Skullmaster proved to be a ruse, however, and Skullmaster was proud of his pupil for showing such deviousness.

Max's Mother (voiced by Tress MacNeille) — An archaeologist who works for the local museum. She often travels all over the world, and usually leaves Max to his own devices. She tries to be a good mom, though, and tends to worry about Max since finding out that he is the Mighty One. More than once Max has had to rescue her, as her love for archaeology sometimes overrides her better judgment. Despite her initial shock at seeing a talking chicken (fowl actually), she and Virgil often have historical discussions, and she is one of the few people who can out-talk the Lemurian.

Bea (voiced by Kath Soucie) — One of Max's two best friends, Bea is an intelligent young girl who has assisted Max (and saved him) on more than one occasion. Level-headed and cool under pressure, she often balances Max's exuberance and impulsiveness with a more intellectual approach to problems. Bea has also expressed more than a passing romantic interest in the Mighty One (cf. "Snakes & Laddies"), which has yet to be reciprocated.

Felix (voiced by Corey Burton) — Max's other best friend, Felix usually cares more about eating and having fun than saving the world. He takes Max's role as the Mighty One in stride, never letting it overshadow the fact that Max was his friend before he was the Capbearer. Felix has assisted Max on numerous occasions, but usually gets left behind when the adventure starts. He is always been dependable, though, and Max knows he can rely on Felix for help whenever he needs it.

Thor — Max's pet iguana and loyal companion, Thor has helped out Max on a couple of occasions. During Max's first encounter with Dr. Zygote, Thor was "de-evolved" into a dinosaur and ended up rescuing Max from Zygote's Tyrannosaurus rex-like "Mutosaurus" (cf. "Zygote's Rhythm"). After the good doctor's exit, Max evolved Thor back into his usual, pocket-sized self.

Lava Lord (voiced by Frank Welker) — The previous ruler of underworld, Lava Lord was dethroned and sealed in solid rock by the more powerful Skullmaster. At the beginning of season 2, Lava Lord was freed as a side effect of Skullmaster's crystal of souls being destroyed at the end of season one. His revival switched the alligence of the lava beasts to him as he is their natural master. He planned to destroy Skullmaster with a giant robot called Magus which he was very proud of and treated like a son. Though he is technically evil and has no love for humans, his hatred for Skullmaster has caused him to align with Max on more than one occasion.

Full list of episodes

in airing order

Season 1

# Title Director(s) Writer(s) Original Airdate(s) Code
01 "A Bellwether in One's Cap"  Mark Zaslove & Rob Hudnut September 1, 1993

Max receives a package in the mail containing a small statue inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs that read: "You have been chosen to be the cap-bearer. Go to the mini-mart and wait for a sign, Mighty Max." Shocked by the message, Max drops the statue, shattering it and revealing a red baseball cap emblazoned with a yellow 'M'.

Upon arriving at the minimart, Max is chased by a lava-monster sent Skullmaster. As Max flees, the cap activates a vortex which transports him instantly from his current location to the Mongolian desert. Max is met by Virgil and Norman where he learns that his destiny had been foretold in a prophecy, circa 3,000 BC. 
02 "The Brain Suckers Cometh!"  Mark Zaslove September 8, 1993
Max's afternoon plans are interrupted when Virgil explains that he must again save the world. This time he is whisked away to protect the Earth from an invasion of brain-devouring aliens. Unfortunately, neither Max nor Virgil's skills include complex computer codes. A very reluctant Max must turn to the school's most annoying computer nerd, Ernie, in order to break the alien codes and save the planet. 
03 "Day of the Cyclops"  Mark Zaslove & Randy Rogei September 15, 1993
Max and his mom travel to Turkey, where they are met by Virgil and Norman. Max's mom doesn't seem very surprised to see a walking, talking bird creature but refuses to believe that her son is some sort of super hero. Max and Norman are arrested when Max is accused of stealing his cap from a vendor's stand. The seller has them both thrown into the (Geneva convention breaking) local prison at gunpoint at which Max finally convinces Norman to stop beating up the police. Meanwhile Virgil and Max's mom must work together to recover the cap after the vendor sold it. In the prison, Max and Norman are accosted by a large hulking creature who apparently wants to feed them to a Cyclops living in the caverns beneath the prison. As usual, adventures ensue and the day is saved. 
04 "Snakes and Laddies"  Mark Zaslove & Candy Beagle September 22, 1993
Max's attempts to attract the attention of Jiffie, a girl in his class, are interrupted by a short stint in Egypt with Bea. There Max finds and snatches an amulet, presenting it to Jiffie and winning her affection. Unfortunately, the amulet belongs to a cult of snake-creatures and they arrive to reclaim it. They then kidnap Jiffie, planning to sacrifice the new bearer of the amulet so that their leader can continue his immortal existence. Max and Bea must then rescue the clueless Jiffie while avoiding the clutches of the snake cult. 
05 "The Mother of All Adventures"  Mark Zaslove & Mike Fry October 6, 1993
Max's mom brings a figurine back from Haiti that turns out to be filled with zombie parasites. 
06 "Let Sleeping Dragons Lie!"  Mark Zaslove, Ken Pontac & David Bleiman October 13, 1993
Posing as the god Loki, Skullmaster convinces a nordic sorcerer called Ravendark to awaken the Doom Dragon from its enchanted sleep. Max and company do battle with the Dragon, during which Norman reveals that he was recognized as Thor in ancient times. 
07 "Norman's Conquest"  Mark Zaslove & Libby Hinson October 20, 1993

Norman struggles with his fear of facing Spike, an old adversary of his family who murdered his father. Spike vowed ten thousand years ago to finish off Norman as well, and he intends to keep that promise.

This episode features Brad Garrett as the voice of Spike. 
08 "Rumble in the Jungle"  Mark Zaslove & Jack Zuria October 27, 1993
While on an expedition in the Congo, Max's mom uncovers and is captured by a lost civilization of talking gorillas who enslave human beings. 
09 "Bring Me the Head of Mighty Max"  Mark Zaslove & Rob Hudnut November 3, 1993
Skull Master uses the crystal of souls to awaken the former inhabitants of the Lost City of Atlantis to retrieve the cosmic cap from Max along with his head. When the zombies arrive Norman and Max decide to stand their ground, but Virgil urges them that fighting is pointless and dangerous because the zombies are soulless and cannot be killed. His warnings are ignored, so Virgil escapes with the cap intending to destroy it to save both Max and Norman. Max and Norman remember that the cap is indestructible, but Virgil is willing to go so far as sacrificing himself for his friends. Save Virgil from his own good intentions while stopping the zombie threat? 
10 "Less Than 20,000 Squid Heads Under the Sea"  Mark Zaslove November 10, 1993
Max, Virgil, Norman, and a rich Texan travel underwater in submarine to battle a giant octopus that is responsible for capturing and destroying ships. While underwater, the group encounters a squid civilization. 
11 "Werewolves of Dunneglen"  Mark Zaslove & John Cawley November 17, 1993
Max, Virgil, and Norman travel to Scotland where there are reported sightings of werewolves. While there, Norman and Virgil are imprisoned as suspects and Max meets a man named Cameron who turns out to be a werewolf. Max and Cameron investigate and learn that a scientist named Professor MacDougal is stealing the blood of natural werewolves in an effort to turn herself into an even more powerful werewolf and steal their immortality in the process. Max and Cameron defeat Professor MacDougal with the help of the other werewolves and Cameron takes his pack into the forest to live in peace. 
12 "Out in the Cold"  Mark Zaslove & Steve Sustarsic December 1, 1993
Space aliens take over a science station in the arctic and assume the identities of its researchers. The aliens can only survive in freezing cold temperatures and plan to make the earth their new home by altering the entire planet's climate by creating a new ice age. It is up to Max, Norman, and Virgil to stop them but matters are complicated when they learn that the aliens can disguise themselves as ordinary humans. 
13 "The Maxnificent Seven"  Ken Pontac & Mark Zaslove December 8, 1993

Max has been having nightmares about Skullmaster's zombie legions tracking him down, so Virgil suggests that they gather a band of heroes and enter Skull Mountain to destroy the Crystal of Souls.

Max then travels to the four corners of the earth gathering heroes (Hanuman, the monkey King, Beowulf, who slew the monstrous Grendel with his bare hands, Jonayaiyin, a Native American shaman, and Modjadji, an African warrior queen). This "maxnificent seven" enters Skull Mountain and battles an army of Skullmaster's monsters. From each of the heroes Max learns a lesson in bravery, then enters Skullmaster's inner sanctum alone and finds the courage to destroy the crystal. The heroes make a last stand to enable Max, Norman and Virgil to escape. 

Season 2

# Title Director(s) Writer(s) Original Airdate(s) Code
14 "Pandora's Box part 1 of 2"  September 5, 1994
With Skullmaster's Crystal of Souls broken the former ruler of the Earth's core, Lava Lord, is released from his prison. He plans to retake his kingdom from Skullmaster with a giant robot called Magus. Meanwhile, Max is getting tired of never being able to have fun because of his duties as the Mighty One. Virgil agrees that he can give up saving the world if he goes on one last quest to strike at Skullmaster while he's weakened. Once in the underworld, Virgil is captured by Skullmaster's minions. Because of a prophecy that they're destined to die together, he attempts to forge an alliance with the fowl. 
15 "Pandora's Box part 2 of 2"  September 7, 1994
Lava Lord meets Skullmaster's forces with Magus, but thanks to Virgil's tactical advice Lava Lord is knocked out of his robot, which allows Max and Norman to hijack it. They head to Skull Mountain to get to the bottom of Virgil's betrayal. Although suspicious of Virgil at first, Max realizes that his partnership with Skullmaster was a complex ploy to let Max get his hands on Magus. However, Skullmaster uses Virgil as a shield, and Max refuses to kill Skullmaster at the cost of Virgil's life. Instead, he allows Skullmaster and Warmonger to escape to the earth's surface with them. 
16 "Blood of the Dragon"  September 9, 1994
After being released from his inner earth prison, Skull Master travels to an island where he preys on and deceives some of the native inhabitants into drinking dragon's blood. This transforms them into reptilian creatures that become mindless slaves obedient to his commands. Max, Virgil, and Norman head to the island to stop him and encounter a young native who is stuck in mid transformation because he didn't fully drink the dragon's blood. Together they attempt to rescue the rest of the natives who haven't drank the blood of the dragon. 
17 "The Missing Linked"  September 12, 1994
The citizens of the town of Schlepak are disappearing. Max, Virgil, and Norman investigate when a young girl informs them that a monstrous creature has captured her brother. They discover that a mad scientist who, having been ignored by the townspeople for his entire life, has created a pair of slime creatures called Corpus which devour metal and human beings. After Norman is consumed, Max and Virgil set out to defeat the scientist and rescue the townspeople. As a running joke through the episode, the name of the scientist is never revealed; Every time he attempts to disclose it, something interrupts him. 
18 "The Year of the Rat"  September 14, 1994
The ancient Emperor of Rats, Low Shu, has been freed from his spiritual prison, possessing the body of Ki Wan, the historian who freed him. Max must now find a way to stop the evil creature's plan of a rat-dominated world. The complex puzzles of Low Shu's temple may present a challenge to even the mathematically precise Virgil. 
19 "The Cyberskull Virus"  September 16, 1994
Max plays a videogame called Dementoids, and is called to investigate a sighting of a giant digital monster like one from the game. They find that a villain called Cyberskull is responsible, and he's created a virus that can turn the real world into a digital horror zone. Max pits his skill at the Dementoids game to use against Cyberskull, and ultimately manages to destroy the virus, returning the world to normal and trapping the Cyberskull in cyberspace. 
20 "Zygote's Rhythm"  September 19, 1994
 
21 "Along Came Arachnoid"  September 21, 1994
 
22 "The Axeman Commeth"  September 23, 1994
 
23 "Beetlemania"  September 26, 1994
 
24 "Souls of Talon"  September 28, 1994
 
25 "Tar Wars"  September 30, 1994
 
26 "Clown Without Pity"  October 3, 1994
 
27 "Max VS Max"  October 5, 1994
 
28 "Cyberskull II the Next Level"  October 10, 1994
 
29 "Fuath and Beggora"  October 12, 1994
 
30 "Dawn of the conqueror"  October 17, 1994
 
31 "Scorpio Rising"  October 19, 1994
 
32 "Zygote Music"  October 24, 1994
 
33 "Good Golly Ms. Kau"  October 26, 1994
 
34 "Around the World in Eighty Arms"  October 31, 1994
 
35 "Fly By Night"  November 7, 1994
 
36 "The Mommy's Hand"  November 14, 1994
 
37 "I, Warmonger"  November 16, 1994
 
38 "Sirius Trouble"  November 21, 1994
 
39 "Armageddon Closer"  November 23, 1994
 
40 "Armageddon Outta Here"  November 25, 1994
 

The Movie

A patent was taken by Film Roman for a Mighty Max animated film in 1995, but such a film was never created.

DVD, VHS, and P2P

The show has not yet been released on DVD, although select episodes of the show were released on VHS in NTSC format. Since the early days of eBay, VHS copies of the entire series (recorded from television) have sold for considerable amounts. Currently only bootleg DVD sets circulate the Internet or on P2P networks.

Educational epilogue

In all episodes, there is a short ending scene which preludes the credits. Max is shown at his desk in his room, where he discusses with the audience some aspect of the episode in an educational way (similar to other children's cartoon series, including The Magic School Bus), usually the location where the events took place, etc.

Occasionally, Max is shown in another setting such as a library or museum, or is simply heard recorded on an answering machine (such as "Armageddon Outta Here", the series finale). However, these sequences were not broadcast in some regions, such as Britain.

Generally, the educational messages at the end of each shows were not the "remember to brush your teeth" type used in some action cartoons of the same time. Instead, the message was generally of scientific, historical, or cultural significance (for example, the mythology of another culture, new astronomical theories of that time, or the fact that Native Americans were first believed to be Indians by European explorers).

Merchandise

Main article: Mighty Max (toyline)

The merchandising was far more popular than the show itself. Mighty Max toys were sold as playsets of varying sizes with very small (usually non-articulated) figurines inside. Each playset contained a Mighty Max figure as well as one or more villains and sometimes Virgil, Norman, or both. There were a small series of larger, more expensive playsets with various mechanical and electronic features such as opening jaws (on an island playset shaped as a dragon's head) and lights. Almost all episodes of the TV series were based at least loosely on one of the Mighty Max playsets.

In 1995, due to the popularity of the playsets at the time, the McDonald's Happy Meal offered a toy playset featuring Mighty Max. Also, Mighty Max was turned into a video game for the SNES and Sega Genesis(which were packaged with a VHS copy of Day of the Cyclops and Let Sleeping Dragons Lie, respectively), and a handheld game for Tiger Electronics and Systema. The show generated other merchandise such as a comic book (10 issues), a sticker album, a board game, and several video games. In some countries, replicas of Max's cap were sold, although not all are necessarily officially licensed merchandise.

External links

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