Created by Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opeña, he is a prominent member of the Black Order, a team of aliens who work for Thanos.

[2] When Thanos targeted Earth as the next planet he would raze during the Infinity storyline, Ebony Maw was dispatched to deal with Doctor Strange.

[8] During the "No Surrender" arc, Ebony Maw appears as a member of Challenger's Black Order and battles the Grandmaster's Lethal Legion.

"[10] Maw's skills at manipulation are a result of his superhumanly persuasive voice, which allows him to control even the strongest minds such as Doctor Strange.

[14][15] Ebony Maw appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, voiced and motion-captured by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.