Originally released as a line of action figures marketed from 1999 to 2022, the Max Steel name has expanded to live-action movies, animated series, and video games.
Joe toys, consisting almost entirely of different versions of Max Steel, the main character, and one or two of his enemies, a couple of vehicles and two or three special packages.
[4] In 1998, Netter Digital was commissioned by Mattel to create and develop a secret agent themed TV series partially based on James Bond's adventures, but aimed to young kids.
Most early Max Steel toys had a notorious military, adventure or sport clothes not related to the series in any way, but surprisingly quite similar to the 70's Mattel's action figure Big Jim.
Following the same formula as Beast Wars, once Mainframe took control of the production, every new toy makes an appearance in the series or the movies, so they finally made a match.
Since the toy line was intended solely for male kids, despite the constant presence of empowered women in the series as main or supporting characters, no female figures were ever produced.
The comic was written by Richard Bruning based on the sourcebook by Andy Hartnell, and penciled by Scott Benefiel with Tom McWeeney and Tommy Yune.
The comic consists mostly of two different briefing presentations which are supposed to happen at the same time in DREAD and N-Tek headquarters respectively, in which each CEO explains Max's abilities, powers and capacities from their opposite points of view.
The comic also insinuates the possibility that Psycho is Max's biological father, and they may have a relationship similar as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader from Star Wars.
Edited by former Naruto manga editor, Joel Enos, the first graphic novel was written by The Stuff of Legend co-creator Brian Smith and illustrated by Jan Wijngaard.
The next two books in the series, Hero Overload and Haywire were released in 2014 and featured stories by writers B. Clay Moore and Tom Pinchuk, as well as more artwork from Wijngaard and Voltron Force artist, Alfa Robbi.
The third season also took a different approach: N-Tek's counter-terrorism section is shut down due to the events present in "Breakout," the 2nd-season finale, so the main characters become extreme sports stars.
Maxwell (who is a Tachyon-Human Hybrid) has the ability to generate Tachyon Unlimited Radiant Bio-Optimized, or TURBO energy, however, he cannot contain it, as it causes him to become unstable.
The movie was immediately available as a bonus gift with the purchase of different products, but only at very specific locations, since at the same time, Dark Rival and Forces of Nature were relaunched, as part of the countdown to Max Steel's Tenth Anniversary Celebration.
Among the most advanced animation technology, music and effects, he participates in the Far Challenge the Americas, one sporting event that brings together top extreme athletes of the continent and tests on location in Argentina and Brazil.
Bioconstrictor and Psycho, his two worst enemies have joined forces to defeat him in an adventure that takes them to Peru and Ecuador, to the ruins of the Inca civilization.
The chase is on when Team Steel realize Troy's goal is to obtain a piece of a comet named Morphosos using the stolen N-Tek technology and deliver it into Warren Hunter's hands.
The chemical reaction between the extreme heat and the comet's components transforms Troy into a sharp dark mineral crystal like creature, with the power to "extract" other living being's life force and abilities.
Rendel has constructed an android named Cytro, whose prime directive is to help him in his plans to take control of the contaminated jungle and destroy Max in the process.
Despite the fact that he is currently in "evil mode", Cytro makes one last supreme effort to stop him and reverts the effect of the crystals, causing an explosion that reduces both to smithereens.
After fighting several "toxoids" (little mutant creatures born from chemical waste) and directly disobeying Ferrours's orders, Max gets into the prison level, thinking he can save the injured agent, just to discover it's just a scheme to free him.
The agent is then revealed as Titus Octavius Xander, aka Toxion, a mutant who consumes and manipulates toxic substances, sealed in a Nanotech armor similar to Max's Nano-Suit, but more primitive and bulky.
With his vast knowledge of N-Tek fighting techniques and hazardous powers, Toxzon defeats Max and Cytro and escapes, trying to locate and destroy N-Tek headquarters to contaminate the world in retaliation for what he considers a long time in prison and suffering, refusing to accept his incarceration was a desperate effort to save his life since his mutated body is not capable of surviving in a clean environment without the help of his containment armor.
Somehow, the comet radiation has purified the Morphosos crystals within him, curing him of his Extroyer state and reverting him to a normal human being, but still retaining his power to extract the life force of others.
The trio lands in a major US city, where Toxzon convinces Elementor to transform into a giant Air mass, powers him up with a new isotope stolen by Extroyer, and then contaminates him to produce a sizeable poisonous cloud that will spread all over the world, erasing all life on the planet.
A news reporter named Mike Nickelson who suffered a mutation due to a radioactive contamination caused during a battle between Max Steel and the Toxic Legion comes back with a vengeance.
Blaming N-Tek for his current condition, Nickelson, who now calls himself Makino, tries to capitalize on the fame and notoriety Max has gained as a people's hero to turn public opinion against him.
Cytro leaves Max to fight alone, but teams up with Berto to disrupt the computer's systems and connect the stadium's camera's to the internet and TV satellites around the world so that everybody can learn the truth behind Makino's plot.
[20] Contrary to most heroes with secret identities, Josh's wasn't an issue except with his personal relations, mostly with his girlfriend and fans from the Extreme Sports Circuit.
The 2008 movie Bio Crisis recreates the very same scene when Psycho infects Max with the N-Tek's nanoprobes, followed with a brief explanation of the process used to save his life.