There, he's a self-help guru for villains, albeit an incredibly sexist one. His biggest recent push has been on the Harley Quinnseries, where his arguably laughable nature is right at home. There, he was a pawn and later sacrifice in an attempt by Deimos, Phobos, and Eris to usher in their father Ares' rule on Earth.Įven the New 52 didn't breathe much new life into Maxie Zeus, with his one major appearance making him the unwitting host of Deacon Blackfire. His biggest point of prominence was during the 'Gods of Gotham' storyline of Phil Jimenez's Wonder Woman run. He briefly formed his own team of supervillains called the New Olympians, but they were soon defeated by Batman and the Outsiders. The guards at Arkham Asylum generally make light of him themselves, seeing him as far less of a threat when compared to hoods such as The Joker. Unfortunately, this doesn't have any staying power, with the villain quickly becoming something of a joke among Batman villains. For some reason, this makes him want to become a crime lord, using his great intellect to build a small empire.
This leads him to begin believing that he is the reincarnated avatar of the Greek god Zeus. As originally envisioned, Maximilian Zeus was a Greek history professor who, upon his wife's death, has a mental breakdown. Maxie Zeus first appeared in Detective Comics #483, and was created by longtime Batman scribe Denny O'Neil and artist Don Newton.
