Maximus is one of the core characters in the Fallout show, and his introduction in the story might leave you thinking that he’s a monster.
Maximus’s story begins in the very first episode, where we learn that he’s mistreated by the other Brotherhood of Steel Initiates. Maximus endures their beatings while dreaming of finally having an opportunity to become a Knight himself. When Maximus does get sent out as a Squire, he watches as Knight Titus slowly bleeds out from injuries before taking Titus’s armor for himself.
That’s already a pretty dark introduction, but Maximus wouldn’t have even gone on that mission if his friend Dane hadn’t been injured. Dane gets promoted to Squire instead of Maximus, and we get to see Maximus having a fit of rage after being passed over. The next morning Dane goes to put on their boots and hidden razor blades slice their Achilles tendon to bits. For most of the first season, we’re left with the impression that Maximus cut up his own friend just to chase his ambition, but then the season finale forces us to reframe our suspicions.
Whodunnit
In the last episode of season one, Maximus is facing execution from the Brotherhood. Elder Cleric Quintus suspects that Maximus let Knight Titus die, and he also believes that Maximus is the one who injured Dane. He gives the order for Maximus to be shot, but at the last minute, Dane intervenes and admits that they put the razor blades in their own boots.
Later, Dane and Maximus get just a second to talk, and there’s a line that I definitely missed on my first watch where Dane explains to Maximus that they are afraid of leaving camp and exploring the wasteland. If they would have admitted his fear, the Brotherhood would have killed them, so instead Dane decided to cut their own foot to escape the mission.
Maximus definitely has a dark side, but he isn’t a full-blown psychopath. He’s a troubled kid, and considering he grew up seeing the wasteland at its worst, it’s hard to blame him for that. Maximus has a capacity for violence, but Dane’s big reveal proves that Maximus is genuinely loyal to the people he cares about. Whether or not the Brotherhood as a whole is included in that group is something season two is bound to explore.
