Editing Liege Maximo

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[[File:Liegemaximo.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Here I go again on my throne.]]
Evil is infinite, a natural counterforce to good in the universe that cannot be truly defeated. When the [[Prima|first Prime]] was created, so was, necessarily, the '''Liege Maximo''', the robot who now considers himself his opposite, the ultimate evil. A member of the [[Thirteen]], he was once a [[multiversal singularity]] who existed as one being throughout all of time and space, but that is [[Shroud|no longer the case]].

==Fiction==
===Marvel ''Generation 2'' continuity===
====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
From the Liege Maximo were [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and the [[Decepticon]]s descended. The Liege Maximo's throne sat at the [[Hub (G2)|Hub]], a network of planetoids created by the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]] that existed in the outer fringes of known space.

With the [[Liege Centuro]] [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] destroyed, Jhiaxus's fleet wiped out by [[Swarm (G2)|The Swarm]], and the [[Autobot]]s and Decepticons united in peace under one banner, [[Rook (G2)|Rook]] reported to the Liege Maximo on the day's devastating events. The Liege Maximo, an ancient and monumental titan, accepted the destruction of Jhiaxus's forces as merely a minor disruption. Sneering at the Transformers' alliance as a fragile thing, the Liege Maximo promised a day of reckoning. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!|A Rage in Heaven!}}

====Alignment====
{{note|"Alignment" was written by [[Simon Furman]] without permission of [[Hasbro]] and is included here as [[pseudocanon]] to provide insight into [[authorial intent]].}}
Liege Maximo was one of the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Transformers]] created by [[Primus]]. Unlike his fellows, he had chosen not to [[Reproduction|subdivide]] repeatedly, doing so only selectively. This created a small taint in the Transformer race which spread through subsequent generations, ultimately flowering with the rise of the Decepticons. Because of this sparse sub-division, the Liege Maximo's connection to the divine origins of the Transformer race was comparatively undiluted, and he sought to embrace it. To this end, he instructed Jhiaxus and the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]] to subject various planets to [[eco-structuring]]. These planets were steadily woven together to form the Hub, a massive, resonating structure that would allow him to ascend to the realm of the gods. Two Transformer groups, one led by [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and one by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], disrupted this process by forcing the Liege to leave his corporeal body, then destroying both it and his portal. Left with nowhere to go, the Liege Maximo's essence dissipated, and he was destroyed. {{storylink|Alignment}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Primax 490.0 Gamma]], the Maximo actually became a heroic figure: Unicron devouring Cybertron had caused Primus's essence to be scattered among the surviving Transformers, most of whom were now the Cybertronian Empire. The Liege Maximo would lead this reformed army and the survivors of Cybertron against Unicron, finally battling the Chaos Bringer himself on the astral plane. He saved this reality at the cost of his own spark. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/24}}

In [[Primax 994.0 Gamma]], the Liege Maximo's plot for ascension was foiled by the Autobots, prompting Liege Centuro [[Firecrest]] to move the remnants of the Cybertronian Empire to [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/05}}

===3H comics===
The [[Covenant]] witnessed a vision of the ancient past, in which the Liege Maximo tore the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from the defeated [[Primon]]. When and why this happened remain unanswered questions. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Covenant}}

===''TransTech''===
The city of [[Axiom Nexus]] in the peaceful universe of [[Nexus 208.0 Epsilon]] was able to achieve unimaginable feats in technology and scientific discovery, but these were secretly possible by the amoral experiments of [[Shockwave (TransTech)|Shockwave]] and his master [[Jhiaxus (TransTech)|Jhiaxus]] under a secret government partnership with the Liege Maximo.<ref>[[Shockwave (TransTech)|Shockwave]]'s profile in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22|''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' #22]].</ref> An archivist named [[Optimus Prime (TransTech)|Optimus]] and the military professional [[Megatron (TransTech)|Megatron]] exposed [[Sentinel Prime (TransTech)|Sentinel Prime]]'s ties with the Liege Maximo. After a dramatic, violent battle with the Liege Maximo,<ref>[[Megatron (TransTech)|Megatron]]'s profile in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 24|''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' #24]].</ref> much of the government was caught in this controversy, and as a result, few were left standing when the legal proceedings ended. Optimus became the new [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], and Cybertron entered a new [[Golden Age]], but it was not a complete fresh start, as Megatron convinced the [[High Senate]] to allow Shockwave to continue performing experiments under his guidance, and [[Starscream (TransTech)|Starscream]] miraculously emerged unscathed from the incident despite his heavy involvement.<ref>[[Starscream (TransTech)|Starscream]]'s profile in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 23|''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' #23]].</ref> The TransTechs thereafter considered this incident to be the closest that their Cybertron had ever come to a [[Great War (disambiguation)|Great War]] as most other universal streams had. {{storylink|Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist|Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/06}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
[[File:TFPLiegeMaximo.jpg|right|thumb|"[[Hulk|Puny God]]".]]
Liege Maximo was one of the [[Thirteen]] created by [[Primus]] to fight against [[Unicron]], and is a master manipulator whose artifact is the [[Liegian Darts]]. Maximo is one of the strategists of the Thirteen, alongside [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]], [[Quintus Prime|Quintus]], and [[Micronus Prime|Micronus]].

After the defeat of Unicron, Maximo focused on the mining, storage and refining of [[energon]], but grew resentful of [[Prima]] and his allies' interference. Regardless, Maximo acted as an emissary for the different factions within the Thirteen, making use of his natural beguiling charm.

Maximo was ultimately the one who led to the group fracturing, by revealing to the rest that Prima had plotted which of the Primes were the most like Unicron. It was also around this time that it was revealed that Maximo had been experimenting with creating new robotic beasts when he requested a powerful armor suit to deal with them. Prima ordered Maximo to shut down his "[[Farm]]", and it was further revealed by Alpha Trion that Maximo had been pitting the beasts against each other.

Whether Maximo had the right to experiment with the beasts was a source of conflict between the Thirteen and was later resolved by a vote which decided that he did not have the right to do so. However, Maximo convinced [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] to try and retrieve the armor from [[Solus Prime|Solus]]—an action that inadvertently led to Solus's demise and the creation of the [[Well of All Sparks]]. 

Maximo was revealed have placed a monitoring device on a "pet" that he had given to Solus. When the creature tried to attack Megatronus, he reacted by blasting it—leading to Solus attacking him. 

Upon being confronted at the "Farm", Maximo tried to accuse Megatronus of being the true mastermind behind the war beasts by claiming it was all part of Megatronus's need to test himself against them. When Megatronus realized that Maximo had been manipulating and using the Thirteen the whole time, and was trying to blame him, a conflict broke out that led to the Primes being set upon by three massive war beasts.

Once the conflict was over, Maximo was found torn to pieces with his head destroyed by the [[Requiem Blaster (Prime)|Requiem Blaster]], though no one was sure who had actually fired the fatal shot. Maximo was buried in a tomb from where his arm would eventually be taken by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to allow him to use the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

====Aligned novels====
[[The Fallen|Megatronus]] and the Liege Maximo disliked [[Nexus Prime]] due to his favor in the eyes of [[Solus Prime]]. After the betrayal of the Fallen and defeat of Unicron the Liege Maximo plotted against his brothers and made his own play for power. He was defeated and fled to a far galaxy. His premeditated betrayal broke the spirit of [[Vector Prime]]. In the end, he was pursued to that far galaxy by [[Alchemist Prime]]. Though he had no firm information, [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] believed Alchemist had succeeded in imprisoning the Liege. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

Like the other members of the [[Thirteen]], Liege Maximo was considered a myth. [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] proclaimed Transformers were free to do as they pleased, without pondering what the long-gone Liege Maximo or his [[The Fallen|treacherous brother]] would think. The [[Hub (G2)|Hub]] once became a part of the [[space bridge]] network during the Golden Age. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:OneShallRise1-WellofAllSparks.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Everyone is amazed at the shiny bottomless pit.]]
According to legend, at the beginning of time, [[Unicron]] and [[Primus]] battled each other for eons, with neither side remaining victorious for long. Till, that is, Primus created the [[Thirteen]]. These Thirteen defeated Unicron and cast him into space. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

Liege Maximo eventually died and was placed in a [[Liege Maximo's tomb|tomb]]. The tomb was later visited by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] and [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]], who took Maximo's arm so that Megatron could use the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}}

====''Robots in Disguise'' books====
{{quote|Liege Maximo is not necessarily evil, but his petty jealousy and boredom motivate him to be a tricky troublemaker.|''[[The Trials of Optimus Prime]]''}}

After the [[AllSpark]] had been returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Liege Maximo persisted within the [[Realm of the Primes]] with several of the other [[Thirteen]]. Possessing a cape, horns, sharp darts holstered at his waist, and a cackling voice, he saw the training of [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] to ready him for battle against [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] as an opportunity to cause mischief. He began by increasing the deadliness of the holographic Decepticons that [[Micronus Prime|Micronus]] had created, giving them dangerous buzzsaws. Next, he projected an image of Optimus Prime on [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]'s computer on Earth, laughingly teasing that the Autobots would soon be attacked by him. Later, Liege Maximo's image of Optimus Prime appeared again while the Autobots were battling the escaped Decepticon [[Skinkbomb]], and the fake Optimus called Bumblebee a fool and the Autobots stupid, and that he was going to join the Decepticons. This severely traumatized Bumblebee, which caused Liege Maximo to laugh a lot to himself because he's kind of a tool. {{storylink|The Trials of Optimus Prime}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Rubicon-LiegeMaximo.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Liege Maximo's escaped! Recruit a team of teenagers with attitude!]]

{{spoiler|Heavy|June 3}}
In the primitive age following the departure of the [[Knights of Cybertron]], Liege Maximo was one of the Thirteen Primes who ruled [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], each leading a [[Thirteen Tribes|tribe]] of like-minded followers. {{storylink|The Crucible}} Among his followers was the mighty [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] [[Vigilem]], as loyal to his master as he was powerful. {{storylink|Rubicon}} According to [[Elita One]], Liege Maximo was a diplomat among the Thirteen who consolidated alliances within the group and attracted followers who believed the same philosophy. Eventually however, Maximo began to realize that helpful lies were better than harmful truths, an ideal which spread to his followers, and began working for his own personal power. He sought out his fellow Prime, [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] and the two formed an alliance. {{storylink|Heavy}}

The alliance between the two sparked the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]] between the Thirteen Primes and their respective tribes. [[Nexus Prime]] later expressed to [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] that he blamed Maximo and Megatronus for the war specifically the latter's betrayal of [[Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|The Crucible}} 

Liege Maximo subsequently joined forces with [[Onyx Prime]], lord of beasts, but according to [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], they were both betrayed by [[Micronus Prime]]. {{storylink|White Heat}} Liege Maximo's followers eventually turned on him after Megatronus murdered Solus Prime. Maximo was tried by his fellow Primes while his former followers became his jailers and swore off lying forever. {{storylink|Heavy}} Vigilem's fellow Titans meanwhile tried their brother and the two were sentenced to exile: Liege Maximo was entombed aboard his own Titan, and cast into deep space, overseen by repentant members of his own tribe determined never to let their charge escape. {{storylink|Rubicon}} 

The colonists of [[Caminus]] remembered Liege Maximo as the "Great Betrayer." {{storylink|Rubicon}}

Eons later, [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] erroneously believed that Liege Maximo had fled Cybertron of his own volition and taken up residence on a different planet. He sent one of his [[Regenesis]] ores to where he thought Maximo had gone. {{storylink|The Crucible}}

When a crisis on Cybertron prompted a desperate [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] to awaken Vigilem, {{storylink|Desperate Measures}} the Titan set about reawakening his master from his cell. Though the Titan was ultimately killed by [[Elita One]], he managed to release Maximo before perishing, unleashing a burst of energy that knocked out everyone who had gathered to try and stop the ancient Prime. Maximo mocked [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] before thanking Vilgilem for his service, promising to avenge his Titan before teleporting away. {{storylink|Rubicon}}

Elita One later told [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] why she'd kept Maximo's existence silent and recounted his origin story before warning that Maximo would return to destroy Cybertron as revenge for his banishment and that they needed to be strong and united lest the Prime tear them all apart. By a vote of three to two, the [[Council of Worlds]] opted to keep Maximo's freedom a secret for the time being. Starscream later released [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] in secret on the condition that she hunt down Liege Maximo and bring his head back to Starscream. {{storylink|Heavy}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
[[Ser-Ket (BW)|Ser-Ket]] claimed to be part of a warrior lineage that stretched back to the Liege Maximo and others. {{storylink|Head Games}}

===Fun Publications===
[[File:AphroditeLiegeMaximoAVP.jpg|upright=0.8|thumb|left]]
Though Vector Prime would claim that history was likely correct to record Liege Maximo as a "monster", he still had many happy memories of times shared with his brother from before the falling out between the Thirteen, {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/14}} and thought of his actions more as "tragic" than evil. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/12}} He recalled his brother's skill at social gatherings, and his ability to spin incredible stories, {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/15}} including tales of the [[Covenant]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/10}} During the Thirteen's time in ancient Greece, Liege's female holomatter avatar—which, thanks to Liege's flair for the dramatic, first manifested by appaering out of the sea in a giant shell—inspired the myth of Aphrodite. By this time, he had formed an enmity with Solus, who manifested in Greece as the male Hephaestus, and Prima had then "bonded" together in hopes they could work through their differences. Naturally, this only resulted in further conflict; "Interesting times," Vector called them. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/08}} He also noted that legends claimed that the god [[Xal]] might merely be another name for Liege Maximo, but could say nothing with certainty. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/12}}

When the quantum membrane between the wider multiverse and the [[Uniend]] Cluster was punctured, Vector Prime began to experience memories of the Uniend incarnation of Liego Maximo, and expressed surprise at the existence of an iteration of his brother who had died before founding an empire of his own. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/14}}

As Nexus Prime brought together the [[Terminus Blade]] and the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]], his fellow Thirteen including Liege Maximo were drawn to his actions. These multiversal singularities were splintered and scattered by the act, making them into repeating parallel, but variable, versions of themselves throughout the multiverse instead of the singular beings they were before. {{storylink|Out of the One, Many}}

==Toys==
===Prime===
{{anchor|Darkest}}
[[File:Primetoy-FinalBattleMegatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Because it would be <s>non-aerodynamic</s> silly to mount the saber onto the back of the vehicle mode like a giant tail-fin.]]
*'''Final Battle Megatron''' (Voyager, [[February 25|2-25]]-2013)
**''ID number'': '''AM-33'''
**''Accessories'': Shadow Gabu, Shadow Baru, & Shadow Dai Arms Microns

:Final Battle Megatron's right forearm is decoed (but sadly not remolded) to resemble Liege Maximo's forearm that he substitutes for his own in those episodes.

{{-}}

==Notes==
* "Liege Maximo" was likely meant to be this character's title or rank, while his proper name remained unknown, but subsequent uses of the character have treated Liege Maximo as the character's name (or, in some cases, "Liege" as his name and "Maximo" as a title in the vein of "Prime"). Jhiaxus (and one iteration of [[Firecrest]]) has a similar title, [[Liege Centuro]].
* Liege Maximo's name was frequently misspelled as "Leige Maximo" in the ''Generation 2'' comics. Sometimes, both versions were even used on the same page, and once, even in the same sentence.
* [[Simon Furman]] cryptically hinted in [http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/script-wrap-15/#comments comments on his blog] that the Liege Maximo would make a return in 2008 in IDW's comics. It didn't happen. The Liege Maximo's presence in the continuity was eventually established in 2014 in "[[The Crucible]]".
* The Liege Maximo's "Aligned" design was shown by [[Hasbro]] at [[BotCon 2010]], and like all the original Primes, his look was guided by [[Eric Siebenaler]]. The design seems to have been heavily inspired by the [[Marvel Comics]] version of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki_%28comics%29 Loki]; fitting enough for a manipulator and liar.
* The dead Prime seen in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' episode "[[Alpha/Omega]]" was identified as the Liege Maximo in ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]''. The concurrently published ''[[Transformers: The Art of Prime|Art of Prime]]'' claimed that it was [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]], but that doesn't make sense, since Sentinel was not a true Prime and as such his limb would not have conveyed the power to use the Forge on Megatron. Also note that the dead Prime's arm in ''Prime'' was crimson-colored, but neither Sentinel nor Maximo had any crimson coloration on their chassis. However, the crimson may be some kind of burial paint or rusting.
* The death of the Liege Maximo in the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'' is at odds with other stories from Aligned continuity. The [[Transformers: Exiles|''Exiles'' novel]] reported that Alchemist Prime left Cybertron to hunt down and capture the Liege Maximo, while the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise cartoon]] and related materials showed Liege Maximo as active in the [[Realm of the Primes]]. {{storylink|Battlegrounds, Part 1}}{{storylink|The Trials of Optimus Prime}} As explanation, no one actually ''saw'' Maximo's death in the ''Covenant''; his body was merely discovered after the battlelust left the minds of the remaining Primes. It's possible the body was a fake of some kind, later discovered, prompting Alchemist Prime's search for him. On the other hand, the contradictory stories may have a metafictional explanation, owing to the multiversal disruptions caused by the [[Dark Spark]], the [[Shrouding]], and related events.

==References==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:Beast Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Decepticons]]
[[Category:Cybertronians]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Fiction-only Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformers]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Thirteen]]
[[Category:Transcendent Technomorphs]]