Maximus serves as a primary antagonist in the second season, established as the younger brother of Attilan's king, Black Bolt. Fueled by longstanding resentment and ambition, he seeks to usurp his brother's throne. This drive shapes his actions during the crisis triggered by Terrigen Mist exposure on Earth, which creates new Inhumans ("Nuhumans") and escalates tensions between the lunar city of Attilan and humanity. Exploiting the diplomatic crisis, Maximus positions himself as a trusted advisor to Black Bolt and Medusa. He actively sabotages peace negotiations brokered by the Avengers between Earth's governments and Attilan. During a critical meeting involving Black Bolt, Medusa, Captain America, and Iron Man, Maximus orchestrates events behind the scenes. He engineers a military intervention by the World Security Council (WSC), framing it as an Avengers-backed betrayal. This attack injures Medusa and enrages Black Bolt. Capitalizing on the fallout, Maximus advocates fiercely for Attilan's retaliation. He successfully convinces Black Bolt that war against Earth is the necessary response to the attack on their queen. Maximus declares Earth will face the Inhumans' wrath within 48 hours, pushing both factions toward open conflict. His manipulations extend to influencing hostile human factions and potentially employing mind-based abilities to coerce individuals into blaming Black Bolt for the violence, further destabilizing the situation to serve his goal. His schemes isolate Black Bolt and Medusa from potential allies like the Future Avengers stationed on Attilan. Characters such as Chloe (Charade) and Kamala Khan become entangled in the escalating tensions, unable to expose Maximus's deceit as he consolidates influence over the king and court. Maximus's end goal remains the usurpation of the Attilan throne, using the manufactured war to discredit Black Bolt's leadership and position himself as the ruler necessary to protect the Inhumans.