Mighty Max: The Beginning of Destiny.

[AdamYJ]

Now, I know that many of us here are cartoon fans (duh). Well, one of my favorite 'toons from the '90s was a little show called Mighty Max about a kid who saved the world from all sorts of creepy things. Originally, it was based on a line of mini toy playsets. The thing not many know is that the toys had their own storyline before they adopted the one from the cartoon. The basic gist of it was that Max found his Dad's old ball cap and when he put it on, he was transported to a place called The Doom Zone. For the past couple of years, I had thought about how I could work a little bit of this old idea in with the better known cartoon one. The idea intrigued me because of how much Max's father was non-existent in the show. I thought and thought and came up with this story. I think it does a fair job and maybe it helps to explain a few things, like why an ancient powerful artifact would take the shape of a baseball cap. It also serves as a new potential starting point for a revamp of the whole Mighty Max series. Here's the first part. The second part, which actually concerns Max getting the cap and reintroduces familiar players may come afterward.

The Beginning of Destiny

Part 1

The Buenos Aires airport was swamped as Dr. Karl Teague waited for the people to file off the airplane that had just come in. There was an old friend that Dr. Teague needed to talk to on that plane. He had made a find out in the rainforest that was downright astonishing. Normally, the field of archaeology had its small triumphs. Bits of pottery that filled in a gap in the understanding of life in earlier times might be found. If they were extremely lucky, the burial mound of some ancient chief might be uncovered. These things he could handle. What he found was something else entirely.
Dr. Teague strained to look over the crowd to see who was coming off the plane. Much to his relief, he spotted someone who could only be his old colleague. Dr. Mike Miller walked out of the door that had led him from the airplane that he had just spent hours on. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and had a knapsack tossed over one shoulder. He had brown hair that had been shaved into a goatee on his face, but the hair on his head was mussed and stuck out from under a beat-up red baseball cap.

“Mike!” Dr. Teague shouted.

“Hey, Karl!” Dr. Miller shouted back and worked his way through the crowd over to him.

The two old friends met and clasped hands.

“I’m so glad you could come. I didn’t think you’d be able to, considering the baby was born just a few days ago.” Karl said.

“Are you kidding, man. Maddie insisted I go and that I take very detailed notes.”

“You can take the archaeologist out of the field, but you can’t . . . “

“I know.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t come see you guys though. Especially considering I’m Max’s godfather and all.”

“It was understandable. You were in the middle of an expedition. You can’t just throw that grant money away, y’know.”

“I know. Let’s get going. My jeep’s parked outside.”

The two started walking back to the entrance to the airport. As they walked, Karl decided to bring up one other subject.

“Y’know? There’s something else I can’t believe.” Karl said with a smirk on his lips.

“What’s that?” Mike asked.

“I can’t believe you’re still wearing this ratty old ball cap.”

And before he could say another word, Karl snatched the hat off of Mike’s head. The cap was old and worn out. The original vibrant red it had originally been colored had faded. There were stains on it from who-knows-what. The stylized yellow “M” that was embroidered on the front of the cap had started to come undone. The brim had even started to tear away from the hat on the sides. It had truly seen better days.

“Hey, give that back.” Mike said, snatching the cap from his friend, “this cap’s lucky.”

“Yeah, right.” Karl said, rolling his eyes.

“It’s true. I won my first internship while I was wearing this cap. I met you while I was wearing this cap. I met Maddie when I was wearing this cap. I found out Max was going to be born when I was wearing this cap.”

The list could clearly go on for days.

“You see,” Karl started to correct him “that’s because you almost never take it off.”

“Still, I’ve had it since I was a kid. Maybe I’ll pass it on to Max someday.”

“I sure hope he isn’t disappointed.” Karl said sarcastically.

Mike gave him a little punch in the arm as they walked out the door to find Karl’s jeep.

The trip into the rainforest was more or less uneventful. The only thing notable was that Karl kept talking about how spectacular the find was and how Mike had to see it to believe it. After a good hour of driving over muddy dirt paths, they finally made it to the expedition site. The expedition had clearly been investigating the nearly bare ruins of an old temple. Little remained of the overgrown building but a few pillars. Various tents were set up and the dig team was milling around with mostly what looked like rocks and pieces of broken pottery.

“Okay, so where’s this amazing find?” Mike asked

“It’s right over here.” Karl said, beckoning him to a table that was positioned just in front of one of the tents.

It was mostly covered with tiny bits of broken pottery. However, right in the middle was a stone tablet.

“What do you think?” Karl asked.

Mike looked over the tablet. It definitely looked like it had just been dug out of the ground. Yet, the carving was so clear it looked like it could have been done the day before.

“Well, it certainly looks Incan, but there’s just something strange about it.”

“Any clue what it’s trying to tell us.”

“Let’s see.” Mike said, looking down at the pictographs, “It appears to be an apocalypse story.”

He began to read it as best he could.

“And so a day shall come, when the earth shakes and bleeds. The sun will turn black in the sky. From deep within the Earth shall rise the evil one, the Skull Master. He shall be followed by beasts of rock and fire. Only one shall stand as savior to the Earth. He shall be known as the Mighty One, the bearer of the . . . “

“The bearer of what?” Karl asked

“I don’t know. It looks like the symbol for crown, but it looks like it was combined with the symbol for hat . . . or cap.”

“The bearer of the hat?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“This doesn’t make any sense, Mike. This is an apocalypse story carved by the ancient Incans that not only contradicts their established end-times story, but mentions none of their deities, either major or obscure.”

“I’d consider it an anomaly, if there weren’t more of these.”

“More?”

“You really have been stuck out in this jungle too long. Haven’t you been hearing the buzz in the community?”

Karl shook his head.

“They found a tablet like this in Ireland buried near a stone circle. It told pretty much the same exact story except in ancient Gaelic. They thought it was some kind of hoax, until another tablet was found in Siberia. Still more were found in Greece, Australia, Kenya and New Mexico.”

“It’s too much of a coincidence to be just parallel myth structure.”

“Definitely.”

Mike Miller stood back from the table a second and looked at the tablet. He couldn’t make heads or tails of the thing. Usually, Mike liked having a mystery to solve or a problem to overcome. This tablet, however, made him nervous. Something about it just sent chills up his spine.

“Karl, I’m not sure what to tell you. It’s a mystery to me.” Mike said, “but we can still go through all the usual paces with it. I’d like to make a relief of it later, if you don’t mind. But first, I’d like to sit down and start writing a letter to Maddie to give her what I’ve got on this so far.”

“Of course. There’s a chair in that tent over there.”

Mike started to walk over to the tent that Karl had indicated.

Meanwhile, a few feet away, something was happening that not one member of the expedition saw or could stop. A fine crack in the floor of the old temple started to spread and widen. The crack then began to glow red hot. A small bit of a burning hot liquid started to seep out. Something was trying to get out!

Mike Miller still had other things on his mind, though. He walked into the tent and sat down on the chair. He then took off his lucky cap and put it on a small folding table nearby. He then pulled his laptop out of his bag, turned it on and prepared to type. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Maddie what he had to say. He thought he’d only be out here a few days to help crack a mystery and then he’d ride home to his wife and son like a hero with a few pages of meticulous notes for his lovely archaeology colleague/spouse to pore over. Instead, it looked like he was going to have to be out here a little longer. At least, he would if he were going to solve the mystery of the tablet.

“Dear Maddie and Max,” he began.

Then, a familiar scream rang out. It sounded like Karl. Mike closed up his laptop and ran out of the tent. As the Lava Beast descended on him, his last thoughts were of his wife and son.

[King_of_doom]

I remember Mighty Max when i was a kid and cool that your are doing a story of it, nice putting Max's father because i think they didn't put him or mention him much on the show and here on the story we see what happens to him, lets see what happens now in the second part now that Max's going to get the cap.

[AdamYJ]

Okay, here's the second part. I didn't want to completely destroy the Mighty Max we knew from the cartoon. So, there's a lot that's familiar from Max's original "origin" episode in this next part. This part also serves to reintroduce old characters like Max himself, Bea, Felix, Virgil and Norman. Though, I think Felix came out seeming a lot cooler than he did in the 'toon. The biggest addition here is that I've given Max's hometown a name (I already gave his mother and father names in the first part as well as a last name for Max). I also threw in a reference to that goofy 16-bit Mighty Max video game, so look out for it. Will I continue after this? I don't know. I'd like to at least get far enough to readdress some things like the history of the "cap" (it wasn't always a cap), the looming threat that is Skull Master and the importance of the various Doom Zones that Max must go to (Max actually coins the term himself). Anyway, I figure now would be a good time to remind folks that I don't own these characters. They belong to either the Mattel toy company or Film Roman animation (can't forget the disclaimer with fanfics)

Part 2:

11 years later.

It was a bright, sunny, Spring Friday in Bayshore, California. The type of day that makes any kid want school to move faster, just so he could get out. Luckily, it was 3:00 pm and Bayshore Elementary had just let out for the weekend. A number of kids ranging from age six to eleven filed out of the front doors on their way to a weekend of minimal worries. Some started walking toward home. Others hopped buses. Others had rides waiting. Three very specific kids, however, were headed for the bike rack.

“Man, I thought the day would never end! Now, I can’t wait to kick back and goof off for two and a half straight days,” said Max Miller, who was leading the trio.

Max was pretty much the vision of your average sixth grader. He had perpetually messy blond hair and blue eyes. He wore blue jeans and red and white sneakers that he would probably outgrow before long. His t-shirt was white and had a large red “M” on the front. It looked just a little too big for him, but that was because it was a hand-me-down from his father. Max couldn’t even remember his father, but he liked his old shirt and wore it as often as possible.

“Don’t forget that we have a three page paper for English due on Monday,” corrected Max’s friend Bea.

Bea was an eleven year old girl with short, dark hair. She wore a button-down blouse and sweater vest that was paired with the slightly uncommon choice of a pair of blue jeans. The look could best be described as a strange combination of tomboy and preppy.

“Don’t worry, I still left Sunday night free.” Max said with a smirk that just reeked of overconfidence.

Bea just sighed. Though she had known Max for years, his nonsense never failed to annoy her.

Max, overall, was not a bad kid. He never really wished harm on anyone, and was usually more than willing to stand up for his friends when they needed him. However, he had the unfortunate flaw of being cocky compounded with the unfortunate flaw of being more than a little irresponsible. If Max didn’t find something to be enjoyable, he’d either try to find a way to get around it or push it to the last minute. If neither of those options were present, he’d just complain.

At this point, the third member of their party decided he should speak.

“I think we’ve got other stuff to think about for now. After all, Max is turning the big one-one at about 12:02 tonight,” Felix reminded them.

Felix was dressed in mainly browns and tans from his button-down shirt to his khaki pants. Felix’s long, unkempt hair hung down in his eyes in a way that would seemingly obstruct his vision, though it never did. If anything, his manner seemed to balance out the other two. Max’s more fun-seeking attitude and Bea’s serious and studious mentality seemed to even right out in the presence of Felix’s laid-back and even temper.

“That’s right!” Max said with a certain amount of excitement, “Eleven years old at last! And in a few years, I’ll be an official teenager.”

“Party’s still tomorrow, right?” Bea asked.

“Saturday at 12:00 pm,” said Max.

“Hey, I bet you’ll never guess what I got you.” Felix boasted.

“Is it one of those ball-shooting toy guns?” Max asked.

“How did you know?” Felix asked.

“Felix, you’ve gotten me one of those for every birthday since I was six.”

“I am nothing if not consistent.”

By this point, they had reached the bike rack. They unlocked their bikes and rode for their respective homes.

Max arrived home a few minutes later to notice that his mother’s car was gone and that a package was on the front step. He picked up the package and walked in the front door. Max’s mom had left a note on the table near the phone. It read:

“Max,
Had to go to Greece regarding a 3000-year-old urn. I should be home late tonight. There’s left over sushi in the fridge from Japanese night. Love you.

Mom.”

Great. Leftover sushi.

Max sat down with the box that he had found on the porch. Strangely enough, it was addressed to him.

“Maybe it’s a birthday present.” Max said hopefully.

He ripped off the tape and opened the box. He reached in and pulled out the object inside.

It was definitely not the kind of present he would have hoped for. What he held in his hands was a small terra cotta statue of what appeared to be an anthropomorphic chicken wearing a robe.

“This is weird.” Max said, eyeing the strange statue.

Max decided to bring the statue into the kitchen and put it with all of the strange things that his mom had picked up over her travels. It was at that point that fate decided to step in. Max took a few steps toward the kitchen and tripped over his own backpack (his mom always told him not to leave it lying around). The statue fell out of his hands and shattered on the floor. Left in the rubble were two things: a note scribbled on a piece of parchment and a red baseball cap.

Max picked up the cap and looked it over. It was bright red with a stylized yellow “M” stitched onto the front. He had seen pictures in his mom’s old albums of his dad wearing one like it. The difference was that this one seemed to be brand new. His dad’s always looked like it was falling apart in the pictures.

Max looked at the note. It read:

“Max,

Put on the cap. Come to the Burger World on Third Street. Be wary of danger.

Virgil”

He thought a second. This was all so strange. There had to be a good explanation for it. Naturally, a good one came into his head.

“This is all some surprise party thing!” Max shouted, excited at his seemingly figuring it out. “Mom decided to move the party up a day and hold it at Burger World to surprise me. Well, I’m not one to disappoint her.”

Max put on the cap and headed out the door. He hopped onto his bike and pedaled to the old burger stand on Third Street. It was the oldest restaurant of any kind in Bayshore. The building was run-down and the parking lot asphalt was filled with cracks. However, it still made the best burgers anywhere. It didn’t help Max any, because when he got there, it was closed. There was another note taped to the door. This one read:

“Max,

Please go around to the drive-through. Also, watch out behind you.

Virgil”

This is starting to get ridiculous, Max thought to himself. He turned around to walk away when he spotted one of the cracks in the asphalt. It glowed bright red and the air started to feel much hotter. Out of the crack started to erupt a black and red liquid. The liquid quickly started to take on a humanoid shape. It was a large, lumbering creature with only the vaguest of human features. No visible hands or fingers were on what passed for its arms. It’s face, if you could call it a face, was little more than three holes representing two eyes and a mouth.
The Lava Beast started to lurch forward. It spotted Max and then hurled a piece of itself at Max. The lava blast missed by a few inches and started to burn a hole in the glass door. Max looked around and saw that more Lava Beasts were erupting out of the cracked pavement. He decided that he didn’t want to stick around.
Max bolted for the other side of the building, trying to put as much distance between him and the creatures as possible. Upon making it to the drive-through side, something strange happened. A white light shone from the cap on his head. Then there appeared just a few feet past the second window a circle of light. It seemed like some sort of doorway. Max looked at the portal and then looked back at the Lava Beasts that were still coming after him. It can’t be any worse than here, he decided. Max jumped through the portal.
For a brief moment, it felt like he was absolutely nowhere. Then, Max had the distinct feeling that he was somewhere else. He had fallen down onto the ground. There was sand in his mouth and clothes. In fact, there was sand everywhere. He got up and looked around. The only thing other than sand dunes in all directions were two strange figures a few feet away. Max focused on the two. One appeared to be the same anthropomorphic chicken that had been depicted in the statue he had gotten. It stood there, only two feet tall wearing a robe and clutching a walking stick. The other was a seven-foot tall red-bearded man with a sword strapped to his back.

“Ah, welcome Mighty One!” the chicken exclaimed, “Allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Virgil and I will serve as your guide. This is Norman, he is the Guardian. And you, young Max, have been chosen.”

The red-haired giant just smiled down at him. Max knew then that he had gotten himself into something that was going to make his life a whole lot more complicated.

[Paul_Cousins]

I remember the Mighty Max series, I also remember the last episode, which was a reset on everything. But it was a good episode, Max finally became a hero, and gets to redo his adventures again, except this time he would not be afraid.

Anyway, this is a good fanfic and please continue it. :cool:

[King_of_doom]

This is getting interesting and this the first time i watch Leftover sushi for lunch.

[AdamYJ]

Thank you to both Paul Cousins and King of doom for reading and appreciating my story. I have to admit that I'm really starting to have fun writing this fan's revamp of the Cap Bearer's adventures. In this next part, Max gets a crash course in Mighty One 101. He also takes an unexpected round the world trip and ends up in a place that starts to bring elements of this story full circle.

Part 3

“WHAT!?”

It was about all that Max could think to say and it pretty much summed up his confusion.

“I’m afraid that we don’t have much time for explanations, Mighty One,” said the talking bird that had introduced himself as Virgil, “I will have to explain everything as we walk. There is much to do and not much time to do it in.”

Norman threw Max a canteen. Then he and Virgil started walking away. Max grabbed the canteen and started following.

“Where are we?” Max asked.

“We are in the Sahara desert, about six miles outside of Cairo, Egypt.” Virgil replied.

“Oh, is that where we’re headed now? Max asked.

“Actually, Cairo is in the opposite direction.”

“Then why are we going in this direction?”

“Because the portal I want to use is seven miles this way.”

“Of course.” Max said, still as perplexed as ever.

After Max had thought for a couple of seconds, he decided it was time to get some more answers.

“So . . . um . . . you’re a chicken?” Max asked.

“Fowl, actually. As are most Lemurians.”

“Lemurians?”

“An offshoot of the ancient Atlantean culture. We are known for our scholarly aptitude.”

“Okay . . .” Max said, slightly sorry he had asked, “Anyway, you said I was chosen for something.”

“Now we are getting down to it,” said Virgil, seemingly pleased that the right question had been asked, “You, young Maxwell Miller, have been chosen to receive a great honor as well as a considerable burden. Every few generations, destiny chooses a Mighty One. He is the chosen champion of the forces of light and goodness. It is his or her lot in life to return the world to a state of balance when evil forces threaten to overrun it. You wear your badge of office upon your head.”

“This cap?” Max asked, taking it off of his head, “It looks like one that my father used to wear.”

“It is your father’s cap.”

“You mean, my father was this Mighty One?”

“You are the Mighty One, Max.” Virgil corrected, “Your father was a good man who wished to pass on his favorite cap to his just-born son.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Though the current incarnation of The Mighty One is known as the ‘Cap Bearer’, that badge of office was not always a cap. It takes different forms based on the history and necessity of the bearer.”

“Such as?” Max asked.

Virgil was quiet a moment, seemingly thinking of what example to use.

“During the golden age of Camelot,” Virgil started, “the Mighty One was known as the ‘Crown Wearer’. He went on to become quite famous. Though, people seem to be much more interested in his sword than in the crown he wore.”

“Wait a minute. Are you saying that King Arthur was the Mighty One?” Max asked, incredulously.

“Of course he was, among many others. In fact, Norman and I have made our way into every retelling of his story. Though, we did end up in slightly altered forms. For instance, the people of Camelot thought that I resembled a small falcon rather than the glorious fowl that I am. That is why they gave me the nickname of ‘Merlyn’. Norman also used a different name.”

“Lancelot.” Norman stated matter-of-factly.

“This is too weird.” Max said and stopped where he was.

Virgil and Norman turned around.

“We will never reach our destination if you stop now,” Virgil said, seemingly a little annoyed, “I will tell you all you need to know as we go.”

“Fine,” Max said as he started walking again.

“Now, where was I,” Virgil asked himself, “Ah yes, the duties of the Mighty One. There are certain evils that it is the specific duty of the Mighty One to fight. The greatest evil is one known as the Skull Master.”

“Skull Master?” Max asked with a bit of a laugh in his voice. He found it hard to take something with a melodramatic name like “Skull Master” seriously.

“The Skull Master is nothing to laugh about, Max,” Virgil said gravely, “He is one of the greatest evils to ever walk the Earth. He was only just barely stopped by a Mighty One named Maximus, several centuries ago. Maximus sealed Skull Master within the center of the Earth. Yet, he still lives and strives to escape. Skull Master will stop at nothing to seize control of the world. Most of all, though, he will want you dead and your cap in his posession.”

“Wow, seems like a tough customer. Why do I need to fight him, though? It seems like it should be easy to take him down with a big guy like Norman here to take him on.”

“I cannot fight him,” Norman said.

“Why not?” Max asked.

“I am the Guardian. It is my purpose to protect and serve the Mighty One. My sword is at your service, but I cannot defeat the Skull Master. That is the role of the Mighty One. I am not the Mighty One. You are the Mighty One.” Norman said in his usual straight-faced manner.

“I’m beginning to get tired of this Mighty One stuff. I’m glad that I only have to take on this Skull Master guy.”

“That is not the case,” Virgil said.

“Oh great, another catch,” Max said, his voice bordering on rant.

“There are times and places in the world where evil forces either supernatural or manmade threaten to overcome good. These situations must be countered for the sake of the world’s safety. The Skull Master’s power feeds off of the evil of this world. The more that evil wins on the surface world, the stronger he gets beneath it. These isolated situations could contribute to Skull Master’s subsequent conquest and destruction of all we hold dear.”

“So,” Max said, “we’re going to have to travel around to these . . . ‘Doom Zones’ and stop whatever evil is happening, or else a bad guy from the center of the Earth who wants my cap could become unstoppable.”

“Doom Zone is an inelegant appellation, but you seem to grasp the concept,” Virgil said, seeming pleased that his new pupil was catching on so quick.

Virgil stopped in the middle of the desert. Norman stopped too. Max kept walking.

“What are you guys waiting for?” Max asked.

“We’re here,” Virgil said.

Max looked around. He couldn’t see anything.

“Are you sure?” Max asked, “There’s nothing here.”

“Quite sure,” Virgil said as he pulled out a scroll of parchment from his robe and looked it over.

Max’s doubts about the company he had fallen in with were getting worse.

“Take three steps to your right, Mighty One,” Virgil said.

Max took three steps. His cap glowed and the portal of light appeared again.

“I knew it had to be here somewhere,” Virgil said, clearly satisfied.

The three of them stepped through the portal. Just like last time, there was a strange feeling of nothingness combined with the feeling of being dumped somewhere else. When Max looked around, he, Virgil and Norman were in a very small space. He could only see four stainless steel walls and a toilet.

“Virgil, where are we?” Max asked.

“I believe we’re in a bathroom stall in a men’s room in Paris, France.”

“This is where we’re supposed to be going?”

“Nonsense. The portals work in a network. We have to catch the next portal to our destination,” Virgil said.

“Where is it?”

“The next stall over.”

Max just looked at him for a moment, doubting the truth in this statement.

“Hey, he’s very rarely wrong,” said Norman.

They moved to the next stall and surely enough, there was the portal. They jumped through and the next thing they knew, the air had become very hot and muggy and they were surrounded by vegetation.

“I’m probably going to regret asking this . . . ” Max started to say.

“We are in the Argentinian rainforest. This is our destination.” Virgil answered before Max could finish the question.

“I thought you were going to take me home.” Max said, more than a little annoyed.

“I’m afraid that can’t be done just yet. The truth is that a, ahem, Doom Zone has appeared in this location. It has to be dealt with first and foremost.”

“Oh, this just keeps getting better and better,” Max said to himself.

[King_of_doom]

I like the interaction between the three and how Virgil's explaining to Max that there where others like him who where choosen to be the Mighty one and how Virgil explains that the people of Camelot told him that he resembles a falcon, but in Max case he tells him that he looks like a chicken.

It was good the explanation about Norman can't fight the Skull Master because he's not the mighty one and how Max tells that the name of SKull Master was so melodramatic, keep up the good work as always.

[AdamYJ]

Thanks, man. I figure it's about time that I actually respond to a reader directly. I'm really getting a kick out of writing this retake on the Mighty Max legend (it's sort of Ultimate Mighty Max, if you're of a Marvel Comics mind). There were a number of things that I wanted to do with the legend that I'm glad I was able to do in some form (thank goodness for the freedoms in fan fiction). For one thing, I wanted to address the whole thing about the cap. It didn't make sense to me that such an ancient thing could have always been a baseball cap. There was an episode on the old show that showed a barbarian named Maximus fighting with a sword while wearing the cap. It was a strange sight. So, I changed that bit and tied it in with the idea of incorporating Max's father and his cap. Then, as a twist, I threw in the bit about Virgil and Norman being the original templates for Merlyn and Lancelot in the Arthurian legends. That bit was taken from a line in an episode of the old show in which Norman fought a dragon. As a result of the changes, I had to shuffle some things about. It used to be that "Cap Bearer" was the official title of the chosen one and that "Mighty One" was a courtesy title like "Sir" or "Your Royal Highness". So, "Mighty One" became the official title and "Cap Bearer" became a title to distinguish Max in specific. Another thing I'm happy about is that I actually got to incorporate the term "Doom Zone" into the story. In the toyline, Doom Zones were the name for the regular size playsets that were sold. The term was never used in the cartoon, so I had to try and work it in here.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It'll take a little while before the next installment shows up. I wrote the first two over a couple of days and the third was written today while I was off. I'm working the next couple days, so part 3 will be created at a slightly slower pace.

[King_of_doom]

Yeah im familiar with the Marvel Ultimate because i also read comics. Don't worry man, ill wait until you put the other chapter ^^.


I have to admit that I'm really starting to have fun writing this fan's revamp of the Cap Bearer's adventures.
I know what you mean. I also started stories of Megas XLR and it's really fun to write.

[JTX]

Cool a Mighty Max fanfic and it's about time too. I think there are some fanfics but probably they put romance or crossovers and i don't like that, the story is very good and how you put Max's father into the story that the cartoon didn't, nice work.

[AdamYJ]

Okay, folks. Here is part four of "Mighty Max: The Beginning of Destiny". In this chapter, we see how the beginning with Max's father will start to tie in with Max's current predicament. We also have some big action in this one. In an adventure story, it's got to happen sometime. Also, this will probably be the penultimate chapter. That means that after this, there will be one more chapter to finish things up for this story. After that? Who knows? Maybe it will become a full-fledged series and I'll go on to do my own interpretations of Max's various Doom Zones and work my way up to his showdown with Skull Master. I'm not looking that far ahead at the moment. Anyway, thanks again to King_of_doom, Paul_Cousins and JTX for their comments and appreciation of my stories and the encouragement to keep going. Now, enjoy!

Part 4.

“So, this is South America, huh?” Max asked, looking around at his surroundings, “This is actually kind of cool. My mom let me come along on some of her expeditions, but I almost never saw anything besides the hotel room.”

“There should be a small village not far away if we start heading in that direction.” Virgil said, pointing with his walking stick.

“Okay then,” Max said, “the sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get home.”

Max started walking ahead. Virgil and Norman hung back.

“You know you’ll have to tell him why this place is important sooner or later.” Norman whispered.

“I know that, Norman. I just hope I can find a more appropriate time.”

“What are you two waiting for back there?” Max shouted back to them, “C’mon Virgil, shake a drumstick.”

“We’ll be there in a second, Mighty One,” Virgil shouted to Max, “And I told you, I am not a chicken!”

Virgil and Norman started walking. They reached the village just a minute after Max did. It was a small village where most people seemed to only have the necessities of life. The houses were little more than huts with corrugated tin as roofs. It also seemed to be the kind of place where strangers weren’t welcome, because as Max, Virgil and Norman walked through the town, people rushed behind closed doors and mothers pulled their children closer to them.

“What is with these people? It’s like they never saw a kid, a chicken and a giant walk into town before.” Max whispered to Virgil.

“They probably hold some sense of xenophobia based on prior bad experience with outsiders,” Virgil replied, Max’s sarcasm going right past him.

“Oh, they’re fine. They just need some time to warm up to you,” said a voice behind them.

The trio turned around and was greeted by the sight of a man dressed in black wearing a priest’s collar.

“Welcome to El Pueblo de el Fuego. I am Padre Diego,” the man said and reached out his hand.

Max reached out and shook it.

“The ‘Town of the Fire’. Interesting name,” Virgil said.

“An old name with old connotations. We’re a simple village with simple people who want to live here in our own way.”

“Well, it’s great to meet someone around here who isn’t afraid of us. I have kind of a strange question to ask, though. Is there any . . .evil here that needs to be dealt with?” Max asked, hoping not to be laughed at.

“Evil?” asked Padre Diego, “Many of the other villagers are afraid of the ruins of the old temple, but that’s just old superstition.”

“See,” Max said, “No evil. Now I can go home.”

“I think we would like to see this temple, Padre,” Virgil said.

“Great. Not only is there no evil, but we’re going to chase it anyway. What do you think of all this, Normie?”

“I eat evil for breakfast,” Norman said with a grin.

“Great, at least someone is excited,”

An hour’s hike later and they found their way to the ruins of the old temple. The building was old and overgrown. Little remained of the temple but some pillars. Littered near the temple were bones, some that looked human. There were also trails of ash, as if someone had tried to burn something.

“Well, I can understand the villagers’ fear of this place. It sure looks evil,” Max said as he took in the ambience of the ruins, “I’m going to take a better look around,”

Max went ahead.

“Now would you like to tell him?” Norman whispered to Virgil once Max was out of earshot.

“It is not yet time,” Virgil said.

“For Odin’s sake, Virgil! We’re practically standing right on top of it,” Norman whispered, his outrage showing on his face.

The conversation could go no further, because Max’s voice interrupted them.

“Hey, guys! Check this out” Max shouted.

Virgil and Norman found Max standing in the middle of the ruined temple, looking down at a long crack in the floor. The crack glowed bright red.

“Check it out. It looks just like the cracks in the Burger World parking lot when those lava things came out to get me. It’s hot, too,”

Max grabbed a stick that was lying not far from him and poked the tip close to the crack. Before the stick could even get close to the crack, the tip caught on fire.

“This could be a definite sign,” said Virgil.

Suddenly, Norman tensed up. He reached for his sword and drew it from its sheath.

“Normie?” Max asked.

“Is something wrong?” Virgil asked.

“I feel like something’s watching us,” Norman said, his eyes scanning the trees.

Then, from seemingly out of nowhere, a dart flew from the tree cover and lodged itself in Norman’s neck. Norman pulled it out. Two more followed, and Norman passed out on the ground.

“Norman!” Max shouted.

Another dart struck Virgil, who passed out immediately. Finally, a dart hit Max. Then, everything went black.

Max woke up in one of the little village houses with the tin roofs. He was shackled at both the arms and legs. So were Virgil and Norman.

“Where the heck are we?” Max asked to no one in particular. He was quite surprised to hear and answer.

“You are in my personal residence, Cap Bearer,” said a familiar voice.

Max looked up to see Padre Diego standing over him. He had seemingly cast aside his priestly vestments for a long, ominous looking robe.

“You knocked us out?” Max asked.

“Of course I did. It was all in the purpose of a higher plan. I couldn’t have you interfering with the resurfacing, now could I. Especially after Skull Master put so much confidence in me.”

“You work for Skull Master? But, I thought you were a priest.”

“A brilliant disguise,” said a very groggy sounding Virgil who had just managed to wake up.

“You fell for it completely. With all the townspeople acting scared of you, I seemed like the perfect person to trust. You didn’t know that I was really Skull Master’s servant and you didn’t know that I control them with this,” Diego said holding up a skull with rubies imbedded in the eye sockets, “Luckily, I was able to put you all down. For your big friend, it took enough of the drug to knock out an elephant, but I’m pretty sure the chains will hold him. And soon, when Skull Master has returned, he will have the pleasure of taking your life and your cap personally.”

Padre Diego walked out the door. Max maneuvered himself to look out the window. It was dark already, but Max could easily make out the figure of Padre Diego leading a procession of zombified villagers in the direction of the ruined temple.

“RAAARGH!” said a very angry voice in the hut.

Norman had just woken up and was not pleased with the situation he found himself in.

“Well, it looks like Normie’s awake. That still doesn’t help us much,” said Max.

“I can’t break the chains!” Norman said angrily, “if only I could reach my sword.”

“I don’t know how much help it’ll be, Normie.”

“You don’t know much about my sword, then.” Norman said.

“I can’t help but feel awful about this,” Virgil said.

“C’mon, Virg, it’s not like you were the one who drugged us and chained us up,” Max said, trying to comfort the sad fowl.

“I don’t mean that, Mighty One. I mean that I should have told you the truth when we arrived in this place.”

“What are you talking about, Virgil?”

“That evil temple that Diego is holding his ritual is the same place as where your father was killed.”

“What?” Max asked, his heart feeling like it fell into the pit of his stomach.

“Michael Miller had come to this place at the behest of an old friend. Neither of them knew that the place was an access point to Skull Master’s subterranean realm. Skull Master did not appreciate humans excavating one of his doorways. He sent a Lava Beast that killed everyone in their party.”

“Is that why you brought me here?”

“That was mostly a coincidence. My scrolls indicated that a point of cosmic conflict would arise here. I did not realize the significance of the location until later. Not that it makes much difference now.”

Max looked at the bird-like being that had just confessed so much to him. The look in his eyes told him that Virgil really was sorry. Suddenly, a way that Virgil could make it up to him came to Max’s mind.

“I have an idea!” Max said, “You’ll just have to go along with it.”

“What kind of idea?” Virgil asked.

With that, Max wiggled into position and plucked out one of Virgil’s tail feathers.

“I beg your pardon?” Virgil shouted in surprise.

“Norman can’t break out of these chains, but what if we unlock them?” Max asked.

Max wiggled into position again and inserted one tip of the feather into the keyhole on Norman’s manacle.

“I’ve only done this with one of my mom’s hairpins before, so I hope it works this way,” Max said as he worked at picking the lock. After a couple minutes, the lock was undone and the feather had broken.

“Darn it!” Max said, as he tried to pluck another of Virgil’s feathers.

“No need for that, Mighty One,” Norman said as he grabbed the handle of his sword, which he could now reach, and with a few blows had sliced the chains off of himself and his companions.

“I’m sure glad he didn’t think to take your sword,” Max said, relieved.

“He got cocky,” Norman said.

“Now, I think we have a ritual to stop,” Max said, in as heroic a voice as he could muster.

“Wait!” Virgil cried.

Norman and Max both looked around and saw the little fowl ducking under a table.

“Virgil, what is it?” Max asked.

Virgil came out from under the table dragging a stone tablet.

“I spotted this under the table when I first awakened. It’s a seal. It has the legend of the Mighty One inscribed on the front surface, but on the outside edges there are inscribed incantations that can close Skull Master’s doorway. We must return it to the ruins.”

“Then lets go!” exclaimed Max.

Norman picked up the heavy tablet and all three headed off into the jungle to stop the ritual at the ruined temple.

The trio sped as best they could through the jungle. Eventually they found their way to a place looking toward the ruined temple. The villagers were lined up on either side. Padre Diego stood in the center. In front of him was a book on an obsidian podium. In his left hand he grasped the jeweled skull he was using to control the villagers. In his right hand he had a long, ceremonial knife. He seemed to be in the middle of a long speech.

“The time has come! Skull Master shall arise once again to bring a purifying darkness upon this land! Then, he shall take the cap of the Mighty One and through its power bring about a new age! Through these incantations,” he indicated the book, “and the blood of one deemed innocent,” an entranced young woman stepped up, “he shall return to the Earth from which the accursed Mighty One of old sent him.”

Not far away, Max, Virgil and Norman crouched watching.

“It looks like we have three targets here. The book, the skull and the knife,” Max whispered to Norman.

“Four,” Norman whispered back, “You forgot the Padre himself”.

“Let’s focus on what’s important first.”

“You really are quite good at this,” Virgil whispered.

“Tell that to my knees. Maybe they’ll stop shaking,” Max whispered.

Meanwhile, the Padre was continuing with his speech.

“With this knife, I shall make her blood flow like the sacred lava! Then, shall the dark words return the master to our presence.”

“This looks like it, Normie,” Max whispered, “I want you to go in and grab the girl.”

“No problem,” he whispered back.

Max turned to Virgil and grabbed the bottom cloth of his robe and ripped off a strip.

“Why must my person continually be violated?” Virgil whispered angrily.

Max folded the strip into a sling and picked up a smooth stone.

“Let’s see how Sr. Padre likes getting stuff shot at him?”

Max swung the sling around, taking aim as best he could. Then he let the rock fly. It struck Diego’s right hand, knocking the knife to the ground.

“What the devil?!” he cried out.

“Now, Normie!” Max said.

Norman bounded out of their hiding place straight for the entranced girl. Max quickly grabbed another stone, and slung it toward the faux priest. Thinking he was ready for him, Diego moved his left hand to guard the jeweled skull. Instead, it hit him right between the eyes as Max intended, causing his concentration to slip. The enthralled villagers started to stir.

“Our turn, Virg!” Max shouted.

Max and Virgil both jumped out from their hiding place and rushed toward the arcane ceremony that was taking place. Max could swear he heard Virgil repeating “Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Oh, dear,” over and over again. In a moment, Max had run up to the still-dazed Diego and wrenched the jeweled skull from his grasp. One drop kick sent it flying into what was left of one of the stone pillars, shattering the skull completely.

“You’ll be sorry you did that, Cap Bearer!” the false holy man said as he regained his senses.

Diego reached down and grabbed his knife again. He came at Max with the knife held high. Max dodged and evaded as he sliced at him. Though Max was quick, he ended up backed into a pillar.

“I’ll just have to kill the Mighty One himself for my sacrifice!” Diego shouted with a wild glint in his eye.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Max asked and hinted to something behind Diego.

There stood Virgil, clutching Diego’s book of black magic to his chest. Virgil ran as Diego turned around with his knife still held at the ready. This time Max heard him yell “I’m not cut out for this sort of thing!” as he headed toward the center of the temple. In an instant, Virgil had thrown the book toward the glowing fissure. There, the book burst into flames.

“I can still kill the boy!” Diego shouted as he turned back to Max with the knife.

“You forgot something else.” Max said.

The knife went down toward Max’s heart. Before it could reach its destination, the knife was blocked by a long sword. Norman had already succeeded in getting the young woman to safety and had returned just at the right time.

“Surprise!” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

With one flick of his sword, the knife was knocked from Diego’s hand. Then, after quickly switching hands with his sword, Norman punched him square in the face. Diego stumbled back, then started running toward the center of the temple.

“You can’t stop me, Mighty One! I was chosen by Skull Master himself! This does not end tonight!” Diego ranted from his place in front of the fiery fissure.

Suddenly, the fissure opened wide and a hand of lava reached up and grabbed Diego by the ankle. Diego’s robes caught on fire. The hand pulled and Diego started to be pulled after it into the fissure.

“NOOOOOOO!” Diego screamed as he tried to claw his way out.

Before long, however, Diego was gone and the fissure had closed.

“Normie, the seal!” Max shouted to Norman.

Norman grabbed the huge stone tablet and ran toward the center of the temple. There, he slammed it down directly on top of the fissure. The glow from the fissure started to subside. The heat dissipated. In just a quick moment, the doorway to Skull Master’s realm became as cold as the stone around it.

[JusSonic]

Man, I loved this! I watch the series a 'long time ago' when I was a kid! Rob Paulsen, Tony Jay, Richard Moll, and Tim Curry were great in their roles! I hope you continued it after the whole story is done. I love to see more of this 'revamp'.

[King_of_doom]

Cool, we finally see some action on the story, i was "Whoa!" when Virgil tells Max's father was killed and the fight style reminds me of the old show, the lines i like about this chapter is:

Great. Not only is there no evil, but we’re going to chase it anyway. What do you think of all this, Normie?”

“I eat evil for breakfast,” Norman said with a grin.

“Great, at least someone is excited,”

That really made me laugh that part.

[AdamYJ]

Cool, we finally see some action on the story, i was "Whoa!" when Virgil tells Max's father was killed and the fight style reminds me of the old show, the lines i like about this chapter is:

Great. Not only is there no evil, but we’re going to chase it anyway. What do you think of all this, Normie?”

“I eat evil for breakfast,” Norman said with a grin.

“Great, at least someone is excited,”

That really made me laugh that part.

That's a reference to the old show, actually. Norman always used to say "I eat _____ for breakfast!" It was always something different. There was "I eat giant spiders for breakfast." "I eat radiation for breakfast." and a whole bunch of others. The thing with Max calling Virgil a chicken was also from the old show.

As for the thing about Max finding out about his father, that came from the realization that if I was going to make this a single coherant story that I'd have to tie the beginning in with the current situation. It's hard doing these stories sometimes, especially if you're winging it. Just today I realized that there was something I'd have to address in the final part. At least I'm pretty sure I know how the final part is going to go.

The other thing that Max's realization might be showing is how tough Virgil's job is. There is a whole lot that Virgil knows. And some of it is stuff that he doesn't really want to know. It's also stuff that he might eventually have to let others, like Max, know even though it's painful. Yet, he also finds himself lacking certain bits of knowledge that might help them. He knows where every portal on the planet is, he knows the entire prophecy of the Mighty One, he knows various languages and long tracts of history, and he also knows secrets like what happened to Max's father, and yet he didn't know enough that they were walking right into a trap. Being the source of guidance and wisdom for the Mighty One is hard because there are times when you know too much or too little. It's a heavy burden for a little fowl.

[AdamYJ]

Okay, folks. This is the final chapter for a while. I managed to crank these out faster than I thought. The fact that I'm not exactly proof-reading them before I post them might be helping that. Anyway, with the climax out of the way, we finally tie things up. Of course, we also know that this is just the beginning for the Mighty One at this point. Will I chronicle more of Max's adventures? Maybe. I think I'd like to plan them out better if I do. First, let's bring Max home again. I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.

Part 5

With Padre Diego gone, little by little, the villagers started to regain their free wills. They thanked Max many times and heaped praises on him for saving them. At least, that’s what Virgil said, considering Max’s Spanish wasn’t quite up to snuff. Virgil also managed to tell them to keep people as far from the temple as possible. They agreed, but as a precaution, Norman ripped the pillars down to better keep the seal in place. By the time most of it was finished, the sun was already starting to come up.

“It’s kind of nice, actually,” Max said, looking at the sunset.

“Indeed,” Virgil said in agreement.

“Virgil . . .” Max started to say, but stopped.

“Yes, Mighty One?” Virgil asked.

“Virgil, I want you to tell me all you can about my dad and all the other stuff that happened,” Max said.

Virgil rubbed his wing under his beak.

“The truth, Max, is more or less what I told you while we walked through the Sahara. He was a good man who loved you and wanted to pass on that cap to you. Through the interference of forces higher than we comprehend, that cap became a vessel of great power. However, what you didn’t know was that he was killed by a minion of Skull Master. I knew, and in fact, tried my best to keep you out of this. I didn’t even remember what this place was until I brought you here. I had always hoped that the prophecies were wrong. After the Skull Master had caused you such a loss, it seemed only fair to you. The truth is that most Mighty Ones are trained from the point when they can walk to be warriors and leaders. I tried to save you from that. However, as things got more dire, it became clear that I had to contact you by your eleventh birthday or not at all. It’s only now that we still have a chance.”

“But, I don’t get it. Was dad killed because I would be chosen? Or did I get chosen because he died the way he did?” Max asked.

“It could be either, or it could be neither,” Virgil said, “The things that happen in this world are a combination of what must happen, what we choose to make happen, and that which happens by blind luck. As hard as I try to know everything, Mighty One, even I cannot determine which is which.”

“What else can you tell me?”

“I can tell you,” Virgil said, checking another scroll, “that he died on that spot over there.”

Virgil pointed to a specific spot.

“I’ve got an idea,” Max said, looking over at Norman who was still burying the temple under heaps of stone.

“Hey, Normie, bring one of those rocks over here!” Max shouted.

Under Max’s instruction, a large flat stone was placed at the place where Mike Miller had died.

“Now, I need something to mark it with,” Max said.

“I am at your service, Mighty One,” Norman said, holding out his sword.

They marked the stone with a large capital “M”. To Max, it seemed like the most logical thing to mark the stone with.

“Just like on the cap,” Max said.

“I have to ask, Mighty One, are you angry with the Skull Master for what he did?” Virgil asked.

“You know, it’s weird, but I’m not. More than anything, I just wish I had gotten to know my dad. It’d especially be nice to have him here now, considering it’s my birthday.”

Max remembered something.

“Oh crap! I’m supposed to be having a birthday party today! Virgil, can you get me home by noon?”

“We can surely try. There is a portal a few yards that way,” Virgil said pointing with his walking stick.

The trio hopped that portal and ended up in Australia. They then hopped five more portals taking them to Japan, Russia, Greenland, New Hampshire and finally to Max’s hometown. By that time, it was two o’clock pm. Max walked up to the front door of his house, opened it and walked in. The remnants of a party were to be seen everywhere. Max’s mom was cleaning up, along with Bea and Felix. Max’s mom looked livid when she saw him.

“Max, how dare you come waltzing into this house after being missing all day! I thought maybe you’d be a little late, not miss the whole thing!” she cried, fuming.

“Actually, I wasn’t even home last night. I don’t know how you missed that. You must have been really caught up in that Greek urn thing,” Max said, before realizing that it was probably the last thing he should say.

“What!?”

Suddenly, Madeline Miller’s face went from red to white. Her eyes were agog and her jaw looked like it was ready to hit the floor. In all her travels, she had seen many strange things. Yet still, she had never seen anyone quite like Virgil and Norman. Bea and Felix, both of whom had far less experience in the world than Mrs. Miller, had pretty much the same reaction.

“Greetings, Mrs. Miller,” Virgil said upon entering the house.

“Ma’am,” said Norman.

“Look, I’ve got a whole lot to tell all three of you guys, so you’d better sit down. I bet you’re not going to believe me,” Max said to the three assembled.

So, Max told them the whole story. He told them everything from the statue in the mail to the Lava Beasts, to the revelation of what happened to his father and everything in between. Needless to say, they had a hard time believing him. Though, they also had a hard time not believing him with Norman and Virgil sitting there at the kitchen table. Max’s mother cried a few tears after finding out what happened to her long lost husband. Bea just told Max that he should have been more careful, as she often does. Felix pretty much shrugged the whole thing off, but also bemoaned the fact that Max had to miss such a great party.
There were still some loose ends to tie up, though. Max, Virgil and Norman headed to the Burger World parking lot right after they had finished the story. After Max’s near miss with the Lava Beasts there, he expected to see a place that looked like a war zone. Instead, it looked just like it usually did.

“I swear, there were Lava Beasts rising out of these cracks!” Max said, looking down at the cold, black pavement cracks.

“I’m not doubting you, Mighty One. I’m just trying to figure out what happened,” Virgil said.

Virgil walked around the cracked pavement a little, looking down at the cracks. After a moment, he stopped.

“It could be possible,” Virgil said, adjusting his spectacles, “that Skull Master created a back door using the same magic that opened the fissure in Argentina. That way, when that door was sealed, so was this one.”

“What does that mean?” Max asked.

“It means that the Skull Master is much more clever than I anticipated. We will need to gather more information. Norman and I should leave now. If you would please open the portal at the drive-through again, Norman and I should be able to find our way from there.”

Max walked over to the drive-through and opened the portal that led to the Sahara.

“We will be in touch again, Mighty One,” Virgil said, before he and Norman disappeared into the circle of light.

Over the next week or so, things returned to some sense of normalcy. Max went about having fun and living his life in his own unique style. Bea continued to play Max’s sense of responsibility. Now, though, she kept telling him that he should bring her along on his next adventure to keep him out of trouble. Felix remained Felix, but he now had an annoying habit of referring to Max as “Mighty One”. Mrs. Miller, who had previously been a strong advocate of allowing kids great freedom, set down a whole set of stricter rules. She also made sure to know where Max was at all times. Max couldn’t blame her for being cautious after what happened. One day, Max went down to the river and threw his cap in. It came back in the mail the very same day with a note attached that said:

Max,

You still have a long road ahead of you. You may want to hold onto this.

Virgil

Max figured it was too much to hope that he could get rid of the cap so easily. You couldn’t blame him for trying, though. Sometimes, you just can’t escape destiny.

Epilogue

Deep at the center of the Earth, among the molten magma and the Lava Beasts that dwell in it, rises a huge edifice known to some as Skull Mountain. Inside, a dark, evil figure sits on a throne of obsidian. He is a large and powerful being with skin of chalk white. The skin of his face is drawn tight, so as to resemble a living skull. He was dressed in a deep purple cape and breechcloth. The rest of his body was exposed as if the intense heat did not bother him. This figure could only be the one known as Skull Master. At Skull Master’s feet were the scorched bones of the man who had formerly been known as Padre Diego. They were a rather recent addition to the décor. Situated in the center of this dark throne room was the Crystal of Souls, which was the only source of light in the room. The crystal had been Skull Master’s since time immemorial. It had the unpleasant ability of entrapping the souls of all those Skull Master killed and using them for his own evil purposes. Right now, Skull Master was using the crystal’s power to review the defeat of his minions by the Mighty One in Argentina. He kept watching over and over. Then, he brought his fingers together and started speaking in a deep, raspy voice.

“It seems that I have underestimated this Cap Bearer, this . . . Mighty Max. No matter. There will be other opportunities. In many ways, I have only just began. I will have his cap, even if I have to separate his head from his shoulders to get it.”

Skull Master let out a deep, mirthless laugh that could freeze a man’s blood in his veins.


The End?

[JusSonic]

Oh man! This is so cool! I hope you make more of this great revamp someday!

[King_of_doom]

That's a reference to the old show, actually. Norman always used to say "I eat _____ for breakfast!" It was always something different. There was "I eat giant spiders for breakfast." "I eat radiation for breakfast." and a whole bunch of others. The thing with Max calling Virgil a chicken was also from the old show.
Man! They really have to release it on DVD because i didn't remember that part until you explained it.

The final chapter was awesome and we now know how Max's mom knows Virgil and Norman and how Virgil was trying to keep Max safe because he thought he wans't ready for his destiny also i like the epilogue of the Skullmaster, hope you can make a new story someday too ^^.

[AdamYJ]

Man! They really have to release it on DVD because i didn't remember that part until you explained it.

I've forgotten a lot of that stuff too. I had forgotten all about the Crystal of Souls until I did some snooping around online and then I added it in the epilogue. This actually adds a new wrinkle to the story. You see, if the crystal collects the souls of those that Skull Master kills, then that means that the soul of Max's father is likely trapped inside. I'm going to have to address that somewhere down the line. I also forgot about Skull Master's right hand man, Warmonger, but there was no real reason to add him to the story at this point.


The final chapter was awesome and we now know how Max's mom knows Virgil and Norman and how Virgil was trying to keep Max safe because he thought he wans't ready for his destiny also i like the epilogue of the Skullmaster, hope you can make a new story someday too ^^.

Since I liked the old Mighty Max show so much, I knew I had to look hard for some new things to add. I knew I would be adding the stuff about Max's father from the beginning. That also developed into the idea that the cap wasn't always a cap. Later on, some of the things like Virgil trying to protect Max came about. Another thing I'd like to play with down the line is the possibility that Bea has a crush on Max. It was hinted at in the first season of the cartoon when she was upset that Max liked this really dippy girl named Jiffy. It's something I'd handle very gingerly if I do. They're only eleven, after all.

As for future stories, other than working toward Max's showdown with Skull Master and dealing with the Crystal of Souls, I'd like to do like the original show did and take the idea behind some of the various toys and develop them in their own direction. The Doom Zones that I'd specifically like to work with are Skull Dungeon, Battle Cat, Man Eater, Ape King, Dino Lab, Cyclops, Cyberskull and maybe The Hand. If anyone would like to use this story as a springboard and develop something based on one of the others, I wouldn't be opposed to it. If you don't send the characters into any crazy new directions when you do, I'll gladly count them as part of the series. There are lots of Doom Zones (and Horror Heads) and I've only got so many ideas. For example, though I'd love to see Max take on some aliens again, I have absolutely no ideas for Wolfship 7. Anyway, here's a site that shows all of the old toys: www.virtualtoychest.com/mightymax/mightymax.html

I'll see you all on the flip side.

[JTX]

That was an awesome story Adam and i like how you put Skullmaster at the end of the story, hope you can do another cool story of Max someday :).

[AdamYJ]

That was an awesome story Adam and i like how you put Skullmaster at the end of the story, hope you can do another cool story of Max someday :).

He's Max's archenemy. It wouldn't be right unless he showed up at some point.

You know, I keep going back and looking through the story and I find little continuity errors. For example, Virgil's note at Burger World tells Max to look out behind him. Yet, at the end, he acts as if he didn't anticipate the Lava Beasts coming. Next time, I'm definitely going to have to write the whole story through, proofread and revise. Writing the story in pieces was what really led to those problems. Then again, I didn't know where I was going with the whole thing until part four. I'm just glad no one noticed but me.

As for future stories, I've got inklings of ideas for my "Skull Dungeon", "Man Eater" and "Cyclops" stories. I'm going to have to pick one in the near future and go forward with it.