First Appearance: Justice League 1 (1987)
Creators: Keith Giffen, JM DeMattias, Kevin Maguire
Abilities: Tactician, spymaster and amoral business man with hyper-telepathic persuasion.
Backstory: Maxwell Lord IV may seem like just another greasy businessman, but he has come to be known as a master manipulator. As ringmaster of the Justice League and Checkmate, ultimately responsibile for numerous crimes, Lord is often an apocalyptic threat to both human and metahumankind, and has served as antagonist to an array of characters, including the Amazon Champion, Wonder Woman.
Like many of the most successful and powerful people in the DC Universe, Maxwell Lord was fortunate enough to be born into his affluence. His father was the CEO of a profitable yet morally questionable pharmaceutical company. He kill himself upon discovering that they were releasing carcinogenic products, but his surviving son resolved to put the family wealth and resources to better use, no matter who or what might get hurt or killed.
Lord took it upon himself, with the aid of an alien computer, to establish a new Justice League of metahumans and skilled vigilantes, one which would function internationally. Along the way he also discovered that he possessed the ability to manipulate the minds of others. Unfortunately, the use of these powers came with a deadly side effect that aggravated a brain tumor; However, after his subsequent death, The Kilgore downloaded his consciousness into a robot, Lord Havok.
During Infinite Crisis, Lord would return to his human form to take control of Brother Eye, and mind control Superman to destroy anyone who would stand in the way of his quest (and you all know how that infamous story ends). Lord would later be resurrected during Blackest Night/Brightest Day, to seek revenge against Diana, and to pick up where he left off.
After the events of Flashpoint, Maxwell Lord was reset to the position of Black King of Checkmate until a tousle with longtime rival Amanda Waller unsurprisingly rendered him her prisoner. In a high tech customized cell designed to kill him should he use his powers without Waller’s command, an imprisoned Max Lord waits. And undoubtedly schemes.
