| Max | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nationality: |  German
|
| Profession: | Arms dealer |
| Death cause: | Shot by Jack Bauer |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Played by: | Thomas Kretschmann |
| Season(s): | 2 |
| First episode: | "Day 2: 6:00am-7:00am" |
| Last episode: | "Day 2: 7:00am-8:00am" |
| Also in: | 24: The Game |
Max was a German arms dealer. He was involved as the mastermind of several terrorist attacks against the United States of America.
Before Day 2
Max's CTU file
Max was an arms dealer with ties to the Middle East. He was selling weapons to several Middle Eastern terrorist organizations. When the American authorities learned of his machinations, they stepped in and the deals fell through. As a result, the terrorists took dreadful revenge on Max by forcing him to watch his own children be executed. Max held the United States responsible for the death of his family and sought revenge - to achieve this, he organized several terrorist operations against the United States. (The Game · "Taking the Ship")
Day 2
Max on his boat
Max was one of the masterminds of a plot, with Peter Kingsley and Alexander Trepkos, to start a war between the United States and three Middle Eastern nations, in an attempt to drive up oil prices. Max hired the terrorist organization Second Wave, led by Islamic terrorist Syed Ali, to acquire a nuclear warhead. Peter Kingsley then fabricated recordings that falsely implicated the three countries to Ali. Within 24 hours of the plot's discovery, Jack Bauer foiled it and managed to expose the conspirators as high up as Kingsley, but Max, Trepkos, and their supporters remained temporarily safe. ("Day 2: 6:00am-7:00am")
When his original plan failed, Max hired Mandy to assassinate President David Palmer with a biological or chemical agent. This attempt also failed; however, it did leave Palmer in critical condition for six months, at which point James Prescott had to once again temporarily assume the office of President. After the collapse of his conspiracy, Max went into hiding, although he continued with his terrorist activities. ("Day 2: 7:00am-8:00am")
The Game
Max realizes that Radford is no longer on the same terms they agreed on.
Max hired terrorist Peter Madsen to target Acting President James Prescott. Max's carefully laid plans eventually fell apart when he kidnapped Kate Warner in an attempt to blackmail her father, Bob Warner, into helping him smuggle nuclear weapons out of the country. Californian Governor James Radford approached Max and wanted to get out of the situation even though Max had promised that he would be the next President of the United States. Disappointed, Max showed the Governor to Mandy who then slit his throat. Later, Max was found and shot by Jack Bauer onboard his yacht. He survived the first shot and shot Jack back in the ribs, Jack staggered back, but managed to pull the trigger one more time, shooting Max again in the chest, piercing his bulletproof vest. (The Game)
Day 3
Three years after the events of Day 2, Wayne Palmer is preparing for a presidential debate between his brother, President David Palmer, and John Keeler. Wayne urges David to avoid defensive responses about his health since the assassination attempt and urges him to emphasize the fact that he arrested and exposed the people responsible for the assassination attempt three years ago, all while in a "weakened state". ("Day 3: 1:00pm-2:00pm") At face value, this appears to be a contradiction, since Max was killed in the game, and Mandy was not arrested. She was still at large as of Day 4, which was set four and a half years after the attempt on Palmer's life. However, the government not only knew who Mandy was at that time, but also knew about her involvement with the attempt, which would fit with what Wayne said about arresting and exposing everyone. ("Day 4: 6:00am-7:00am") Since Wayne mentioned arresting "the man responsible", it is a certainty that he was referring to Max's second-in-command, Alexander Trepkos, who must have been publicly arrested for his involvement in the events of Day 2. Trepkos is not seen in either the game or in later seasons, and this is a distinct possibility.
Background information and notes
- In a deleted scene from "Day 2: 7:00am-8:00am", Max is seen kissing Nina Myers on his boat after she is given Palmer's "shadow asylum". This suggests that the writers had originally intended Max to be Nina's employer from Season 1, with whom she remained in contact through the unseen German woman before murdering Teri and the link between him and Second Wave.
- "Chula Mia" is the name of Max's yacht.
- In Day 9, Max is not shown on the list of characters killed by Jack Bauer (although other characters such as Marshall Goren and Abu Fayed are absent as well). This is because Max's death didn't happen during the show.
- Max and Chase Edmunds are also the only known 24 characters to be introduced on the show and later killed off in other media spin-offs. Chase is killed in 24: Deadline while Max is killed in 24: The Game.
Live appearances
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See also
