The MAX ARMOR

Classification: Man Amplified Experiment armor (New Universe)

Creator: Dr. Karl Swensen

Users/Possessors: Spitfire, Jake Travest

Aliases: M.A.C.S. (Man Amplified Construction Suit)

First Appearance: Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1 (October, 1986)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The M.A.X. armor enhances the wearer's strength to superhuman levels, and provides protection against most physical harm. Jetboots enable the armor to fly, and it contains onboard sensors and a large compliment of missiles and bullets. The cybernetic interface used by the armor makes the wearer immune to mind control. While its exact speed and strength is undetermined, it has been known to fly carrying a compact car containing four people.

    The model II version of the suit also had a number of accessories such as: (1) a device capable of boring through solid rock; (2) an electromagnetic clamp attached to a grapple; (3) a hand-held laser

Travest wore a knife mounted on his wrist under the armor.

For an unexplained reason, the model III armor's sensors can perceive the Witness, who is normally undetectable by all visual means.

History:

(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1 (fb) - BTS) - While working at Krotze International, Karl Swensen designed the MAX model I armor, which he intended to be used to perform peaceful construction and other labor. Correctly suspecting that Fritz Krotze intended to sell the armor to weapons dealers, Swensen kept secret the development of a superior second model.

(Spitfire#9 (fb) - BTS) - Krotze sold MAX model I armor (or the blueprints thereof) to the Russian army.

(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1 ) <August 5-9, 1986>- Krotze's agent, Bronson, wore the model I armor, attempted to force Swensen to reveal the designs and/or location of the model II armor, and slew him when he refused.
    Swensen's daughter, Jenny, located and stole the armor, and used it to overpower Bronson when he came after her in the Model I armor.

(Star Brand#2 ) <August 22, 1986> - Jenny wore the M.A.X. armor to rescue a young boy from a cave-in in Kingston, New Hampshire.

(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#2 ) <August 23, 1986> - Jenny used the MAX armor to destroy the Behemoth tank sent after her by Krotze.

(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3 ) <September 12, 1986> - Jenny wore the MAX armor to steal a disk containing information on Krotze's illegal activities, in the process inadvertently shooting Major Benton in the shoulder.

(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#4 ) <October 10-12, 1986> - Jenny wore the MAX armor against Steel Hawk, who crippled it before she shattered his shin. The armor was impounded by the police.

(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#5 ) <November 13, 1986> - The Troubleshooters repaired the armor sufficiently to allow Eduardo to escape with it, but the malfunctioning power pack began to overheat. Based on Jenny's recommendations, Ken Connell saved Giotti from killing himself in the armor, and he hurled its power pack high into the air before it could explode.

(Spitfire#9 ) <February 5, 1987>- Jenny Swensen and Jake Travest parachuted into a battle between Afghani rebels and Russian soldiers wearing MAX model I armor.

(Codename: Spitfire#10) <February 6-26, 1987> - Travest managed to overpower a Russian soldier in the MAX armor, and Jenny modified the armor so that when the Russians brought the armor into their base it would neutralize the other armors. However, the Afghani rebels added a bomb to the armor, so that it slew the Russians and destroyed the armors in the base.

(Codename: Spitfire#11 (fb) - BTS) - Jenny and Project: Spitfire developed the MAX model III armor.

(Codename: Spitfire#11 (fb))- Jenny wore the MAX armor in a mission in Nicuaraga, but the Sandinistas used a scrambling device that cuased it to malfunction and she narrowly escaped with her life.

(Codename: Spitfire#11) - Jenny and the armor were recovered by Project: Spitfire, and the armor was proofed against further scramble attack. After partially recovering, Jenny wore the armor to rescue Travest from the Sandinistas.

(Codename: Spitfire#12) - Jenny and the armor stopped the theft of the experimental F-19A Quicksilver Fighter-Bomber by freelance agent Evan Reinger. However, a recently discovered program containing an interactive simulation of Karl Swenson's personality interfered with the armor's functions--in an effort to stop violence of any kind--and Jenny was forced to purge the disk.

(Codename: Spitfire#13 (fb) - BTS) - CIA agent Willy Deere designed the more compact MAX model IV armor

(Codename: Spitfire#13) - Jenny  wore the new armor and accompanied Deere to Puerto Rojo, where they disabled the Synergy Project of St. John, containing his own version of MAX Technology, which had progressed to the use of cyborgs.

(The Pitt ) <December 22, 1987>- Jenny, returning to model III, wore the M.A.X. armor to the site of "the Pitt", the crater left after the Star Brand had destroyed Pittsburgh. Jenny rescued a family whose car had fallen into the "Pitt juice", but the armor leaked as she was doing so. Jenny was to continue serving the military, but instead she took off in the M.A.X. armor, becoming an outlaw.

(DP7#19 ) <December 24, 1987>- Jenny soon encountered a group of paranormals who had come to the Pitt in search of their friend Jeff Walters. She destroyed one of the Anti-Bodies of Randy O'Brien, mistaking it for an enemy, but the powers of Charlotte Beck caused her to crash, seriously damaging the armor. She was able to get it to function well enough to save their friends Dave Landers and Jeff Walters before shutting the armor down.

(DP7#20) - Unable to fix the armor's damages, Jenny sealed it up and left it at the Pitt. She felt that she might never see it again.

(Psi-Force#20/2 ) <January 20, 1988> - The armor was found by a team led by Colonel Browning and including Jake Travest. As they repaired the suit, the question arose of who would pilot the armor, with the suit finally going to Travest, against Browning's wishes.

(Psi-Force#21 ) <February 29, 1988>- Travest was sent to Victoria, British Columbia to capture Wayne Tucker and Tyrone Jessup of Psi-Force. Members of the Medusa Web came to the aid of Tucker and Jessup, and the armor was finally destroyed by Jessup, who passed through it and caused an overload. Tucker then beat Travest up and stole his knife.

(Justice#28/2) - Travest was rescued from the Fort St. James Correctional Institute in British Columbia, Canada by the Medusa Web. They brought him to the site where the Spitfire armor was being held. Though the armor remained badly damaged, Travest located the computer disk containing the entire set of specifications to construct a new suit of armor. As soon as Travest announced this to the Web, they stole the disk from him and left him behind, blowing up the building, with him in it.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, Jack Morelli, Eliot R. Brown, Herb Trimpe and Joe Sinnott.

Tucker continued to use the knife he took from Travest to the end of Psi-Force's run.

by Prime Eternal and Snood

CLARIFICATIONS:
The M.A.X. Armor should not be confused with:

• Max, friend of Comet Man, @ Comet Man#1
• Max, the Punisher's rottweiler, @ Punisher II#54
• Max, pet dog of Cindy Lou, @ Thor I#444
• Max, creator of Future Max, @ Web of Spider-Man Annual#11
• Max, mechanic, hired the Hulk, @ Incredible Hulk II#427
• Max, of Far Place, @ Justice#13
• MAX, Marvel's line of "mature" comics
• Ultra-Max, computer virus created by Max E. Mumm, @ Punisher Annual#5

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

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