Maximus is the secondary protagonist of Fallout. He was one of the survivors of the attack on Shady Sands. Since the first thing that he saw after coming out of the refrigerator that protected him from the bomb blasts was a Knight from the Brotherhood of Steel, instead of cultivating an anti-war mindset, Maximus became vehemently pro-war and joined the aforementioned Brotherhood, which was a religious-cult-like military outfit. His dream was to be a Knight, but he was unable to become even a squire to a Knight. When his only friend in the camp, Dane, was promoted to the post of squire, he grew jealous. The following day, Dane got their leg sliced up because someone had put a blade in their boots. Everyone alleged that Maximus was the one who had done it. However, since someone had to fill Dane’s post, the allegations were brushed aside and Maximus was sent to assist Knight Titus on a mission that changed his life.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Maximus pretend to be Knight Titus?
The moment Maximus stepped into the Vertibird with Knight Titus, and the latter responded to his genuine enthusiasm about his armor by throwing his crotch plate at him, he knew something was wrong. Maximus’ apprehensions were proven correct when Titus was unable to defend himself against a mutated bear. He started whining and ranting about being a Knight. So, Maximus took his first radical step by letting him die and assuming the position of Knight Titus. He realized that Titus was no better than him. He thought that if he could capture Dr. Siggi Wilzig and CX404 and bring them back to the Brotherhood, he wouldn’t have to pretend to be a Knight; he would actually become one. But since he didn’t have the correct training, he delivered one flop after another. Between those flops, he did make an impression on Lucy, which paid off later when Thaddeus left him to rot in his depowered suit because she found him and saved him. Did that change Maximus in any meaningful way? No, the change wasn’t instant. It was rather gradual in nature.
What Did Maximus Learn In Vault 4?
Lucy’s presence definitely softened up Maximus a lot. But it was only when he got to live for a few hours in Vault 4 that he realized that life doesn’t have to be about waging war all the time. If humans who were experimented upon and turned into mutants could come together to live peacefully, then why was the Brotherhood forcing him to shovel poop all the time and then sending them into the wild without any proper training? The answer to that is that the Brotherhood required subservience to have the might and power they wanted to wield. Subservience requires people to prioritize the “cause” (which can be anything) over their personal needs. Since that was the only thing Maximus knew, he didn’t question the status quo. However, Vault 4 fundamentally changed him. That was why, even though he promised to kill Thaddeus for trapping him in the Knight’s suit, Maximus gave him a chance to escape because he had been Ghoul-ified. He didn’t respond to cruelty with cruelty. He acted like a responsible adult in a Fallout wasteland.
Did the Brotherhood of Steel accept him as a Knight?
After lying throughout the journey, at the end of Fallout, a lie was thrust upon him, i.e., the death of Moldaver. Maximus was finally a Knight after being judged and ridiculed by the Brotherhood all throughout his life. But it seemed like he didn’t want the title anymore. He wanted revenge after learning that Hank MacLean was the one who robbed him of a childhood by decimating Shady Sands because of his family issues. And he probably wanted to preserve the resuscitated Shady Sands, thanks to Moldaver. However, both of these required Maximus to go against the Brotherhood because the Brotherhood was hand-in-glove with Vault-Tec. So, the question is: Has Maximus evolved enough to betray the Brotherhood, throw away his Knighthood, and set out on a personal quest? Personally speaking, I think Maximus has been deradicalized. He knows how he was being lied to. That said, it’ll be immensely difficult for him to open the eyes of his fellow colleagues in the Brotherhood. His kindness worked on Thaddeus. Will it work on everyone else? Well, maybe after they see the overwhelming evidence that lies in front of them in the form of Shady Sands, the Brotherhood will see the light, just like Maximus did. For now, all we can do is hope that Maximus ushers in a new, non-violent, and pro-people future for the Brotherhood. As for Maximus’ happy ending with Lucy, given how Hank is her father and the villain of his story, I don’t think that’s happening. Love stories don’t last in post-apocalyptic settings anyway, and although that’ll break Maximus’ heart, it’ll probably make him more humane.
