Marvel's Spider-Man Animated Series Wiki
Marvel's Spider-Man Animated Series Wiki
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Max Modell is a supporting character in Marvel's Spider-Man. He is the headmaster and founder of Horizon High.

Appearance[]

Physical appearance[]

Personality[]

History[]

Relationships[]

Peter Parker[]

After he solved his equation back at Midtown High, Max saw something in Peter and gave him the open spot at Horizon High. Ever since attending Max has been known to say Peter is one of his best students.

However, after Otto Octavius swapped minds with Peter he argued with Max about tuition money and almost physically threatened him until Miles intervened. After Peter reclaimed his body Max has grown tired of him trying to get back into Horizon, partially due to it coming close to stalking-like nature.

At the end of season 2, Peter makes amends with Max, as well as Anya and Gwen. Max reveals that Otto left a donation to Horizon in his will and requested that part of it goes to Peter's enrollment into Horizon, which Max allowed.

As Spider-Man, Max has a lot of trust in the hero for all the times he has aided Horizon. Even when the Venom symbiote threatened Max to tell him Spider-Man's location, he never gave in until Venom forced it from his memories.

In Web of Venom, it's revealed that Max has known Peter was Spider-Man since he defeated Adrian Toomes in Goblin War: Part Four.


In Maximum Venom it was revealed that Venom was hiding within Max's bloodstream since the events of Web of Venom, healing inside of him and manipulating his actions in order to have a portal built that connected Earth (Horizon High) to the symbiote planet. With both symbiote invasions being his fault, Max told Peter to give up on him, claiming that he was not a hero like him. Peter tells Max that it wasn't Spider-Man which makes him a hero, but his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Peter's words inspire Max to block out Venom's negative words and assert mental control over the symbiote to help Peter defeat the World Killer symbiote dragon and rid the world of the aliens once and for all.

Miles Morales[]

Miles is one of Max's best and most trusted students. In Generations, Max is shown knowing that Miles is Spy-D.

Anya Corazon[]

Anya is one of Max's best and most trusted students. In Generations, Max is shown knowing that Anya is Spider-Girl.

Gwen Stacy[]

Gwen is one of Max's best and most trusted students. In Generations, Max is shown knowing that Gwen is Ghost-Spider.

Harry Osborn[]

Harry was a student of Max's at Horizon High until Spencer Smythe tampered with Anya's vibranium reactor and framed Harry for its malfunction. Despite transferring to Osborn Academy, Harry held no hostility toward Max and still consider a good friend, unlike his father.

Otto Octavius[]

Otto was given a job at Horizon by Max when he was only nineteen years old, something that he appreciated from the headmaster. However, after the Stark Expo and the consistent inventions that placed the school and students in danger, Max had to let Otto go, which did not sit well with the scientist. Unbeknownst to them this was part of Norman Osborn's scheme to recruit Otto into the Oscorp ranks. However, Otto would eventually turn his hatred toward both men.

At the end of season 2, Max appeared at Otto's funeral to pay his condolences despite all of the lives and events Otto's put him and Horizon through.

Tony Stark[]

Tony Stark is a close friend of Max's, whom he has a lot of trust in and vice-versa. Due to their friend Tony's company Stark Industries donates equipment to Horizon occasionally.

Norman Osborn[]

Max and Norman have a rivalry due to both being colleagues and scientists with their own laboratories. While Max believes in helping the youth become the next scientists of tomorrow, Norman was only interested in being the best, in which his and Max's ideals clashed during Herman Schultz and Clayton Cole's auditions for Osborn Academy.

Spencer Smythe[]

Spencer holds some resentment towards Max for him being well known for his school.

Curt Connors[]

At some point, Max had offered Connors a teaching position at Horizon High. However, it was actually a plan by Norman Osborn to have Connors find any information regarding Max continuing work on the V-252 symbiote and to have him lose his position and ownership of Horizon High.

Abilities[]

Equipment[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • This is Max Modell's first animated appearance.
    • Max is one of the many characters featured in the show that was originally created by Dan Slott.
  • Max is the first character in the show, besides Peter, and the first non-superhuman character to fight back against a symbiote's mental control.
  • Among some fans of the series, Max isn't a well-received character due to the following reasons:
    • Reminding Peter of his tuition without offering any help as a school official should.
    • Showing up at Peter and Miles' party. A party that was obviously only for teenagers.
    • Only offering a payment plan to Peter, after Otto in Peter's body berated him.
    • His being resentful of a teenager's (Otto as Peter) words.
  • In the Marvel Comics, Max Modell is openly gay and is married to his partner Hector Baez.
    • It hasn't been confirmed if this is true or not within this series' continuity.
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