| “ | Everyone in the universe is a hero. All you have to do is know the difference between good and bad, and root for good. |
| — Vance Maximus to Morty Smith, Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender |
Vance Maximus, Renegade Starsoldier was a member of the superhero team The Vindicators, who made his first appearance in "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender". He was a pastiche/parody of flippant, scene-stealing heroes like Peter Quill/Star Lord and Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Biography[]
Maximus appears calm, collected, and suave. With a love for casual drinking and seemingly endless charm, he is much loved by his teammates. He recruited Rick and Morty to help them once before but later neglected to summon them for their second adventure due to "personality conflicts."
The bisected bottom half of Vance's body
They were eventually summoned again for their third mission to stop the evil Worldender. However, during the mission, they discover that Rick had gone on a drunken rampage the night before and had killed Worldender and all his goons while setting up a Saw-like death game to prove that the Vindicators aren't as great as they, or anyone else, thinks they are during his blackout. It's during this that Vance succumbs to his anxiety and his true self is revealed: an emotionally-insecure neurotic who collapses under pressure. During this, he harshly admitted that the only reason he let Morty tag along was because he's "the learning disabled kid we do photo ops with." While frantically attempting to escape the game he flew into a booby-trapped air duct, killing him. His death left everyone in the room shocked, including Rick.
Appearance[]
Vance is a Caucasian human male with auburn hair and beard stubble. He wears a blue battlesuit with built-in weapons and a jetpack, over which he wears a vest that has the Vindicators logo on it.
Personality[]
At first, he appears to be a very calm, humorous, and caring leader. The team often laughs at his jokes, and Morty was very appreciative of Vance when he gave him a Vindicator's jacket.
But when they are trapped, another side is revealed. Behind the affectation of a dashing rogue, he is an anxious, image-conscious phony as he reveals he only brought Morty along and gave him the jacket because Morty was the equivalent of the mentally challenged child that they needed to boost their publicity as affectionate heroes.
Powers and Abilities[]
Vance Maximus donned a retractable jetpack that allowed him to take flight and also leave behind turquoise-blue fumes (as well as peripheral jet boots), as a part of his technological garb. His gauntlets contained blasters, which he uses with expert marksmanship sufficient enough to accurately blast and shatter a falling martini glass. He did this without the advantage of his gauntlets' numerous holographic reticles to assist in aiming. As a part of his technological apparatus, he owned a holographic monocle that could lock onto targets and identify them, notably the security drones guarding Worldender on the Terraneous system. The index finger on his right gauntlet could spray a stimulant in aerosol form, which he used to wake up Rick to bypass a turret emplacement. He was portrayed as a confident leader and had the authority to recruit new members to the Vindicators, such as when he gave Morty his Vindicators-style jacket.
Appearances[]
Season 3[]
Vindicators 2[]
- "Rick Can Handle It"
- "Pro-Nouns" (non-speaking cameo)
- "The Dance"
- "Out of Gas"
- "Mercy Kill"
- "Heroes"
Rick and Morty (Comic Series)[]
Rick and Morty Presents[]
Trivia[]
- Vance can be seen as a reference to the Marvel superhero Iron Man, due to how both are portrayed as the de facto leader of their respective groups, along with their overall demeanor as a ladies man and being alcoholics, (however it's safe to say Maximus is a functioning drinker and not an alcoholic)
- He can also be seen as a reference to Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, as both are charismatic leaders of a team of space-faring superheroes, they are both lovable rogues, and both have jetpacks.
- In Rick and Morty presents: The Vindicators, it was mentioned that Vance Maximus (C-132) is half-Filipino.