KNOX IS IN THE APEX UNIT
KNOX
NAME maximillian lee
NICKNAME(S)max. 'that weirdo with the camera' doesn't count.
AGE 17 years old
BIRTHDAY june 20
BIRTHDAY june 20
BIRTHPLACE new york
HOMETOWN the bronx, nyc
ETHNICITY korean
LANGUAGE(S) fluent in both english, and an alien 'language' he looked up via the internet from when he was still thirteen. he claims that it's a legitimate source and that no one should laugh at him for it. he used to be able to speak some korean words but ever since his parents left him, he hardly uses it.
FACECLAIM stray kids jeongin + hyunjin + any stray kids member honestly.
APPEARANCE at 163 cm and wieghing 48 kg, max is often mistaken to be thirteen. he's a bit on the lanky side but has prominent baby fat on his cheeks. he also has the gummiest and most charming smile ever that no one has ever seen. literally. because he never smiles.
STYLE a blue denim jacket with some faded ketchup stains on the sleeve and some ufo-related pins attached near the chest area, a stripe-patterned shirt, shorts or pants (depends on the weather), and worn-out white sneakers compose his outfit. he wears a backpack to school.
THE BASICS
PERSONALITY 100% an introvert, has anxiety, expressive under certain circumstances, has 0% sense of danger, supports his ideals to the ends of the earth (his anxiety is replaced by indignation), socially awkward, he gets more talkative the more you are around him, when he's fed up with someone he gets less awkward, edGy. chaotic neutral. gryffindor.
max has always been the loner. maybe it's his lack of talkativeness or the way he seems to shrink away from other people. whenever he talks to others, he feels awkwardness lingering in the air and his energy draining away. he avoids talking to people if it's not related to superhero duties. anxiety eats him up during meetings and he feels like he's about to puke everytime. he just really likes his alone time.
even though max hates any type of socializing in real life, he spends most of his time on an internet-based forum that lets him discuss about aliens and UFO sightings. being a long-time member, he's kind of known on that site as someone who posts everyday; has never missed even once. he's often interested in other peoples' opinions on the subject matter and converses with them normally, unlike his usual about-to-break-down behavior dealing with people in real life.
max gets all kinds of emotions just browsing the site: grinning from ear to ear when user grey.a finds a new flying saucer sighting, pouting in sadness when a newbie blatantly ignores his welcome message in particular, pinging all the others above and below his messsage, and almost throws his laptop away in excitement when someone posts a really pretty fanart of U-F-OH? in the forum. he's not this expressive with other people around but he feels like no one is going to judge him when he's alone in his room. he'll probably act like this to his (non-existent) close friends, but for now he still has his walls up.
despite being quiet all the time, max's actions are not. he makes really brash decisions like climbing fences into restricted areas if it piques his interest, or breaks into the canteen's kitchen to find actual, edible lunch food. these situations don't always go his way because he's already been charged with 15 counts of trespassing, 3 counts of breaking and entering, and a charge of attempted arson all while being under 18 (it's never escalated to him getting imprisoned... yet).
max gets riled up when someone denies him his basic rights: "is it not our right to get edible food?" he defiantly asks the kitchen staff as security takes him away. what's funny though, is that the canteen's menu improved after the incident but max got suspension for one week so he still didn't get to eat it. then, the canteen went back to serving horrible mystery meat and healthy salads. so max had to either pack his own food (craft mac 'n cheese, anyone?) or escape to a nearby taco bell for some comfort food.
he's as much as a grinch as he is a socially awkward teen. he might always be irritable when provoked but he doesn't bite. he's all yap. but don't blame him when something happens to your lunch (if it looks delicious he'll definitely eat it). if you're lucky, he'll just choose to ignore you because he has more important matters at hand. but if he's bored... get ready to get rekd't.
max has always been the loner. maybe it's his lack of talkativeness or the way he seems to shrink away from other people. whenever he talks to others, he feels awkwardness lingering in the air and his energy draining away. he avoids talking to people if it's not related to superhero duties. anxiety eats him up during meetings and he feels like he's about to puke everytime. he just really likes his alone time.
even though max hates any type of socializing in real life, he spends most of his time on an internet-based forum that lets him discuss about aliens and UFO sightings. being a long-time member, he's kind of known on that site as someone who posts everyday; has never missed even once. he's often interested in other peoples' opinions on the subject matter and converses with them normally, unlike his usual about-to-break-down behavior dealing with people in real life.
max gets all kinds of emotions just browsing the site: grinning from ear to ear when user grey.a finds a new flying saucer sighting, pouting in sadness when a newbie blatantly ignores his welcome message in particular, pinging all the others above and below his messsage, and almost throws his laptop away in excitement when someone posts a really pretty fanart of U-F-OH? in the forum. he's not this expressive with other people around but he feels like no one is going to judge him when he's alone in his room. he'll probably act like this to his (non-existent) close friends, but for now he still has his walls up.
despite being quiet all the time, max's actions are not. he makes really brash decisions like climbing fences into restricted areas if it piques his interest, or breaks into the canteen's kitchen to find actual, edible lunch food. these situations don't always go his way because he's already been charged with 15 counts of trespassing, 3 counts of breaking and entering, and a charge of attempted arson all while being under 18 (it's never escalated to him getting imprisoned... yet).
max gets riled up when someone denies him his basic rights: "is it not our right to get edible food?" he defiantly asks the kitchen staff as security takes him away. what's funny though, is that the canteen's menu improved after the incident but max got suspension for one week so he still didn't get to eat it. then, the canteen went back to serving horrible mystery meat and healthy salads. so max had to either pack his own food (craft mac 'n cheese, anyone?) or escape to a nearby taco bell for some comfort food.
he's as much as a grinch as he is a socially awkward teen. he might always be irritable when provoked but he doesn't bite. he's all yap. but don't blame him when something happens to your lunch (if it looks delicious he'll definitely eat it). if you're lucky, he'll just choose to ignore you because he has more important matters at hand. but if he's bored... get ready to get rekd't.
BACKGROUND born to two korean immigrants, max lived a normal life in a four-story apartment block. his dad was a manager at the nearby mcdonald's and his mom took freelance jobs as a photographer ever since she got sacked from her previous job. his mom was talkative and fierce while his dad was the quiet type who was very calm when dealing with other people. they were similar in a way that they won't back down when they know they're right.
max was their only child and so they cared for him a lot. he was spoiled by his dad but his mom was ready to take out a hanger or slipper when he misbehaves ("it's for your own good, hyuk. how will you be able to learn from your mistakes if you just brush it off like it's nothing."). he was usually with his mom because his dad stayed late because he worked two shifts. they often went to visit the mcdonald's his father worked in at least once a week during weekdays.
growing up, max had befriended their neighbors, the kids at the nearby park and most of his classmates. he was a ball of sunshine with his warm, gummy smile. that all changed when he was nine years old. his father just disappeared all of a sudden. his mom said that some monsters from the sky took him away. and so max believed that reason. but looking back now, he knew that he is only fascinated with aliens as a coping mechanism because he wanted know where his dad went and to distract himself with what happened afterwards.
his mom had to pay the bills after his dad disappeared and he could see it taking a toll on her. she wasn't at all like before. she got angry more and the bags under her eyes made her look older than ever. those bloodshot eyes gave him nightmares. he feared the moment when the door slammed shut and he used to escape to the rooftop when his mom was angry instead of talking it out. because there was no 'talking it out' with her.
soon police came to take her away. he was thirteen then. his neighbors were talking about it. she was selling drugs and taking them, too. one of their neighbors actually called child protection services because max had been getting really large bruises that he wasn't even aware of until they pointed it out. he was sent to a public boarding school in queens on a scholarship but it didn't work out. especially when he kept on skipping classes and getting into fights with the other kids.
after a year in the boarding school with no changes in his behavior, he was kicked out just like that. he didn't know what to do after he had no home after all. they didn't provide him with one, or even a foster family to live with. so he snuck inside the backdoor of a diner and stole frozen hotdogs to last him a couple of days. he wandered the streets for months, just stealing and sleeping in the streets (benches are gr8) until he got beaten up by this other homeless guy for sleeping on his spot on this one park bench.
max went to manhattan in search of his purpose (and possibly some UFOs). he didn't find any and was about to go back to the bronx to find people he knew, when a huge truck came skidding down the street coming at a speed he knew will kill him on impact. he looked for the driver ...but there was none. he froze on the spot. he couldn't move so he just closed his eyes. a feeling of dread came from the pit of his stomach travelling up his body until he felt the tingling sensation stop at the top of his head. he opened his eyes to find the truck had crashed through the display of a nearby luxury store to the left of where max was standing.
shrugging it off, he decided he needed some money to be able to travel back to his hometown. he tried to pickpocket a few tourists but only got a few bucks. his luck ran out when he tried to pick this woman's handbag. she was quick to retaliate and punched him on the ribs. he lied down as if he was in pain. he didn't really feel any pain, but that was his usual reflex. a man, who was with the girl perhaps?, bent down and offered him a hand "hey, you okay?" max needed to think quickly, if they ask him to go with them to a police station they will surely find the other wallets he stole. the first thing that came to his mind was "run!" and so he did. he ran with all his might, sending him out of breath. he never stopped until he thought he was far enough.
he wasn't. they caught him. and frantically, he surrendered because he was so out of breath he couldn't run away anymore. and he thought, maybe juvenile prison is better than running around being homeless. that was the point where agent wolf introduced who the two of were. that they train kids with potential, and the fact that he managed to run that far after getting punched hard by agent king meant that he either has a self-regenerating ability of some kind or something else entirely because agent king knew that she broke a rib or two of his at least. he didn't think twice about accepting when agent wolf mentioned about free meals and housing. agent wolf also made him promise not to steal anymore.
max was their only child and so they cared for him a lot. he was spoiled by his dad but his mom was ready to take out a hanger or slipper when he misbehaves ("it's for your own good, hyuk. how will you be able to learn from your mistakes if you just brush it off like it's nothing."). he was usually with his mom because his dad stayed late because he worked two shifts. they often went to visit the mcdonald's his father worked in at least once a week during weekdays.
growing up, max had befriended their neighbors, the kids at the nearby park and most of his classmates. he was a ball of sunshine with his warm, gummy smile. that all changed when he was nine years old. his father just disappeared all of a sudden. his mom said that some monsters from the sky took him away. and so max believed that reason. but looking back now, he knew that he is only fascinated with aliens as a coping mechanism because he wanted know where his dad went and to distract himself with what happened afterwards.
his mom had to pay the bills after his dad disappeared and he could see it taking a toll on her. she wasn't at all like before. she got angry more and the bags under her eyes made her look older than ever. those bloodshot eyes gave him nightmares. he feared the moment when the door slammed shut and he used to escape to the rooftop when his mom was angry instead of talking it out. because there was no 'talking it out' with her.
soon police came to take her away. he was thirteen then. his neighbors were talking about it. she was selling drugs and taking them, too. one of their neighbors actually called child protection services because max had been getting really large bruises that he wasn't even aware of until they pointed it out. he was sent to a public boarding school in queens on a scholarship but it didn't work out. especially when he kept on skipping classes and getting into fights with the other kids.
after a year in the boarding school with no changes in his behavior, he was kicked out just like that. he didn't know what to do after he had no home after all. they didn't provide him with one, or even a foster family to live with. so he snuck inside the backdoor of a diner and stole frozen hotdogs to last him a couple of days. he wandered the streets for months, just stealing and sleeping in the streets (benches are gr8) until he got beaten up by this other homeless guy for sleeping on his spot on this one park bench.
max went to manhattan in search of his purpose (and possibly some UFOs). he didn't find any and was about to go back to the bronx to find people he knew, when a huge truck came skidding down the street coming at a speed he knew will kill him on impact. he looked for the driver ...but there was none. he froze on the spot. he couldn't move so he just closed his eyes. a feeling of dread came from the pit of his stomach travelling up his body until he felt the tingling sensation stop at the top of his head. he opened his eyes to find the truck had crashed through the display of a nearby luxury store to the left of where max was standing.
shrugging it off, he decided he needed some money to be able to travel back to his hometown. he tried to pickpocket a few tourists but only got a few bucks. his luck ran out when he tried to pick this woman's handbag. she was quick to retaliate and punched him on the ribs. he lied down as if he was in pain. he didn't really feel any pain, but that was his usual reflex. a man, who was with the girl perhaps?, bent down and offered him a hand "hey, you okay?" max needed to think quickly, if they ask him to go with them to a police station they will surely find the other wallets he stole. the first thing that came to his mind was "run!" and so he did. he ran with all his might, sending him out of breath. he never stopped until he thought he was far enough.
he wasn't. they caught him. and frantically, he surrendered because he was so out of breath he couldn't run away anymore. and he thought, maybe juvenile prison is better than running around being homeless. that was the point where agent wolf introduced who the two of were. that they train kids with potential, and the fact that he managed to run that far after getting punched hard by agent king meant that he either has a self-regenerating ability of some kind or something else entirely because agent king knew that she broke a rib or two of his at least. he didn't think twice about accepting when agent wolf mentioned about free meals and housing. agent wolf also made him promise not to steal anymore.
IN THE LIFE OF MAX with his card full of straight Cs and some stray Ds, max was never good at studying. the only subject that he probably cares about is history because he always manages to ace his exams. he never recites in class and only does his homework when he feels like it. he's quite infamous for being a weirdo and a delinquent. he always cuts class and regularly tresspasses authorized-personel only areas in the school. it's not really difficult for max to juggle his academe and superhero life when he doesn't even do much for the former. he does try to escape superhero duties whenever he can specially when there's a new forum topic or when his favorite web comic updates but he isn't houdini, and agent king is just around the corner to drag him to HQ.
THE TRIVIA
UNQUOTABLE QUOTES
"c-can i get a double cheeseburger?" "n-no, just regular."
"aliens come and take me away from this hell hole."
"y-yeah.." *mumbles* "no veggies..."
*stomach rumbles* "ugh... i need my daily dose of junk food."
"are you ever going to shut up?"
***
FAVES burger and fries! pizza! tacos! fried chicken! basically any type of fast food.
U-F-OH! his favorite web comic about a superhero who finds out in the twelfth volume that he was an alien all along and that his greatest archenemy also runs the pharmaceutical company that he works for during his day job.
comics about aliens or anything without gross romance scenes.
explosions because why not?
nighttime is his favorite time of the day because he sees less, and less stuff to see is less stuff to remember. photographic memory is a b*tch.
BLEGH vegetables. except potatoes 'cause fries? yum. it's strange that he doesn't bat an eye with pickles in cheeseburgers but tells the subway guy to take out every 'vegetable'.
he doesn't like rowdy people especially if he doesn't know that person. he just assumes that they're like the jock-types that beats people up for no reason.
he's never liked being contained in a single place and hates fences and tall gates. if only he could make them explode in a hundred pieces he'd be fine.
his greatest fear after 'getting amnesia' is getting hungry.
HOBBIES besides reading comics, he likes to go ride his bike. no, he didn't steal it. it's not stealing if it's someone's trash. ever since his promise with agent wolf he's been trying not to steal. he found out that people throw out some things that are still okay to use on the sidewalk so he takes them home.
he has a photographic memory but he still takes pictures of his favorite things and moments. he fears that he would one day bump his head on something really hard and get amnesia so he develops his film in a makeshift darkroom and writes what's happening on the picture the back of the photograph.
TRIVIA max never listens to lectures at school because he remembers every part of it. and that's just horrible. more than half of your memories are stuff you won't even use?
his korean name is lee minhyuk. that's how his dad called him. his mom called him by "hyuk".
he might not be able to feel pain but he feels something similar to it when he hasn't eaten for a while and it's the most uncomfortable thing he's experienced yet. he won't die, though. not at least a month has passed but it still 'hurts' him.
[redacted] his dad is an alien who landed on earth and made modifications to his body to be more human-like to be with max's mom but since it was very illegal they took him back when they found him some fifteen years later.
he goes to get his first fast food fix of the day at a relatively healthy fast food joint. at subway. which isn't on a subway, by the way.
when he was a kid, he strangely remembers that his dad was some kind of magician who can bend forks and make turn it back to its previous state.
his room is full of trash honestly and the only tidy thing is a shelf full of photo albums with the photographs he took on it.
max is much more dangerous when he's bored. he has the attention span to think up of pranks and execute it flawlessly.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES okay so throughout his research and forum debates there are four undeniable facts about aliens. first of all, aliens have the capability to alter matter particles (reinhardt, 1968). second, aliens like milk for some reason because they keep abducting cows but they never experience hunger (jones, 2006). third, aliens have self-regenerating abilities (becker, 2013). fourth and finally, the fact that they're radically undeniably real. (lee, 2019)
THE RELATIONSHIPS
AGENT GENEVIEVE KING like everyone else, max initially felt uncomfortable when agent king was around. it didn't help that their first encounter was him trying to get her wallet. although, after spending more time with her she reminded him of his mother. she was strict and no-nonsense, sometimes bordering on agressive. max enjoyed their lessons even though it always ended up with him getting beat up. he has probably grown on her and vice versa but they remain on a strictly professional basis. 
AGENT VINCENT WOLF he reminds max of his dad. although his dad wasn't as affectionate, the way he handled things without being angry inspired max to be more positive (of course that didn't work). agent wolf often checks up on him. how was school, did his powers go awry, did he find out more about his powers and if he had a girl he liked. max appreciated the gesture but he didn't really feel comfortable sharing personal details like that, so he just often walks away after having an awkward staring contest with agent wolf. he might open up in the future but not today.
VANESSA VO being both similar but so different to this girl at the same time, max often finds her unbearable. she doesn't listen to the higher rankings' orders just because she feels like it, and max either feels angry because he can never talk back to the higher-ups like she does or the fact that she never listens to his opinions. he mostly just ignores her whenever she's in the same room as him but ends up getting really irritated when he sees her (even if it's just in his peripheral vision). they might get along one day, when they make a compromise. but that day is not today. 
JUSTIN CHO so this guy works at subway on a 6-hour shift from 8 am. he and max always awkwardly interact at 8 am before max goes to school. just imagine a 17 year old having trouble ordering the same damn thing on the menu and a 19 year old trying to hit on said minor at an ungodly hour. every. single. day. justin is usually a pretty chill guy but finds it funny that max gets flustered when he flirts with him. justin is a confident and charismatic guy that attracts other customers on a daily basis but he's also loud and rowdy which ticks max off. but ever since max saw justin's physical copy of a limited edition U-F-OH! comic book lying around and asked about it albeit hesitantly, the rest was history. it turns out that justin makes fanart of the comic on his free time. they are now more friendly with each other but justin can't catch himself when he ends up low-key flirting with the kid. max's smile when he talks passionately about the comic is like a really contagious feel-good virus and justin can't help basking in that sunshine. max on the other hand doesn't have the time for crushes but a scene with justin asking him if he's sure that he doesn't want any vegetables on his sandwich tend to replay on his head when he's trying to focus on a mission. his photographic memory doesn't really help. THE SUPERHERO
ALLIAS knox + it sounds cooler than max and it's related to this one UFO incident in 1948. fort knox, ever heard of it? also agent knox just sounds so cool.
SPECIES human ?
ABILITIES inability to feel pain. max has never felt pain even when he was still a kid. big bruises were just discolored skin to him. he never thought that he was weird not being hurt, he never even realized it until the run in he had with agent king that led to him breaking his ribs. photographic memory. he remembers everything that has happened to him like a mental photograph if he concentrated enough. the earliest memory he can remember in detail was the day when his dad disappeared. his dad left the house early in the morning to work, and in the afternoon there was a flash of bright light coming from the window that overwhelmed his room. lock picking. very useful though he still takes too long if he does it manually. very agile and a fast runner. due to his training. he really cant punch well but he can dodge flying kicks and flying arrows so that's good, right? gun. his main choice of weapon since his fists are totally useless. explosives. his second choice of weapon and only uses it if it's his last resort since their mission should be covert after all. metal bending. a really weird phenomenon that max doesn't even know if he even has the ability to. sometimes when vanessa comes around the school cafeteria he gets irritated and then ends up finding that his spoon and fork is bent. there was also that incident with the truck where he almost died. he thinks it's related to his emotions. but he still doesn't know much about it to control it. if he properly masters it he could probably use it to make himself a magnet, use it to lock pick without any tools and some other usual metal bending stuff. [redacted] it's genetic and came from his father's side. the photographic memory too and the fact that his body has no pain receptors. but since he's not fully an alien, he can't just heal himself when he has injuries. his hunger is also a result of him being a hybrid.
SUPERSUIT max doesn't like bulky costumes or disguises. a simple face mask will suffice, but to make it a bit unique and edgy he put a red x on it. he decided to ditch the bulletproof spandex because honestly it feels weird to wear one and he will more likely mess up a mission if he wore one. he wears an all black hoodie and jeans which is pretty underwhelming but they're supposed to be more covert than your usual superheroes. he also wears a body bag (the sling bag kind, not the one where you put cadavers in) to bring the essentials with. tissues for bathroom breaks, lockpicking equipment like bobby pins, a couple of hot pockets, a flashlight, and his favorite explosive devices. he would've wanted to bring his camera with him but he already got told off because of it. besides that he also has a gun strapped to thigh like those women in spy movies.
IN THE LIFE OF KNOX knox was recruited by wolf when he realized that this kid has some serious pain tolerance or was just plain crazy. he was a fast runner too. max is often assigned to 'fight' because he at hacking or making up strategies. he's more suited for stealth missions and scouting the area because he notices everything. but what are the explosives for?
there needs to be a contingency plan for everything, of course.
THE INTERVIEW
TIGHT FIT OR LOOSE FIT COSTUME "i will never wear a tight suit."
CAPE OR NO CAPE "no cape. that's just cheesy ...and honestly quite dangerous."
BE A SUPERHERO OR A SECRET AGENT "secret agents are cooler because they don't wear underpants on top of pants."
POWER TO FLY OR TO READ MINDS "i'd rather be a normal kid but if i had to pick, i'd pick flying." after all, if someone pushed me off a cliff i'd be able to survive. on the other hand, if i could read someone's mind then i would have heard them thinking even before they pushed me... huh?
AGENT WOLF OR AGENT KING *snorts* "agent king. she's badass." and kinda reminds me of my mom.
FINISH YOUR FINALS TEST OR SAVE HARLEM FROM A RAMPAGING MONSTER? "bait it to come to greley! there won't be a test if that monster came to our city."
YOU SEE YOUR BUS ABOUT TO LEAVE AND AN OLD LADY THAT NEEDS HELP CROSSING THE STREET, WHAT'S YOUR MOVE? "i really hate school. assuming that bus is my ride to school, i'd probably help anyone cross the street just to have an excuse."
THE GOODBYE
COMMENTS hi pls welcome max the ufo enthusiast who might also be an alien himself. also have fun with justin idc what his real intentions are perhaps he's actually evil?? ooh :000 also u can highlight the redacted stuff 2 read it cuz it might be important
SCENE SGST. max and vanessa arguing lol.
maybe a reunion with his mom or dad.
training montages like the mulan ones. idk why but agent wolf reminds me of captain shang.
max ing up the mission and ends up blowing up the place.
max flipping out when he learns that not everyone in the unit is human.
NOW PLAYING ;-)
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