Jump to content

Investigation of Maxwell


Recommended Posts

Maxwell, the most mysterious person in Don't Starve. We know next to nothing about him. All we know is that the four currently playable characters have an aversion to him (except for Wendy, who seems to know him), he appears to the player for only a moment, and can instantly disappear. Apparently, Maxwell has some sort of magical power, but that is all we can ascertain about him at the time. However, I've noticed something else notable outside of the game-on the title screen, in fact. The shadowy hands, gently undulating on the title screen, are also seen seemingly shaping the world with the Make New World option. This seems to imply that an outside force is shaping the world as a sort of trial for the player. With these god-like powers, could they have any connection with Maxwell? And how does Wendy know Maxwell? Why do the other three characters instantly feel an aversion to him? This investigation will continue each update. Feel free to list anything you can add to this investigation, since Maxwell will probably have more significance as time goes on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's something else to think about. Every character in the game, Wilson, Willow, Wendy, and Wolfgang (as well as any future unreleased characters) all have names that start with "W". Maxwell starts with "M", which is a reversed "W". Kind of like the whole Mario/Wario deal. Was there maybe someone named Waxwell at some point...? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not so much that Wendy knows Maxwell... it's more that she can sense that he is a dark being of some sort (corrupted magician, demon, undead, or the like). Seeing as how Wendy is obsessed with death - much like Willow is obsessed with fire - and is constantly showing that she is sort of "attuned" to the dead, it would make sense that she would feel an affinity for what is, presumably, the game's infernally-empowered bad guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Maxwell is a good guy, he has brought the evil scientist Wilson to justice, but, like any good super hero is in incapable of killing or hurting them!As such, he has spent many years of his life designing the perfect prison to hold the scientist and his evil crew...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Maxwell transports everyone to the island because they do not apreciate life.That doesn't make him good or bad,but he tries to teach everyone a lesson to value their lives,and live life to the fullest.Wilson,there is more in life than science alone,and some things just won't come natural with science.Open your heart for the good things life can bring you.Willow,hiding yourself behind fires,away from the things you have gone through when you were younger.Arise from the flames like a phoenix,and continue with your life,you have so much more ahead.Wendy,dead is prominent in your life,but it should not play a main part in your life.You will have plenty of time to play with Abigail,but there are more people who will care for you.You will never be truly alone.Wolfgang,you seem to consist of purely muscles and power,but you are more than what meets the eye.Building muscles and power is what you did,but your loved ones are important aswell.Show them that you care,you already want to do that don't you?Story mode is implemented,and you finally find a way to get off the island.Then you find out what the reason is for you being on the island,and before you escape,you will find a letter written by Maxwell."Don't starve during the buffet that is life."

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My theory is that Maxwell is just an evil wizard/ demon who decides that it'll be fun to torture these unfortunate souls. But here's the twist, the characters are all dead to begin with. The Crew had died from their respective deaths (ie; Wilson died in a lab accident, Willow burnt up during a failed arson attempt, so on) and Maxwell just want to 'play' with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My theory is that Maxwell is just an evil wizard/ demon who decides that it'll be fun to torture these unfortunate souls. But here's the twist, the characters are all dead to begin with. The Crew had died from their respective deaths (ie; Wilson died in a lab accident, Willow burnt up during a failed arson attempt, so on) and Maxwell just want to 'play' with them.

I think that too but.In my opnion Maxwell is the devil, and this island is his "Testing Map", and everyone are only Souls.Maxwell is playing with then in his "world" to see if they are able to go to the heavens.With this "portal" that the Staff are working on, it's a portal to get off this island and go to Maxwell's Lair ( The Hell ) and see if you was worth of your Liberty.I thought of this ending but Idunno XD, can be ramdonly different XDD( Sorry for bad language, Foreign stuff y'know, at least you understood wut I said :D )
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reject the idea that Maxwell is the Night Monster and that the shadowy hands are the Night Monster. It wouldn't make sense for him to bring you there only to kill you himself, and the shadowy hands obviously are some higher power, although whether or not it is a form of Maxwell or not is still up to interpretation. I reject the idea of Don't Starve being an afterlife, given that the characters still recognize some elements of the world, with Wilson instantly recognizing a Beefalo when examining it. It also seems nonsensical that the characters are evil and Maxwell is justly punishing them, as they do not exhibit cruel qualities on their own, while Maxwell is instantly regarded as sadistic.However, it would make sense that Maxwell, while evil, is testing and, although sadistically, guiding them back to the right path of appreciating the gifts of life and free will, as Spazmatic said at the bottom of the first page. It is also interesting to note that, while all animals in the game have traditional grunts and roars, the humans' voices are represented by musical instruments. Maxwell seems to be represented by an oboe, Wilson a clarinet, Willow a flute, Wendy a piccolo, and Wolfgang a tuba. These may be wrong, but they sound at least similar to these instruments. This may not seem significant, but this subtle difference implies a difference between the characters and the other creatures, although whether it represents their humanity or something deeper is still yet to be deciphered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Maxwell transports everyone to the island because they do not apreciate life.That doesn't make him good or bad,but he tries to teach everyone a lesson to value their lives,and live life to the fullest.Wilson,there is more in life than science alone,and some things just won't come natural with science.Open your heart for the good things life can bring you.Willow,hiding yourself behind fires,away from the things you have gone through when you were younger.Arise from the flames like a phoenix,and continue with your life,you have so much more ahead.Wendy,dead is prominent in your life,but it should not play a main part in your life.You will have plenty of time to play with Abigail,but there are more people who will care for you.You will never be truly alone.Wolfgang,you seem to consist of purely muscles and power,but you are more than what meets the eye.Building muscles and power is what you did,but your loved ones are important aswell.Show them that you care,you already want to do that don't you?Story mode is implemented,and you finally find a way to get off the island.Then you find out what the reason is for you being on the island,and before you escape,you will find a letter written by Maxwell."Don't starve during the buffet that is life."

I really like this :]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My theory is that Maxwell is all the character's father or uncle, and that he left them when they were all very young, and that he finds them and puts them into his "world" so that he can keep an eye on you forever.Here are some points that kinda support my theory.1. None of the characters declines relationship with any other but don't say anything about it either so they could be siblings.2.Wendy says that she feels a kinship with Maxwell maybe thinking he is her relative3. The camera is always centered around the player, which makes sense for a game, but could also mean Maxwell is watching the player through some sort of something.4.Maxwell transports the player to a world filled with resources, as if he wants them to live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My theory is that Maxwell is all the character's father or uncle, and that he left them when they were all very young, and that he finds them and puts them into his "world" so that he can keep an eye on you forever.Here are some points that kinda support my theory.1. None of the characters declines relationship with any other but don't say anything about it either so they could be siblings.2.Wendy says that she feels a kinship with Maxwell maybe thinking he is her relative3. The camera is always centered around the player, which makes sense for a game, but could also mean Maxwell is watching the player through some sort of something.4.Maxwell transports the player to a world filled with resources, as if he wants them to live.

I'm pretty sure if Maxwell wanted them to be happy, he wouldnt have sent them to the freaking middle of nowhere to live off the land and fend off the monsters on their own forever.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maxwell is a really fun character to discuss about; kinda like the pyro from TF2..The facts and trivias found in the thread so far:-Maxwell is the "demon" who supposedly trapped the player-Maxwell drops the players into a strange world with plenty of resources-The players have full health and full hunger after being dropped off by Maxwell-All characters have an obsession (Wilson; Science, Willow;Fire, Wendy;Visitors, Wolfgang;Strength)-Wendy feels an unusual kinship with Maxwell-If Maxwell has the ability to create "New Worlds", then why doesn't he torture them immediately?Related Lyrics:

"The only thing that burns in hell, is the part of you that won't let go of your life.Your memories, your attachments, they burn them all away.'But they're not punishing you' he said. 'They're freeing your soul'If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away.But, if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.It's just a matter of how you look at it that's all. So don't worry, okay?"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to the wiki Maxwell is a demon. This must mean that he is an evil magical being. We can say Maxwell created the world, for all we know he could just be the welcome guide or something. The reason why we can't say he created the world is because we have had no demonstration of how powerful he is except for the fact he disappears from the beginning (magic of course, maybe he teleported?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to the wiki Maxwell is a demon. This must mean that he is an evil magical being. We can say Maxwell created the world, for all we know he could just be the welcome guide or something. The reason why we can't say he created the world is because we have had no demonstration of how powerful he is except for the fact he disappears from the beginning (magic of course, maybe he teleported?)

One big fat flaw, the hands! Those black hands that seemingly create the world, it's not the grues! Grues are monsters in the dark, not creators! It's either Maxwell or no one.ALSO, THE UNOFFICIAL WIKI? DID YOU CHECK THE OFFICIAL "ABOUT THE GAME" PAGE?post-6300-13764589983174_thumb.png
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Maxwell transports everyone to the island because they do not apreciate life.That doesn't make him good or bad,but he tries to teach everyone a lesson to value their lives,and live life to the fullest.Wilson,there is more in life than science alone,and some things just won't come natural with science.Open your heart for the good things life can bring you.Willow,hiding yourself behind fires,away from the things you have gone through when you were younger.Arise from the flames like a phoenix,and continue with your life,you have so much more ahead.Wendy,dead is prominent in your life,but it should not play a main part in your life.You will have plenty of time to play with Abigail,but there are more people who will care for you.You will never be truly alone.Wolfgang,you seem to consist of purely muscles and power,but you are more than what meets the eye.Building muscles and power is what you did,but your loved ones are important aswell.Show them that you care,you already want to do that don't you?Story mode is implemented,and you finally find a way to get off the island.Then you find out what the reason is for you being on the island,and before you escape,you will find a letter written by Maxwell."Don't starve during the buffet that is life."

8D *sparkle eyes*. Awesome backstory idea... Maxwell is your conscience in the flesh...(No wonder Wilson hates that guy ^_^. And that somehow they all seem to know him)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My theory is that Maxwell is all the character's father or uncle, and that he left them when they were all very young, and that he finds them and puts them into his "world" so that he can keep an eye on you forever.

Here are some points that kinda support my theory.

1. None of the characters declines relationship with any other but don't say anything about it either so they could be siblings.

2.Wendy says that she feels a kinship with Maxwell maybe thinking he is her relative

3. The camera is always centered around the player, which makes sense for a game, but could also mean Maxwell is watching the player through some sort of something.

4.Maxwell transports the player to a world filled with resources, as if he wants them to live.

Like this too. Especially this one is notable:

4.Maxwell transports the player to a world filled with resources, as if he wants them to live.

If you really are a demon you wouldn't send someone to a grassy field with bunnies & berries, would you? However the idea that Maxwell is a demon in the character's eyes would be quite fitting. And with the possibility that this created world might not even be real (or at least in someones head that is), this idea could fit in that scenario as well. Edited by Karisuto
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From this collection of information, I am fairly certain that there is NO indication that Maxwell is a demon. As Aoredon said, he could just be a welcome guide, or a lot more. The reason we cannot say that Maxwell is a demon is because "demon" could be referring to the shadowy hands that shape the world. That fact is certain, as it is seen in the game. It is possible that the shadowy hands are Maxwell's if he has a demon form, but that is unknowable right now. He is some sort of magician, but his true motives are unknowable at this time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
  • Create New...