What Happened to Max in 'We Can Be Heroes'? You May Have Missed This Subtle Reference
Updated Dec. 29 2020, 7:18 p.m. ET
If you grew up on Robert Rodriguez's superhero movies, specifically 2005's fun The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, then you were probably excited to learn about We Can Be Heroes, which is a continuation of the world Robert created. In We Can Be Heroes, it's up to the superheroes' kids to save the world, and one of those kids is Guppy, the daughter of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
When alien invaders take over earth and abduct all the superheroes, the superkids are squirreled away, as officials consider them major targets and precious cargo. The kids (Missy Moreno, Noodles, Ojo, A Capella, Facemaker, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Slo-Mo, Wild Card, and Guppy) decide they need to step up and go kick some alien butt in order to save their parents — and the world. But if the superheroes couldn't do it, how can the kids? Um, because these kids are badass, of course.
Fans of the The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl love that Taylor Dooley is reprising her role as Lavagirl (sadly, Taylor Lautner was replaced by JJ Dashnaw), but many are wondering where Max is, and what happened to him. After all, he was a pivotal part in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl — he invented them!
What happened to Max in 'We Can Be Heroes'?
Max was the creator of Planet Drool and dreamed this world into become a reality in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Max (who was played by actor Cayden Boyd) was actually named after Robert's son, Racer (who goes by Racer Max), since he was the one who originally created Sharkboy and Lavagirl and drew early versions of them. It's all very meta! While we don't know exactly what happened to Max after Sharkboy and Lavagirl, he's likely not in We Can Be Heroes because it's not really meant to be a sequel.
Although Racer Max, the real Max, does make a quick cameo as a pilot in the beginning of the Netflix film. This is probably not Max himself, but just a nod to original movie and the concept of Max in general. “I mean, it was never meant as a sequel to that movie. This was always an original film for Netflix, Robert told Decider, explaining, "[Netflix] asked me for an original film series in the vein of Spy Kids or Sharkboy and Lavagirl." While Max was an important part in the creation of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, his character didn't make much sense in We Can Be Heroes.
Cayden Boyd, the actor, has gone on to be in many films and TV shows, including Young Angel in X:Men: The Last Stand, Brian in Awkward., and Ram in Heathers. If you haven't seen him since Sharkboy and Lavagirl, you should probably know that the 26-year-old is all grown up now.
If you're looking for the magic of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, then We Can Be Heroes is a fun watch — but it's definitely a standalone film. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't expect a handful of Easter eggs. We Can Be Heroes is currently streaming on Netflix.
