In the spirit of “go big or go home,” AEW is out here making moves that even Marvel Comics might side-eye. According to the USPTO, AEW filed three trademarks on December 5, including one that carries enough nostalgic weight to make ’90s comic fans dig out their old longboxes: Maximum Carnage. Yes, the same name as the iconic 14-part Spider-Man saga that pitted the web-slinger against the symbiotic menace Carnage back in 1993.
Joining this web-slinging blast from the past are trademarks for Maximum Mayhem and Maximum Combat. And while these sound like the titles of your cousin’s favorite 2002 Xbox games, AEW’s intent is clear: entertainment purposes, specifically wrestling on television.
Social media is buzzing with theories. Are these new match types akin to “Anarchy in the Arena” or “Stadium Stampede”? Maybe cinematic bouts drenched in comic-book chaos? Or could these be the names of new AEW specials tied to Warner Bros. Discovery’s MAX streaming platform? AEW isn’t saying yet, so fans are left to dream about steel chairs and symbiotes.
As for potential trademark beef with Marvel (or Disney, aka the House of Mouse that suplexed Marvel into its empire in 2009), it’s worth noting that Marvel’s trademark on Maximum Carnage expired in 2004. However, the name Carnage itself remains under Marvel’s iron grip, renewed as recently as 2021. AEW’s filings, for now, are still pending examination.
This isn’t AEW’s first rodeo with clever trademarks. Just last month, they filed for Dynamite on 34th Street, which has since been confirmed as a holiday-themed episode of AEW Dynamite. It seems Tony Khan and crew are treating trademarks like Pokémon—you’ve gotta catch ’em all!
Whether Maximum Carnage will ignite a legal superkick or just become another chapter in AEW’s growing creative arsenal remains to be seen. Stay tuned for the carnage…literally.