Who is Max in Apple TV's Sci-Fi series Dark Matter? Although the series centers on Jason Dessen (played by Joel Edgerton) and his alternate-universe counterpart, the secret revealed in episodes 3 and 4 might change that – and raise the stakes considerably.
Episode 3, titled The Box, reveals the existence of a mysterious child, previously unmentioned in the series. This deviates from the series' source material, Blake Crouch's 2016 best-selling novel of the same name, and has led to some out-there theories. Here's what makes Max's existence crucial in Dark Matter.
CONTENT SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers for Apple Tv+'s Dark Matter, so proceed with caution.
Who Is Max Dessen in Dark Matter? Theories Explored
Episode 3 shows "Jason B", aka the alternate universe version of physics professor Jason Dessen ("Jason A"), a heartbreaking part of Jason A's reality.
While Jason B was initially convinced that Jason A had the perfect life, in contrast to his own, harsher, reality in his home dimension, a secret in the Dessen family history changes the depth of the story.
It all begins with a Dessen family tradition they enact every year, on Charlie's birthday.
Soon, Jason B stumbles upon the hidden birth certificate of a baby named Maximillian Dessen. This is the first time fans of Dark Matter meet Max – but who is he?
As far as we know, Jason A's family was made up of his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and their only son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley). However, episode 3 explains that "Max" was Charlie's twin brother who unfortunately passed away when the pair were little.
"He was a fighter. So brave, so full of light," Daniela says to Charlie, recalling how inseparable they had been. The story explains they lost him after a series of surgeries meant to correct health complications Max was born with.
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The Max "Twin" Story Was Created Especially for the Series
If you read the novel and are now scratching your head in confusion, stay with us – this is the same Dark Matter, even though you don't remember Max.
That's because – you guessed it — Max's character was written especially for the Apple TV+ series.
According to Dark Matter creator and showrunner Blake Crouch, he chose to depart from his own source material after a "light bulb" moment with the series' lead. Edgerton, who plays Jason, suggested that his character's mission to return to his family in the original world doesn't have to be perfect.
"It was such a brilliant note," Crouch said, "It affects the whole middle part and end of the show and gave it a depth it wouldn't have had otherwise."
If anything, the trauma the Dessens suffered when they lost Max is what gives Jason more emotional depth. This shows he loves his family and that he's not going to let that vulnerable side be written out of his history or his memories.
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Meanwhile, episode 5 of Dark Matter premieres on Apple TV+ on May 29.
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