career timeline

• 2005 —— first began skating at age 4.
• 2011 —— started competing nationally in great britain at the novice level at age 10.
• 2012 —— relocated to new york in order to be closer with his new coach, a former american figure skater and olympian by the name francesco antonelli.
• 2014 —— graduated to the junior level at age 13.
• 2016 —— officially became a senior professional skater at age 15 and competed internationally.
• 2018 —— competed on the team for great britain in the 2018 winter olympics held at pyeongchang, south korea. he placed fourth in men's singles.
• 2019 —— founded an international non–profit charity organization called youth on ice for young skaters and aspiring child atheletes from low income households to receive education, training, counseling, new or repaired gear, etc.
• 2022 —— competed on the team for great britain in the 2022 winter olympics held at beijing, china. he won gold in men's singles. was awarded a CBE (commander of the british empire) title by queen elizabeth ii for his achievements in sports and charity work.
• 2023 —— continues to compete internationally as he prepares for the possibility of qualifying for the next upcoming olympics in 2026.

statistics

• isu ranking: #2 as of the '22 – '23 winter season.
• competitions:
  • world figure skating championships. won gold in men's singles twice 2020, 2022.
  • grand prix final. won gold in men's singles four times 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022.
  • four continents. won gold in men's singles 2020.
• olympics:
  • 2018 pyeongchang, south korea. placed 4th in men's singles figure skating. won bronze in the team event representing great britain.
  • 2022 beijing, china. won gold in men's singles figure skating. won gold in the team event representing great britain.
• career highlights:
  • first men's singles skater to achieve a super slam.
  • first skater to ever successfully land a quad axel jump in competition at the 2022 winter olympics.
  • first asian men's singles skater to win gold at the olympics as well as the first asian skater to win multiple world championships.
  • first skater to ever land a backflip on a single blade in competition at the 2018 winter olympics.
  • developed a new skating maneuver titled the "hwang spiral"; a hands–free death spiral in which a pair initiates a traditional death spiral, but the male skater releases their grip on the female skater so that her body spins in a broad spiral formation on her own without the help or control of her masculine partner. as she comes back around to close the spiral, the masculine partner must jump overhead of her body to avoid collision.

style

The overarching theme of any Hwang performance is drama, passion, and fierce aggression. Although he is more than capable and often utilizes gentle nuances, able to glide and land jumps as if he were floating on air, he always aims to make a bold statement. He manages to blend his technical skills with artistic expressions as he insists on crafting or heavily editing his own choreography.

Max is a perfectionist about his vision and image, never satisfied to simply perform a few jumps or other basic technical moves that in modern day competitions have become the utmost priority from judges. Many have compared his programs to watching an actor on the stage as he engages with his audience, feeling the emotion and intensity of the music, pushing the boundaries of showmanship with many dangerous risky stunts (that are illegal in many competitions such as the olympics), usage of props when permitted to, and expressionism.

The media have given him many nicknames such as "Inferno Prince" and "Ice Devil" in homage to his many daredevil–esque performances as well as his notably brutal competitive behavior against his rivals.

strengths

He can successfully perform most standard jump techniques, but he is best known for his flawless executions of the axel jump and pushing his body to perform as many revolutions as possible.

Generally is known for attempting very dangerous moves whenever possible (usually exhibitions or in special competitions that permit such stunts); Backflips, risky lifts and swings with partners, headbangers, the detroiter, many other acrobatic elements, and even the inclusion of fire dance while on the ice.

Artistic expression is another one of his notable skills as he goes all out to interpret emotions and tell a visual story through his performances, whether or not he's skating alone or in a pair.

weaknesses

He does not work well with others as he can be bossy or controlling and struggles to find the right chemistry with any potential skate partners.

Maxwell's overzealous ambitions and extreme risk–taking moves often get him into trouble, whether it be having points docked for performing illegal moves and stunts in competition or receiving injury from the failed execution of a stunt.

His obsession with competition and outdoing others feeds into a very hostile personality as he has been known to cause conflict behind the scenes or display his anger outright in public with loud, sometimes even violent, outbursts. As a result, he is not always so popular with judges as his demeanor isn't particularly good sportsmanship. His own temper and stubborn goals are his biggest downfalls.

perspective

It goes without saying that skating is his one true eternal love. Through the hard times, the losses, the bloodshed, the accomplishments, fame, and wealth — this sport is what keeps him going.

However, there are often conflicted emotions regarding his career. Max feels constant frustration as a result of being exploited by his mother (and plenty other money or fame hungry people latching onto him superficially), ed suddenly into a whole new realm of upper class society, unable to properly cope with the pressures and fast life that he has adopted ever since making it big.

Not to mention that although he does enjoy the thrill of competition and actively works to hone his technical skills, he feels a major lack of creativity and his passion for the art of skating is frequently crushed. In today's industry, most if not all high profile skating competitions — especially the olympics — put heavy importance on a skater's technical skills such as their jumps, turns, combinations, etc. While many skaters still manage to bring artistic integrity to their performances, Maxwell is severely suppressed from embracing his full artistic potential. His success as a professional single skater demands it (at least according to his mother and management team).

Thus he has grown to have a strong love/hate relationship with skating. He's been convinced that he must prioritize pure athleticism over his own desires for more, which only worsens his anger management issues and insecurities. In his dreams, he imagines the ideal career that suits his true talents would be retiring from mens' single skating and switching to ice dance where his desires for creative indulgence would much more easily flourish competitively.

Only time will tell if he makes such a switch though, still under the tight–gripped influence of his mother and many others on his current management team who tell him that ice dance isn't worth the effort.

basic information

• Birth Name: maxwell wilhelm hwang.
• Other Names:
  • Nickname(s): max, maxie, ice devil, inferno prince.
• Date of Birth: 08 december 2002 (20).
• birthplace: london, england.
• Nationality: british.
• Ethnicity: korean.
• Education: studying sports journalism at university of oxford, class of 2027.
• religion: atheist.
• Language(s):
  • english (native).
  • korean (fluent).
• Orientation: panual, panromantic.
• Relationship Status: single.
• love language: gift giving, acts of service, physical touch.
• SNS: @infernomax.
• Career:
  • Occupation: professional figure skater, part–time student.
  • Talents: figure skating, modeling, hosting.
  • Fanbase: little flames.
  • Training Length: 7 years, 2005 – 2012.
  • Years Active: 11 years (skating).

appearance

• Faceclaim: enhypen – park sunghoon.
• Height: 180cm  /  5'11".
• Weight: 73kg  /  160lbs.
• Physique: slender & toned. muscle mass tends to fluctuate.
• Hair: naturally black. sometimes may bleach or dye.
• Eyes: dark brown.
• Piercing(s): both earlobes.
• Tattoo(s): none.
• Scar(s): six inch cut across the frontal right side of his neck after a brutal skating accident. cigarette burns on his inner arms and along his flanks.
• Fashion Style: mostly wears all black with rare accents of color. denim, loose tees, sweaters or turtlenecks, knitwear, trench coats, leather jackets, silk, velvet, boots, greys, reds, blues, glitter, rhinestones, embroidery accents. favorite designer brands include thierry mugler, jean–paul gaultier, prada, yves saint laurent, and chanel.

chapter one

Born in London, United Kingdom to a mother obsessed with stardom, Maxwell was the new source of her obsession. His father was simply a ghost with no face or name, having abandoned the family long ago. There was no room for anyone else but his mother and her selfish ambition anyway.

The woman dreamt of becoming a famed star herself when she was young, an immigrant in a foreign land desperate to 'fit in' somehow. As she traveled far from her homeland in South Korea, doing whatever it took to make a name for herself, she fell victim to empty promises and found herself in precarious relationships with wealthy men who all fed her "the dream" only to disappoint time and time again.

After crossing paths with a wealthy man who claimed he could make her a star, she chased him to the ends of the Earth and became his loyal mistress. Yet when the poor girl wound up pregnant, he paid her handsomely to disappear forever from his life, never to mention his name or the time they spent together.

Suffering the burden of parenthood, mummy's dreams were crushed. The men she pursued were suddenly turned off by the fact she had a child, and the older she got, the harder it was to break out into some romantic whirlwand romance with fame. She was getting older, no longer deemed young and beautiful enough. On top of it all, no one in the Western world seemed to want an Asian woman on their screens. The resentment boiled and spread into hatred for her own son. She blamed him for taking away the destiny she felt was always meant for her.

That was until he started growing into an adorable innocent little boy that everyone fawned over as he took to the cold, fascinated with the magic of skating on ice in the Winter snow. Thus an idea clicked in her mind. If she couldn't be the star then she would settle for mothering a star, feeling entitled to live precariously through her son for the remainder of his life.

chapter two

trigger warning: child abuse (psychological & physical), exploitation.

From the moment he learned to glide across a rink, he was immediately into hardcore training for figure skating and even shelled out to modelling agencies as the cute baby boy in commercials and ad campaigns. Maxwell's childhood was suddenly stripped away as the years went by, dedicating his life and soul to the sport and gradually improving, but it was never enough for his mother. She wanted him to be bigger, have his name known across the globe and admired by millions. London just wasn't big enough for her little treasure. Thus she moved the family of two to New York in hopes he would have better chances of success when Max got the opportunity to train under his newest coach, former Italian–American skater and Olympian Francesco Antonelli.

As his training immediately began to prepare him for potential Olympic standards, practicing his technical skills day and night, young Max had zero semblance of a social life. Even after being enrolled in a pristigious private academy in Manhattan as a teenager, the boy struggled to make any real lasting relationships. His lower social class and disconnect to their strange alien world of luxury made him a walking warning sign, his old beat up sneakers and humble lunch meals like flashing neon letters screaming "doesn't fit the standard".

It didn't help that he was hardly the friendliest person, putting up high emotional barriers and pushing those away who dare got too close to his heart. His mother had long planted seeds of paranoia and insecurity within his psyche, teaching him that there are no true friends in this cruel world. Everyone is competition, everyone is an enemy, and the moment you are vulnerable they will take advantage of their power by betraying you.

chapter three

The very moment he went professional, everything changed. Soon he was winning medal after medal, impressing competition judges and skate fans alike as he showed off his growing athletic and artistic prowess in the sport. Finally in February 2018, when Maxwell was still only sixteen years old as his birthday was much later in the year, he achieved his ultimate goal. The dream that he (or, perhaps more accurately, his mother) had long yearned for.

Fame, wealth, and power. It all suddenly came crashing in on him like a double decker bus on a busy afternoon. Max had made it onto the team of figure skaters representing Great Britain in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Although he placed fourth in the end, having made a few mistakes during his programs, the young teen managed to impress with his great showmanship and gained an almost overnight following. Within that same year he was making headlines from many successful competition performances, getting brand deals, and rubbing shoulders with upper class elites.

What do you do when you're a famous teenage millionaire? Well, you hire an expensive management team of exploitative pigs (mummy dearest included) and start burning through your money faster than you can blink an eye. If not for his mother, who had long been his manager and in total control of his finances, he surely would have been broke and on the streets with the reckless way he was suddenly changing. Between competitions and practices, Max was embracing a new fast lifestyle ; Wild parties, endless booze, experimenting with drugs he'd hardly even thought existed before. Behind the scenes, his life was constantly on the precipice of chaos. Yet in front of the cameras and so–called "respectable" figures of the upperclass, his image was squeaky clean as a whistle. Figure skating's perfect little golden boy.

At least until some of his true personality began daring to peek out from behind the façade that threatens to get ripped down.

chapter four

trigger warning: physical abuse.

With each shiny new medal, beaten rival, and roaring stadium of fans cheering his name, he was getting cockier. More bold. Chin up higher. A little more inclined to let his sharp tongue cut deep when others were listening or bark a few orders in meetings with his team of managers, designers, and choreographers.

Never his mother though. He wouldn't dare send a glaring glance her way let alone speak against her. After all this time, she still held utmost control over him with an iron fist. It didn't matter if he'd become a grown man with his own aspirations and dreams. Perhaps it's just what happens when you're told you'll be nothing but dust without that person, that you wouldn't have gotten this far or earned an ounce of talent without their guidance, when they strike the back of their hand across your cheek or burn your skin with the of a cigaerette so that the scars won't show beneath skating costumes. That they are the super glue holding your whole world together and it would all fall apart if you leave them.

After all, mother knows best. Isn't that right?