"Maximum Security" was a comic book story line and company-wide crossover that ran through a three-issue, self-titled limited series and individual issues of the other titles published by Marvel Comics with a cover date of either December 2000 or January 2001. In it, a multitude of alien civilizations that have previously interacted with Earth join forces to prevent humans from interfering further with galactic affairs. To accomplish this, they designate Earth as a penal colony. The miniseries and its crossover in the pages of Avengers were written by Kurt Busiek.