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Musk's ‘Kekius Maximus’ name on X could be a reference to Gladiator, but that's not all. Here's everything it could mean
Elon Musk changed his name on X to ‘Kekius Maximus,' and even changed his profile avatar to feature an image of the popular Pepe the Frog character.
Elon Musk changed his name on X to ‘Kekius Maximus’ on Tuesday, December 31, and even changed his profile avatar to feature an image of the popular Pepe the Frog character donning gladiator-like armor. While Musk has not yet offered an explanation for the name change, there are, of course, a few hints as to what it could mean.
Everything ‘Kekius Maximus’ could mean
People online have suggested that the new moniker could be a combination of Pepe the Frog and Russell Crowe’s character in Gladiator – Maximus Decimus Meridius. The Tesla boss’ profile picture features Pepe the Frog clad in golden armor, holding a video game controller.
Pepe eventually started off as only a cartoon in the ‘Boy’s Club’ comic series. However, during the 2016 presidential election, it became associated online with white supremacists and the alt-right. The Anti-Defamation League said the character was a hate symbol, and called it “Alt Right’s favorite meme.” These claims, however, have been rejected by many, including Musk.
Could all this be a link to gaming? We aren’t sure, but in an X post on Tuesday, Musk teased his handle change. “Kekius Maximus will soon reach level 80 in hardcore PoE,” he wrote. PoE is apparently a reference to the popular ‘Path of Exile 2’ video game, which Musk reportedly plays.
There could also be a connection to cryptocurrency, it seems. Kekius Maximus is also the name of a ‘memecoin,’ which is a cryptocurrency based on a popular online meme. Musk has used his social media antics in the past to cause huge ripple effects in the crypto market, especially with the dogecoin.
The Kekius Maximus crypto’s value rose by over 900% as of Tuesday afternoon with Musk’s handle change, according to the CoinGecko site. However, it remains unclear if Musk has anything to do with Kekius Maximus specifically.
Some netizens have even speculated that Musk’s motive might as well be rooted in claims that the SpaceX CEO is running a burner super-fan account. Some have suggested that Musk is behind an account that operates under the name Adrian Dittmann, but Musk has dismissed the claims. The account keeps showering praises on Musk.
Musk mocked those who claimed he is behind the account, but reshared a post from the Dittmann account on Tuesday mentioning the Kekius Maximus saga. “Imagine you’re a journalist writing about Elon on X and it goes: ‘Elon Musk, aka Kekius Maximus, on X…,'” the Dittmann post read.
