Maxillian’s parents were killed in a hold-up when he was 10. Growing up he studied law, criminology and worked to hone his body to peak physical condition. After graduating from college he traveled to Nepal to study the martial and mystical arts with the Cult of Kali. Maxillian spent several years there before he was ready to receive the "Kiss of Kali". A brand in the shape of Kali was placed on his face, blinded and scarred he felt betrayed by his teachers and left the temple. Upon recovering he discovered that he had lost his sight but had gained a type of mystical extrasensory perception in exchange. Maxillian returned to America shortly after and began fighting crime as the Shroud.

During a fight against Red Skull he was hit by a "hypno ray" and ended up in space only to be rescued by Captain America. In the time it took him to recover he learned that the ray had left him the power to summon darkness at will. Shroud also decided that the best way to fight crime was to fight it from within and began building his reputation as a criminal mastermind. He declined an offer to join the West Coast Avengers in favor of starting his own gang, the Night Shift. When the Night Shift fought the West Coast Avengers Shroud disappeared in order not to break the secret agreement he had the Avengers. (He asked them not to interfere in his plans for leading the Night Shift.) This caused a strain within the group and they soon mutinied against him.

Shroud returned to New York to run his families company and fight crime in a more traditional manner. An opponent of the Super-Human Registration Act, he escaped from Rikers Island with the help of Arachne. Whom he began a relationship with after helping her recover from her injuries. He was recaptured and sent to The Negative Zone prison only to be freed in time for the final battle in the Civil War.