Kekius Maximus Surges Over 120% Following Elon Musk’s Profile Update
Kekius Maximus, a meme coin, surged over 120% on May 17, 2025, after Elon Musk changed his X profile name to “Kekius Maximus.” He also updated his avatar to an AI image showing himself in gladiator armor. Musk did not mention Kekius Maximus in any post.
The token quickly gained attention across crypto circles. TradingView data shows Kekius Maximus jumped from near-zero to a high of $0.06. The last time the meme coin spiked was in January 2025, when it hit $0.4011 during another Musk-related moment.
Kekius Maximus had shown little trading activity before this. The profile update brought the token back into focus, pushing both its volume and price upward in a short window.
Kekius Maximus Market Cap Climbs to $57 Million
Following the spike, Kekius Maximus reached a market cap of nearly $57 million. This remains lower than its earlier all-time high of $181 million. That level was seen during its January rally, also linked to Musk’s activity on X.
The meme coin’s branding combines the Pepe the Frog meme with the Maximus character from the 2000 film Gladiator. The name and design match Elon Musk’s profile update but there is no official link between him and Kekius Maximus.
Musk has influenced other meme coins in the past, including Dogecoin. While he has not mentioned Kekius Maximus, his online activity has led to speculation-based movements in previous cases.
The current rise in Kekius Maximus mirrors those earlier trends, driven by users reacting to small profile updates without direct announcements.
Kekius Maximus Scam Warning: One Wallet Controls 99% Supply
While Kekius Maximus gained attention, a warning was issued about a suspicious token linked to its name. On May 17, an analyst on X flagged a Kekius Maximus smart contract where the deployer wallet held 99% of the token supply.
The token, listed under address 6m51rC2jRZkrtQkNNP4sXrSTE6Yq76F9huA8MYRtpump, appeared to be controlled by a single group. A post read, “$KEKIUS (CA 6m51rC2j…) is a blatant obvious scam, don’t buy this garbage…they have 99% of the supply.”
Data shared by Nova showed that nearly the entire token supply sat in just one wallet. The concentration raised concerns about dumping and unfair selling practices, which are common in meme coin scams.
Analysts clarified that this scam token was separate from the original Kekius Maximus. However, both tokens use the same branding, which can mislead traders unfamiliar with contract details.
Meme Coin Pattern Repeats With Kekius Maximus Reaction
This is not the first time a meme coin like Kekius Maximus has reacted to Elon Musk’s profile activity. Past tokens linked to Musk have shown similar short-term rallies, especially when his online actions match certain token themes.
Kekius Maximus had minimal visibility before May 17. The spike came shortly after Musk’s profile changes. Despite no tweet or statement from Musk, the meme coin’s price and market cap rose rapidly.
Many investors still respond to indirect signals from Musk. This pattern has been seen with Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and other meme coins that surged on meme references, image changes, or tweets.