M274 Mule

The M274 Mule is an antagonist in Maximum Overdrive.

==Description==

The M274 Mule is a small vehicle used by the U.S. Military, which saw use in military bases and the Vietnam War. This example has an M60 machine gun mounted in the center. Both the vehicle and machine gun operate differently but cooperate to eventually gun down humans.

Appearance
In its only appearance, the M274 is first seen in a highway to the Dixie Boy truckstop along with a bulldozer. The bulldozer arrived first, threatening to rampage the truckstop. However, Bubba Hendershot, the Dixie Boy's owner, launched a rocket to destroy the bulldozer by hitting its roof in the cab. Hendershot cheered his target's destruction, while the "mule" arrives and started gunning the Dixie Boy, killing Hendershot in the process.



The Mule relentlessly kept shooting to the surviving humans, killing three truck drivers and Wanda June the waitress. Wanda was killed after coming out of the Dixie Boy and repeatedly persuade the vehicles that humans "made you".

After Wanda's death, the Mule started to beep its horn in a Morse code sequence that only Deke Keller can recognize. He realized that the trucks and other vehicles demand fuel, and depend on humans to serve this need. The humans refuel the vehicles on the Dixie Boy, and those arriving in the truckstop eventually.

The protagonist Bill Robinson speculates a fact after a period of refueling if the vehicles are controlled by aliens hiding among comets. Bill decides to eliminate the Mule in order to stop the refuel task. While talking to Andy the truck driver outside of the Dixie Boy, the M60 moves and face the protaganist in intimidation. Bill then leaves a grenade to the Mule and spins the M60 to protect themselves. The M60 is unable to shoot the human survivors in time, and both the Mule and the M60 were imploded by the grenade.