What happened to Max (Romina D'Ugo) in Syfy's 12 Monkeys? Max was a recurring character in season 1 of the time travel series, and a former love interest to the series protagonist, James Cole (Aaron Stanford). She was also a member of the post-apocalyptic gang of scavengers, the West VII. The character disappeared from the series after season 1, not to reappear until the finale.
Flashbacks in 12 Monkeys season 1 established that before meeting Jones (Barbara Sukowa), Cole and Ramse (Kirk Acevedo) joined up with Deacon (Todd Stashwick) and the West VII. While there, Cole formed a romantic relationship with Max, which abruptly ended when Cole and Ramse abandoned the West VII. Years later, the West VII launched at attack on Jones' hideout. Max wanted to get revenge on Cole, but couldn't bring herself to kill him. She ended up switching sides and turning on Deacon. Afterward, Max became an ally to Cole and his people, but didn't resume her romance with Cole.
Max died later in season 1 and was promptly forgotten by all the characters. She met her end in episode 10 when Ramse betrayed the team. Ramse, who felt that his own son's existence would be erased if Cole's mission to change the past succeeded, decided to take action against Project Splinter. He tried to gain access to Jones' machine, but was held up by Max. Determined to ensure that his son had a future, Ramse shot Max and splintered to 1987. By the time Cole was able to get there, it was too late. Max couldn't be saved.
This was what started Ramse down the path to being a villain, and though he later felt guilt for some of his actions — such as when he thought he killed Cole — but he never seemed to regret what happened to Max. Also, Max's death gave Cole a reason to pursue and kill Ramse, but at the end of the season 1 finale, Cole decided to forgive Ramse and put the past behind them. Cole and Ramse were able to renew their friendship in 12 Monkeys season 2, and by this time, Max's death no longer seemed important, especially since Cole no longer held it against Ramse.
Though numerous dead characters returned via time travel throughout the series, the show didn't find anything else to do with Max until the 12 Monkeys series finale. When Titan splintered to before the events of season 1, Cole and his friends received help in the final battle against the Witness from the West VII (including Deacon and Max, prior to their deaths). But though Max did get a cameo in the finale, she wasn't present in the scene that revealed everyone's place in the new timeline. Even so, the brief cameo still served as a nice, final nod to a forgotten ally.