IIRC, JNT nixed Commander Maxil because he was already considering Colin Baker for the 6th Doctor and didn't want to confuse the issue by bringing Maxil back.
But then, coming back in a subsequent Time Lord story is almost never a good move. The rule seems to be that, if you come back, you eventually die or go evil. Granted, it took several times for Borusa to finally fall into the villain slot but it seems to happen to everyone if they last long enough. (IIRC, the 8th Doctor notes in "Neverland" all of the various "noble" Time Lords who inevitably fell from grace-- Borusa, Hedin, Morbius, Omega, Rassilon, etc.)