Different maize varieties respond differentially to cadmium (Cd) stress. However, the physiological mechanisms that determine the response are not well defined. Antioxidant systems and sucrose metabolism help plants to cope with abiotic stresses, including Cd stress. The relationship of these two systems in the response to Cd stress is unclear. Seed is sensitive to Cd stress during germination. In this study, we investigated changes in the antioxidant system, sucrose metabolism, and abscisic acid and gibberellin concentrations in two maize varieties with low (FY9) or high (SY33) sensitivities to Cd under exposure to CdCl₂ (20 mg L⁻¹) at different stages of germination (3, 6, and 9 days).The seed germination and seedling growth were inhibited under Cd stress. The superoxide, malondialdehyde, and proline concentrations, and the superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and lipoxygenase activities increased compared with those of the control (CK; without Cd). The expression levels of three genes (ZmOPR2, ZmOPR5, and ZmPP2C6) responsive to oxidative stress increased differentially in the two varieties under Cd stress. The activity of the antioxidant system and the transcript levels of oxidative stress–responsive genes were higher in the Cd-tolerant variety, FY9, than in the sensitive variety, SY33. Sucrose metabolism was increased under Cd stress compared with that of the CK and was more active in the Cd-sensitive variety, SY33. These results suggest that the antioxidant system is the first response to Cd stress in maize, and that sucrose metabolism is cooperative and complementary under exposure to Cd.