Although Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga mentions the iconic sci-fi hero in its title, there is a reason that the Mad Max spinoff centers on its eponymous heroine and not Max himself. Max Rockatansky has been central to the Mad Max series since it began. 1979’s original Mad Max centered on his dark origin story, whereas The Road Warrior focused on his post-apocalyptic adventures. Beyond Thunderdome made him a mythic antihero, while 2015’s reboot saw him aid Furiosa in her attempts to overthrow Immortan Joe. So far, he has been central to the Mad Max franchise’s timeline.

However, 2024’s upcoming spinoff, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, proves that Max is no longer the lone focus of his franchise. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga sees series creator George Miller return to the director’s chair for a prequel that fleshes out the life of Fury Road’s brooding heroine. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will explain how Furiosa ended up working with the vile Immortan Joe and illustrate how she was kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers. Furiosa’s cast of returning characters includes Max, but he is not the main character this time.

Mad Max: Fury Road Made Furiosa The Franchise’s New Lead

Furiosa Overtook Max As The Franchise’s Hero After Fury Road

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga takes place in the same universe as the earlier Mad Max movies, but its heroine is Furiosa. Fury Road made Furiosa the franchise’s main character, so Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is continuing her story by filling in the blanks left behind by that fast-paced 2015 chase thriller. Fury Road never explained how Furiosa came to be in Immortan Joe’s employ when she resents the warlord, and the movie’s relentless pace also ensured that her tragic childhood was never explored either. In contrast, everything about Max’s past has been well-established by earlier movies.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga needed a new star for the series thanks to the over-familiarity of Max’s story.

Mad Max explained how Max became a vengeance-fueled, cold-blooded killer by detailing his brutal, bloody battle with a biker gang. The Road Warrior showed how Max’s moral code adapted to life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, with the former cop now standing up for civilians suffering under the despotic Lord Humungus. Beyond Thunderdome’s critical reception even took a wobble as a deluge of imitators made Max’s story feel less fresh and original. Although Furiosa’s backstory mirrors Max’s origins in many ways, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga needed a new star for the series thanks to the over-familiarity of Max’s story.

Furiosa Can Explore The Franchise’s Past Better Than A Max Prequel

Max’s Past Was Already Illustrated In Earlier Installments

Through Furiosa’s eyes, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga can illustrate parts of the Mad Max franchise’s world that weren’t part of Max’s story. Although Max is a wanderer who has taken part in many adventures, he hasn’t seen the entirety of the wasteland over the years. Part of what makes the Mad Max franchise so appealing is its scope and the sense that, outside each movie’s self-contained story, there is a rich world full of detailed history and inspired characters. The Bullet Farmer could have been any sequel’s main antagonist, but Fury Road barely spared him any screen time.

This lived-in feeling makes Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s decision to focus on its titular heroine perfectly logical. Bringing back Furiosa allows the franchise to further develop her character, but it also lets viewers discover how Immortan Joe came to power despite how odious he was in Fury Road. Since Furiosa is younger than Max, her childhood in a post-apocalyptic wasteland gives her a very different view of the franchise’s world. Max remembers a time before the Mad Max franchise’s unexplained apocalypse, while Furiosa only knew a world whose society was defined by scarcity and warfare over resources.

Furiosa Doesn’t Completely Forget About Max

Mad Max’s Roles In The Series Remains Central

Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury

Viewers can be reassured that Max will receive a brief cameo or at least a subtle Easter egg to let fans know he was around during the movie’s events.

Although he doesn’t have a central role in the prequel, Mad Max will appear in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. During a panel at CCXP23, Miller said that Max was “lurking” somewhere in the world of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga while confirming that the movie took place 15 years before the events of Fury Road. Thus, chances are high that Max will receive a brief cameo or at least a subtle Easter egg to let fans know he was around during the movie’s events. This makes sense, given that Max is almost ever-present throughout the history of the series.

Max’s status as a rootless drifter makes him an almost mythic figure in the world of the franchise, but it also conveniently justifies his presence in the stories of other characters. Since Max crops up in Fury Road at the conclusion of Furiosa’s character arc, it is fair for him to put in a cameo earlier in her story. Max was instrumental in the fall of Lord Humungus, he fought Master Blaster in the Thunderdome and battled Aunt Entity, and so the prospect of him skulking around during the war between Dementus and Immortan Joe feels earned by the franchise.

Max’s Future In The Franchise After Furiosa Explained

Mad Max Can Still Return To Max Rockatansky’s Story Again

While Mad Max: The Wasteland was originally intended to be the next movie after Fury Road, it is unclear when that sequel will happen. Miller also told Entertainment Weekly that he is interested in a Mad Max prequel that would fill in the details of where Max was during the events of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, although it is tough to see how such an interquel would work. Viewers already know Max’s pre-apocalypse backstory and many of his adventures in the wasteland, so a story that takes place at the same time as this spinoff could be superfluous.

However, this doesn’t mean the franchise must move beyond Max’s story to survive. Max remains a fascinating and perennially popular character and there is no reason that The Wasteland can’t continue his story. Even Miller’s proposed prequel might succeed if, like its predecessor Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga leaves enough stones unturned for a subsequent follow-up to revisit its story. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga dropping the Mad Max franchise’s singular original focus is an understandable change after Fury Road made Furiosa a star, but the notion of returning to Max’s story remains as compelling as ever.