Mad Max: How Furiosa Lost Her Arm Explained

Summary Furiosa's backstory was intentionally left a mystery in Mad Max: Fury Road, emphasizing her character over her disability.

Furiosa's strength in the film resonated with viewers as a reminder of the lack of barriers to being an action hero.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga finally explains how Furiosa lost her arm during a showdown against Dementus.

Mad Max: Fury Road may not have explained how Furiosa lost her arm, but its prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, offers an explicit backstory that reveals how it happened. Furiosa became an instantly iconic action heroine when Mad Max: Fury Road was released in 2015, but the backstory that led to her losing a limb was purposefully kept a secret. The movie only showed her with a prosthetic arm, which left enough room for myriad theories to emerge. While some theories suggested she had a mechanical accident, others speculated more violent scenarios.

Unlike the villainous Immortan Joe, whose origins and backstory have been covered in comic books, Furiosa's past and the reason behind her lost limb remained largely unexplored until the fifth installment of the film franchise came along. Putting all theories and speculations to rest, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga finally walks through the series of events that lead to the character losing her arm. Interestingly, the backstory is somewhat in tandem with many previous theories.

Related Furiosa Cast & Character Guide Once again returning to the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, Furiosa boasts a star-studded cast featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth.

Furiosa Explains How Furiosa Lost Her Arm

A Showdown With Dementus Led To The Incident

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The events that lead up to Furiosa losing her arm begin when a slam-bang showdown ensues at the Bullet Farm. With Furiosa and Praetorian Jack on one side and Dementus and his raiders on the other, the two parties duke it out until Furiosa and Jack abandon their War Rig and escape the location in a car. To their dismay, Dementus catches up to them, and, as Furiosa attempts to put up a fight, her left arm gets crushed between the window frame of her car and the wheel of Dementus' monster truck. Moments later, Dementus flips their vehicle, which further aggravates her injury.

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After getting hold of the two, Dementus tortures them by chaining Jack to a man's bike and hanging Furiosa by her left arm. He then settles down and enjoys the view before realizing he is bored. While Jack succumbs to the injuries he sustains after being dragged around by Dementus' men, Furiosa cleverly rips her already broken arm off and runs away before anyone can notice her. When Dementus later checks on her, he finds her arm hanging down the chain with her nowhere in sight.

Related Furiosa’s Mad Max Cameo Explained Mad Max has an interesting cameo in Furiosa, raising questions not only about who plays him but also about his future in the George Miller franchise.

Charlize Theron Explained Why Fury Road Keeps Furiosa's Lost Arm Story A Secret

It Was Important That Her Disability Did Not Define Her

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Despite Furiosa's missing arm being one of the most notable aspects of her appearance in Mad Max: Fury Road, the film never explicitly states how she became an amputee to avoid this detail overshadowing her personality and defining her character. Shedding some light on the same, Charlize Theron discussed in an interview (via LA Times) how, after looking at the film's storyboards, she "relished the idea of playing an amputee and hero." When asked about the lack of backstory surrounding her character in Mad Max: Fury Road, the actress proudly chimed, "She is. Not because of: She is. And I love that."

While the escapist fantasy is part of the genre's appeal, Furiosa's strength is a moving reminder that there are no barriers to entering the action hero hall of fame.

The character refusing to be defined by her disability and background is an idea that resonated with many Mad Max: Fury Road viewers. Many action movie characters have been routinely and reasonably criticized for promoting unrealistic body images. While the escapist fantasy is part of the genre's appeal, Furiosa's strength is a moving reminder that there are no barriers to entering the action hero Hall of Fame.

Furiosa's Mechanical Arm Explained

The Prosthetic Arm Has Several Intriguing Components & Parts

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As shown in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga's final arc, Furiosa builds her mechanical arm using several found components in The Citadel's Tower #1. The prosthetic arm seems to have four fingers, of which the index and the middle fingers are made from perforated plates. While the middle finger has two claw-like hooks at its end, the index finger is just rough on the edges. Meanwhile, the thumb in the arm seems to be made out of pliers' jaws.

Mad Max: Fury Road does not reveal the mechanical side of how the arm works, but in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the titular character pulls a string on her shoulder pad that seemingly activates her arm's motor. The motor probably pressurizes the hydraulic fluid that runs through the yellow tube in the prosthetic arm, which enables movement in the fingers and thumb and allows Furiosa to lift heavy objects like guns. This would explain why she pulls the string on her shoulder pad right before confronting Dementus in the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga's ending arc.

A closer look at the electromechanical arm also reveals that Furiosa used everything from hairpins to wrenches to put the prosthetic together.

Apart from the yellow hydraulic line, the arm also runs a vacuum line and brake cable. While the vacuum line enhances fluid flow by removing air from the hydraulic system, the brake cable likely helps regulate the hydraulic pressure. A closer look at the electromechanical arm also reveals that Furiosa used everything from hairpins to wrenches to put it together. The intricate details in the prosthetic arm underscore how much thought went into making it both convincingly functional in use and aesthetic in appearance in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.