The World Of Furiosa & Mad Max Fury Road Explained

Spoilers are ahead for Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Summary The Mad Max franchise, created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy, explores a post-apocalyptic world filled with brutal survival instincts.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga serves as a prequel, introducing Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character in this action-packed film.

Immortan Joe, leader of the Citadel, rules with an iron fist, utilizing brainwashed soldiers known as the War Boys to maintain control.

Created by visionary filmmaker George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy, the Mad Max multimedia franchise began with 1979's Mad Max — a film that followed its titular character as he navigated the harsh conditions of the Australian wasteland. In the wake of war, ecocide, and a shortage of resources, the country undergoes a devastating societal collapse that feeds human survivors' most brutal impulses. The original film spawned the Mad Max movie series, which includes 1981's Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior), 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, which revitalized the post-apocalyptic action franchise.

Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson; Tom Hardy) remains the franchise's central figure until Fury Road, which sees him sharing the screen with fellow hardened survivor Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). The fifth Mad Max film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, serves as a prequel, and stars Anya Taylor-Joy as its titular figure. However, despite marking a shift, Furiosa's cast of characters and notable places appear in other Mad Max entries. Packed with inventive world-building, over-the-top action set-pieces, and compelling lore, the world of Mad Max (and, in particular, Fury Road) only grows in scope in Miller's Furiosa.

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The Citadel

Immortan Joe's Stronghold In Fury Road

The stronghold of Immortan Joe, the Citadel figures into Furiosa's ending and is a key location in Fury Road. A natural formation, the Citadel is composed of a cluster of three rock towers that looms above an aquifer of fresh water. Using the rock as a channel, the inhabitants of the Citadel are able to irrigate a swathe of the Wasteland, making it a crucially important location in an otherwise barren world. For some time, it was Immortan Joe's base of operations, but after the pseudo-religious cult leader died, it became a home for desert refugees. While Fury Road's Green Place is an idyllic oasis, the Citadel is a more realistic beacon of hope for Wasteland survivors.

Related Where To Watch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Showtimes & Streaming Status Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga brings the action franchise back, and there are different options for where to watch the prequel starring Anya Taylor-Joy.

Immortan Joe

The Pseudo-Religious Cult Leader Of The Citadel

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Before the apocalypse, the character known as Immortan Joe was Colonel Joseph Moore, a decorated military veteran and Australian Army hero. However, by the time Mad Max: Fury Road unfolds, Immortan Joe is a pseudo-religious cult leader of sorts who uses the Citadel as a stronghold. As a veteran of the Oil Wars and a hero of the Water Wars, Immortan Joe easily garnered a following of ruthless bikers who helped him terrorize other survivors of post-societal collapse. Eventually, the series' brutal and antagonistic figure ends up achieving god-like status after he wins control of the Citadel's aquifer.

Wasteland survivors travel far to reach the Citadel — a supposed refuge...

After claiming and rebuilding the aquifer into the Citadel stronghold, Immortan Joe becomes a figure of legend. Wasteland survivors travel far to reach the Citadel — a supposed refuge from the rest of the barren desert. However, Immortan Joe only accepts the healthy wanderers into his cult, forcing them to become Milk Mothers, Treadmill Rats, War Boys or Breeders. While Milk Mothers and Breeders, like Immortan Joe's Five Wives, are enslaved by him, Immortan Joe's soldiers are brainwashed into becoming fanatical soldiers. In Fury Road, Furiosa tries to free the wives from Immortan Joe's grasp.

Related Every Actor & Character In Multiple Mad Max Movies The Mad Max movies have featured quite a few returning actors and characters, but frequent cast changes mean they haven't always overlapped.

The War Boys

Immortan Joe's Devout Followers

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Immortan Joe's devout soldiers and fanatical servants, the War Boys are the Citadel's paramilitary arm. Hand-picked when they're young and malleable, the War Boys are indoctrinated into the cult of V8, taught to worship all things mechanical, and are led to believe that Immortan Joe is a god-like being, which makes them not only wildly loyal, but willing to die for their leader. Covered in white powder, the skeletal-looking War Boys seemingly all suffer from terminal diseases, which is partly why they're willing to make big sacrifices, as seen in the ending of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Often, the inhabitants of Gas Town, who are allies of The Citadel, trade gas for clean water.

Gastown

An Abandoned Refinery That's Allied With The Citadel

First appearing in Mad Max: Fury Road, Gas Town is a large structure built around an abandoned refinery that lies south of Immortan Joe's Citadel. At the beginning of Fury Road, Imperator Furiosa is meant to visit Gas Town before she betrays Immortan Joe. As its name implies, Gas Town has an abundance of gasoline, which is incredibly valuable in the Wasteland. Often, the inhabitants of Gas Town, who are allies of The Citadel, trade gas for clean water. Notably, the people of Gas Town use 40-foot-high poles to see their enemies and mount vehicles during road wars.

Related Why The New Mad Max Movie Is About Furiosa, Not Mad Max Furiosa: A Mad Max Story changes the protagonist of the sci-fi action series from Max to Furiosa, but there's a good reason behind this switch.

Bullet Farm

The Fortress That Provides The Citadel With Ammo & Arms

An abandoned lead mine, the Bullet Farm was transformed into an arms factory stocked with gunpowder, ammo, and arms in order to bolster The Citadel and Immortan Joe's efforts in defeating the other Wasteland-roaming gangs and warlords. A quarry that's sunk into a crater, the Bullet Farm was gifted to the aptly named Bullet Farmer by Immortan Joe after the farmer helped the cult leader destroy The Citadel's former occupants. In Furiosa, Fury Road's prequel, the Bullet Farm is known as one of the three fortresses of the Wasteland, with the other two being The Citadel and Gas Town.

...the Green Place is a utopia that Furiosa struggles to return to throughout her life.

The Green Place

Furiosa's Idyllic Home

Also known as the Place of Abundance, The Green Place is a fertile oasis that's under the jurisdiction of the Vuvalini of Many Mothers. In fact, The Green Place is where Furiosa was raised before being kidnapped by the Warlord Dementus. A key setting in the beginning of Furiosa, the Green Place is a utopia that Furiosa struggles to return to throughout her life. In Fury Road, viewers find out what happened to Mad Max's Green Place: After Furiosa was taken, the soil of the Green Place became too contaminated to support crops, forcing the Vuvalini to move on.

Related Furiosa Chapter Titles Explained Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga features five different chapters, each with their own titles, and they all hint at key parts of Furiosa's journey in the film.

Dementus & The Biker Gang

The Main Antagonists Of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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The charismatic and boisterous Dementus, Chris Hemsworth's Furiosa villain, is one of the Wasteland's most brutal warlords — and that's saying something. The leader of the Biker Horde, Dementus is carted around in a chariot made from motorcycles. Although he appears brazen and imposing, Dementus is actually a stubborn man-child who will throw a tantrum if he doesn't get his way. To make matters worse, he foolishly believes himself to be Furiosa's father figure when, in reality, she wants him dead. In his fight for control, Dementus relies on his Biker Horde, a ruthless group of loyal marauders.

Related Why Furiosa’s CGI Looks More Fake Than Mad Max Fury Road While Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga carries on the spirit of Mad Max: Fury Road, there's no denying that the prequel's CGI looks much more fake throughout.

The 40-Day Wasteland War

A Key Event That Unfolds During Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the 40-Day Wasteland War occurs after Dementus challenges Immortan Joe for control of the Citadel. Toward the latter part of the film, Dementus has Furiosa strung up by her mangled arm, forcing her to watch as Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), commander of the Citadel's first War Rig, is dragged to his death by motorcycles. Leaving her arm behind, Furiosa makes it back to The Citadel. As the 40-Day Wasteland War unfolds, Furiosa pursues Dementus into the desert, which leads directly into the ending of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now playing in theaters.