Dementus’ Teddy Bear & Family Connection Explained

Summary Throughout Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Dementus carried a teddy bear on his chest, which had quite a bit of meaning for both him and Furiosa.

Dementus' teddy bear belonged to his children who died during the apocalypse, and it symbolized his attachment to his family.

Dementus gave Furiosa the teddy bear because he saw her as a daughter in his own sick way.

Chris Hemsworth's Dementus was one of the best parts of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but major parts of his backstory, including his teddy bear and family, weren't very well explained. Dementus' Mad Max backstory was left quite vague in Furiosa, as is the case with many characters in the franchise. Dementus did end up giving a bit of insight into his backstory towards the end of Furiosa, but it was a very small glimpse, and the moment passed rather quickly. His speech to Furiosa left several parts of his backstory unexplained, but it did explain one important aspect.

The world of Furiosa was not kind to Dementus, and it left him completely twisted and broken. Most of his madness was shown through his words and deeds, which were often odd and cruel, but there were also multiple parts of his character design that helped convey just how demented he had become. Dementus' cape, for example, helped show his deteriorating mental state as it became more dirty over the course of the film. One detail was particularly important, though, as throughout much of Furiosa, Dementus carried a stuffed teddy bear with him, strapped to his chest.

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Dementus' Teddy Bear Belonged To His Children

Image via Warner Bros.

Dementus' teddy bear holds quite a bit of meaning to his character, and it even played into the plot of Furiosa in a fairly significant way. When he first gave the teddy bear to Furiosa, Dementus explained that it had once belonged to one of his children, before the apocalypse. The teddy bear was likely one of the few things he had left of his children, which explains why he always kept it so close to him. Even though he had become completely demented, he still had a sentimental attachment to the teddy bear, because it reminded him of his family.

What Happened To Dementus' Family Before Furiosa

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When Furiosa finally caught up to Dementus during the 40-day Wasteland War, he tried to get into her head and manipulate her. While trying to convince Furiosa that she was already dead like he was, Dementus revealed that his family had died during the initial apocalypse that turned Australia into the Wasteland. Dementus only mentioned this to convince Furiosa she was just as twisted as he was, though, so he didn't give many details about how exactly they died. It's safe to assume it was not a peaceful end, though, which helps explain why Dementus was so unusually cruel and demented.

Why Dementus Gives Furiosa His Teddy Bear

Image via Warner Bros.

Dementus' relationship with Furiosa was downright abusive in many ways, from the way he treated her down to the way he viewed the relationship itself. One scene in particular illustrated his skewed view of their relationship: when Dementus gave Furiosa his child's teddy bear. Dementus gave Furiosa the teddy bear because he saw her as his daughter in a twisted, wildly unhealthy way. By giving it to her, he was essentially trying to comfort and care for her the same, albeit much more demented, way he cared for his real children before the apocalypse.

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The teddy bear also provides quite a bit of symbolism for Furiosa's journey. When she had it as a child, it was still well-preserved, clean, and innocent looking. By the time Furiosa had her final confrontation with Dementus, though, it was dirty, damaged, and had lost an arm, which directly parallels how Furiosa lost her arm. Then, in that final confrontation, Furiosa ripped the teddy bear away from Dementus, which mirrored the way she was cutting his memory out of her own life. Furiosa was the teddy bear, and she freed herself from Dementus' control at that moment.

Furiosa was the teddy bear, and she freed herself from Dementus' control at that moment.

Dementus was one of the best villains in all of Mad Max, and the small details in his design and personality went a long way in helping him achieve that title. Much of his backstory was left open-ended, but that allowed audiences to imagine how he became the Dementus seen in Furiosa, and how each detail in his design played into that transformation. Those details helped make Dementus seem like a real person who had been destroyed by the Wasteland and reborn as something terrible. That, and especially the teddy bear's connection to his family, made Dementus one of the best parts of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.