Furiosa Confirms Tina Turner's Mad Max Villain's Defeat 39 Years After Thunderdome

Summary Furiosa connects to Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome by exploring the world years after Max's encounter with Aunty Entity.

Bartertown no longer exists when Furiosa takes place, indicating Aunty Entity's defeat.

The absence of Bartertown in Furiosa hints at Immortan Joe's rise to power and potential connection to Aunty Entity's downfall.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga confirms Tina Turner's Aunty Entity was defeated after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome through one piece of worldbuilding. The Mad Max: Fury Road prequel bridges the gap between George Miller's franchise relaunch and the original trilogy by exploring the Mad Max world in the 15 years leading up to Fury Road. This allows Furiosa to expand on various ideas and pieces of lore that were previously established within the universe and explain lingering questions, like how Furiosa lost her arm.

Connections between Furiosa and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome were not inherently expected. Furiosa is the next film after Max's encounter with Aunty Entity in the Mad Max timeline. While Mad Max does cameo in Furiosa, his appearance comes much closer to the events of Fury Road than when Mel Gibson's final movie in the franchise occurs. Still, the introduction of Praetorian Jack and his experience driving Immortan Joe's War Rig across the post-apocalyptic landscape leads to a subtle tease of what happened to Aunty Entity and Bartertown after Beyond Thunderdome.

Related Mad Max Timeline Explained: When Each Movie Takes Place Because of the changes made by Mad Max: Fury Road, the series timeline can be a bit confusing. So when do they happen, and how do they fit together?

Bartertown Does Not Exist When Furiosa Takes Place

There's Only 3 Cities That Remain

Based on the information provided in Furiosa, Bartertown no longer exists when Furiosa is working for Immortan Joe. She becomes Praetorian Jack's partner as he shares his knowledge of the road and driving with her. It is through this relationship that Jack mentions that The Citadel, Gastown, and Bullet Farm are the only places that remain in Mad Max's post-apocalyptic Australia. Even without Furiosa showing a full map of the world at this point, Jack has traveled all across the Wasteland and is a trusted source for what cities or settlements still exist.

If Jack is correct in saying that The Citadel, Gastown, and Bullet Farm are the only places that are still standing when Furiosa takes place, then Bartertown is no more. The town existed in the middle of the Wasteland during the events of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, so its location should be known to someone who is as familiar with the layout of the world as Jack. It was also largely destroyed by Max and others during the third film's conclusion, but Aunty Entity planned to rebuild it, meaning Bartertown should still be around during Furiosa.

Related Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Ending Explained Furiosa ends in a way that ties up the title character's storyline, relaying her origins. We break down the biggest moments from Furiosa's ending.

Bartertown's Status Means Aunty Entity Was Defeated Between Thunderdome & Furiosa

She Wanted To Rebuild Bartertown After Beyond Thunderdome

Close

The fact that Bartertown is not one of the cities mentioned by Praetorian Jack as existing in Furiosa does not bode well for Tina Turner's Aunty Entity. She was a very powerful ruler in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and someone who was prepared to rebuild her city, most likely to even bigger heights. There is no confirmation whether Aunty Entity was successful in rebuilding Bartertown after Beyond Thunderdome. Jack's line in Furiosa implies that Bartertown was either never rebuilt or destroyed for a second time.

No matter what the explanation is for what happened to Bartertown, the fact that the location is no longer around means that Aunty Entity has been defeated. It was her mission to rebuild the city, and her demise is likely the only thing that truly would have stopped her. She would have otherwise surely entered the power struggle of The Wasteland between Dementus and Immortan Joe. That possibility raises the question about who defeated Aunty Entity and stopped Bartertown from becoming an even more important location in the Mad Max world.

Related The World Of Furiosa & Mad Max Fury Road Explained Filmmaker George Miller is perhaps best known for being the visionary behind the Mad Max universe and lore, which includes both Fury Road and Furiosa.

Did Immortan Joe Defeat Aunty Entity & Turn Bartertown Into Gastown?

There Is A Possibility

There is no information on what happened to Aunty Entity after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and Bartertown's status was also left in limbo as a result. But if Furiosa's detail does mean that Bartertown is no more and that Aunty Entity has likely lost all power in The Wasteland, it becomes possible that her demise is connected to Immortan Joe's rise. He is completely absent from the original Mad Max trilogy and rises to power sometime after Aunty Entity's introduction.

While Dementus remained as an adversary in The Wasteland during Furiosa, Aunty Entity could have posed a closer and more immediate threat to Immortan Joe. It would not be too surprising if conquering or destroying Bartertown was part of his quest for power. This is simply speculation at this point, as Aunty Entity's defeat could have come from any number of possible threats. But, Immortan Joe taking down Aunty Entity would be a great piece of backstory to include in the Mad Max franchise.

In fact, there is some potential evidence that Immortan Joe learned and borrowed from Aunty Entity and Bartertown when constructing his empire. The Mad Max: Fury Road prequel comic revealed that Gastown has its own version of Thunderdome. This would imply that Bartertown and Aunty Entity's legacy did live on in some capacity. It's even possible that the original or rebuilt Bartertown was reconfigured into Gastown after Immortan Joe's conquest. If that is the case, then Gastown's presence means a version of Bartertown is shown in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.