A fan theory for the Mad Max the franchise manages to fix the series’ timeline issues, which have confused viewers for years. The first Mad Max The film was released in 1979 and followed Max, then played by Mel Gibson, in war-torn Australia after the world’s oil ran out. In the first film, Max sought revenge on a biker gang after they killed his wife and son. However, from the second film onwards, Max was introduced as a much more mysterious desert wanderer.
Mel Gibson returned to play Max in the second and third Mad Max films. However, after a 30-year break, director George Miller returned to the franchise with the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road and cast Tom Hardy as Max. Although this decision made sense as Gibson was much older, moments when Fury Road and its prequel film, Furiousdid the Mad Max timeline even more confusing. However, a theory posted on Reddit about Max’s characterization fixes the series’ timeline issues.
Max Rockatansky is a mythical figure, not a real person
Max helps people in need in the apocalypse
Reddit user TheZermanator argued that the four Mad Max Films that prominently feature Max are not separate stories from the same character’s life. Instead of, are all fables told about a road warrior named Max, who may not have even existed. Since society collapsed and book printing no longer occurs in the world of Mad MaxStories can only be told orally. Therefore, this theory argues that the story of Max Rockatansky was spread orally by a variety of different people.
|
All Mad Max movies |
Year of release |
RT Critic Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Mad Max |
1979 |
90% |
|
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior |
1981 |
93% |
|
Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome |
1985 |
81% |
|
Mad Max: Fury Road |
2015 |
97% |
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
2024 |
90% |
If this theory is accepted as true, it means that Whoever is telling Max’s story can add whatever details they want. The storyteller can add details about Lord Humungus, Aunt Entity, Immortan Joe, and the other characters in Mad Maxbut the Max’s core features remain largely the same. This explains why Max appears in each film to help people and, at the end of the films, returns to the desert, alone.
The story of Max being a legend corrects the Mad Max timeline
The Mad Max timeline has been confusing for many years
After Miller returned to the series after 30 years, the timeline of Mad Max franchise became even more confusing. While Miller initially wanted Gibson to return to the series as an older version of Max in Fury Roadthis plan didn’t work out and the director decided to cast Tom Hardy. However, Fury Road is apparently set several decades later Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome. If Fury Road version of Max is the same one that appeared in Beyond the Thunderdomethis doesn’t make sense since he would be at least 70-80 years old, and not yet in his 30s.
Furthermore, at the beginning of Fury RoadMax has a tattoo that indicates that it has been 12,045 years since the “fall”, which is equivalent to 33 years. If the “fall” is considered the apocalypse, then Max would have barely been born when the world “ended”, which strongly contradicts the plot of the first one. Mad Max film. Therefore, the theory that Max is a mythical figure and not a real person would solve all Mad Max timeline issues.
Furiosa’s story still makes sense, even if Max is just a legend
Furiosa is the first Mad Max film to not feature Max prominently
The theory then argues that while Max is a mythical figure, Furiosa is a real person. This makes sense, as Furiosa spent much of her life at the Citadel and working for Immortan Joe. Eventually, at the end of Mad Max: Fury RoadFuriosa took command of the Citadel. So, unlike the mysterious road warrior who came in and out of people’s lives in times of need, In fact, Furiosa led thousands of people, cementing her status as a real person and influential leader..
There was no need for Max to play a major role in the oral retelling of Furiosa’s origin, as Praetorian Jack played that role.
The inclusion of Praetorian Jack in Furious further solidifies this theory as true, since he shares many of the same qualities as Max. Praetorian Jack was also a figure who helped Furiosa in her time of need.proving that these wasteland wanderers and road warriors exist all over the world of Mad Max. Therefore, there was no need for Max to play a major role in the oral retelling of Furiosa’s origin, as Praetorian Jack played that role. However, years later, after Jack’s death, the mythical man named Max returned to help Furiosa in Fury Road.