THE Mad Max films got off to an incredible start in 1979 with George Miller’s original Mad Maxbut Max only got really angry recently. THE Mad Max the film franchise has maintained incredible consistency in tone and aesthetic since 1979. It has pioneered its unique world, style, and message. These small miracles are due to the fact that George Miller led the franchise from the beginning, writing the story with Byron Kennedy, writing the screenplay and then directing the films. But despite this consistency, one thing has evolved over the years: Max himself.
On the other side Mad Max timeline, Max Rockatansky is the titular antihero, only featuring Furiosa once in the 2024 film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Originally played by Mel Gibson, Max Rockatansky led Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorand Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome. Playing Max between 1979 and 1985, Gibson defined the franchise and created a niche for his unpredictable warrior in the pantheons of science fiction legends. But it wasn’t until Tom Hardy took on the role of Mad Max for Mad Max: Fury Road that the character began to live up to his name.
Tom Hardy in Fury Road was the first time Max Rockatansky truly lived up to his “Mad Max” nickname
Tom Hardy’s Mad Max should be revived
Mad Max shown by Mel Gibson in the first three Mad Max The films were unpredictable and a little unhinged, but he was no crazier than a wide variety of other pompous heroes and villains of the 1980s. He was, in fact, a little more heroic than his name suggested. About that, Tone Hardy’s inspired interpretation of Mad Max seemed barely functional in addition to the rhythmic contraction of vital muscles and brute force. It took 36 years, four films and two actors, but in Tom Hardy, Max was finally crazy. And, magically, likable to boot.
Tom Hardy’s Mad Max performance shows why he should return to The Wasteland
Tom Hardy’s Fury Road was just the beginning
It would be criminal for Mad Max the films ended when Max had finished going crazy. Tom Hardy’s Completely Mad Max was just the beginning of the franchise’s potential, opening up a journey of soul-searching, freedom-fighting, and post-apocalyptic violence for the character. Max’s madness allows him to face the soul-destroying dangers of the desert with a stoic gleam in his eyes. However, if Tom Hardy could return in Mad Max: The Desert movie, this surprisingly charismatic character could slowly blossom and show more emotion.
Antiheroes are Tom Hardy’s specialty, and Hardy’s stellar performances in Poison and Warrior prove it. Hardy’s action movie credentials are almost insurmountableand he brings the right balance of chaos and control to his leading roles. This is ideal for long-term character development in a franchise, and the Mad Max the films would be missing a huge opportunity to not let Tom Hardy’s Max grow up. Max could plummet to new depths of insanity, but also reach new depths of wisdom and power. In fact, it is this growth that will keep audiences coming back Mad Max.