When each movie takes place

The Mad Max Timeline can be difficult to decipher. There are contradictions, recons and loose connections as the franchise continues as well as a 30-year gap between the third and fourth movies in which the main character is recast from Mel Gibson to Tom Hardy. Mad Max: Fury Road featured a prequel comic that resets many aspects of the timeline while including elements, like the used cars, that don’t fit with what was previously established. However, recognizing the inconsistencies, it is still possible to map out a general Mad Max Timeline across the four movies, and the prequel film Furiosa.

Speaking to The Rec, series creator George Miller said that the original intention for the fourth film was to have Gibson return to play an old, grizzled Max. Instead, the version of Mad Max: Fury Road What was finally released to acclaim is a sort of reboot, sequel and retelling all rolled into one. That ambiguous status turns the whole Mad Max The story is more of a legend than a strict, linear story. exactly like this, A Mad Max Timeline can be created in all four Mad Max Movies by looking at each in turn and taking into account the changes made.

Mad Max (1979)

Set in the mid-1980s

The original Mad Max (1979) opens with the caption, “A few years from now.” This, and a piece of graffiti on a road sign dated December 1984, place the events of the first film in the mid-80s, most likely 1985.

At the time the story starts, Australia – along with the rest of the world – is thrown into a social and economic breakdown as a result of war around the Persian Gulf. The wars caused a dramatic decline in oil production. In turn, the lack of fuel sparks a global financial collapse, with various countries declaring martial law to maintain order.

In this timeline, violent road gangs have taken over the highways of Australia, only kept in check by the officers of the MFP (Main Force Patrol), which includes a young “crazy” Max Rokkatansky. Unlike the other movies in the franchise, there was still some semblance of society with law enforcement and stores still operating, and the world was stable enough that Max and his family even go on a road trip vacation, albeit one that ends in Tragedy. It is also worth noting that there was still greenery and not just an empty wasteland.

By the end of the film, it is clear that the world is in a rough shape, but that there is still a semblance of order. At the very least, a visible divide remains between the wasteland and what remains of civilization.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Set 3 years later (roughly late 1980s)

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is said to take place about three years after the end of Mad Max. With the first movie circa 1985, this makes the setting here in the late 1980s. This is where Miller’s recon starts to get a little confusing. In the original timeline, The way Warriors history Precedes eventual global nuclear war, and the wasteland as shown in the movie is merely the result of further decay and societal breakdown, not the aftermath of nuclear winter.

in the Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel comics, however, this has changed, and the nuclear war takes place between the first and second films. Regardless of the timeline, the effect is the same: society has continued to break down significantly in just a few short years since the end of Mad MaxEspecially in the Australian wasteland where Max now lives and travels around in his interceptor looking for gasoline.

There are forms of civilization left, including a peaceful tribe of people that Max ends up joining. The movie also sees the rise of warlords who will play a bigger role in the franchise going forward. The Humungus lead a crew of bandits who seek to take the gas from the weaker communities, setting up the theme of this new world in which the powerful and merciless have taken control by brute force.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Set 15 years later (early 2000s)

The third Mad Max movie, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Takes place about 15 years after the end of The Road Warrior. This is evidenced by a marking near the crashed airplane where the Lost Tribe takes Max, which denotes that the plane’s pilot, Captain Walker, left to seek help in 1999. Seeing as Walker is gone for at least a few years, and that The Road Warrior takes place around 1988, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Marks the longest stretch among any of these Mad Max Movies.

Of course, this timeline becomes problematic retroactively because of Mad Max: Fury Road. Beyond Thunderdome Takes place well after the nuclear war, regardless of which timeline you use, but the prequel comics show that in the new timeline the war didn’t happen until after 2015. This is a clear contradiction with the 1999 date shown in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

either way, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome‘s story is clearly set well after the nuclear apocalypse. Bartertown represents the first real example of an attempt to rebuild society after collapse, with a general outline of laws, trade and social hierarchy. The structure goes beyond the simple gangs and survivor groups shown in The Road WarriorAnd it fits with the new, post-apocalyptic social order shown in Mad Max: Fury Road.

The movie also sees the progression of the world as a wasteland with nuclear warfare seemingly extinguishing most of the remnants of greenery left. The movie ends with a group of children looking to build a new civilization in the remains of Sydney, however fury way suggests that it is not good.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Set a few decades later (possibly 2050)

As mentioned earlier, Mad Max: Fury Road is difficult to place exactly in the context of the original trilogy. It is clear that the movie takes place after the events of Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeAccording to the prequel comics. It is also clear from the appearance and behavior of Hardy’s Max in fury way That at least some notable time has passed, because he’s even more primal, silent, and animalistic than he is at the end of the third movie.

Given a few references to the amount of time since the war, and the real-life references in the comics, the fourth film probably takes place around 2050. However, the chronology doesn’t line up. Even if the dates and car models of Mad Max Are ignored, as they seem to be in the comics, and it is assumed that the events of the movies all still happened as they did, only 30 or 40 years later, it still does not quite work.

Max still appears to be in his 30s Mad Max: Fury RoadAlthough he would have to be at least 40 in Beyond Thunderdome. Plus, in Mad Max fury way Introduction, he sports a new tattoo marking 12,045 days (or exactly 33 years) since the “fall” – presumably the apocalypse. This means that Tom Hardy’s Max would hardly have been born at the time of the social collapse, which directly contradicts the first. Mad Max.

Accept Mad Max How more of a myth is the easiest way to reconcile the contradictionsBut fans have proposed some interesting theories, too. Some suggest Gibson and Hardy’s Mad Max These characters are completely different people, and that the titles of “Mad Max” and “Road Warrior” have passed from one to the other at some point in time. This is supported by the fact that Max has a son in the first movie, while the flashbacks in fury way Show a little girl.

Some have even gone so far as to theorize that Hardy’s Max is the wild boy of The Road Warrior. with Mad Max Director George Miller admittedly unclear on all the details of the Franchise’s timeline, a truly concrete answer is probably impossible. But the open nature of the series’ lore makes it ripe for speculation and creates the potential for more stories to come. however, fury way Continues to show the world’s gradual decline into a wasteland as Furiosa speaks of “the green place” only to discover the last remnants of plants and green life are gone.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Set at least as early as 2030

Following the backstory of Charlize Theron’s character, played by Anya Taylor-Joy this time, Furiosa is a prequel set before she became an Imperator for Immortal Joe. As with the others Mad Max Movies, it’s hard to pin down when exactly Furiosa It takes place, but George Miller said it takes place about 15 years earlier Mad Max: Fury RoadWith some scenes such as flashbacks to Furiosa’s time in the green place being further back in the timeline.

Given that Taylor-Joy is 20 years younger than Charlize Theron, the Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel Furiosa Could be set as early as 2030 in partsOr even earlier given that Taylor-Joy could convincingly play down in age. In any case, the vast majority of the film’s placement along the Mad Max Timeline should be earlier Mad Max: Fury Road And well after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Mad Max 5: The Wasteland will likely take place after Fury Road

More timeline details are unknown

Coming quickly on the heels of the highly successful Mad Max: Fury Road Is George Miller’s announcement that Mad Max 5With the title Mad Max: The Wastelandwas at work. Not similar FuriosaThis film is intended to be a true sequel to fury wayOnce again starring Tom Hardy as Max Rokkatansky. But updates on the long-delayed Mad Max: The Wasteland Since then it has been virtually non-existent, prompting speculation as to whether the film will actually happen or not.

Fortunately, Miller offered reassurance in 2022, stating, “We have another story, but it hasn’t fully evolved yet. We will see further in the chain.“When Mad Max 5 was first teased, Miller supposedly has the script mostly complete, so it doesn’t seem like much real progress has been made, but it’s nice to know Miller hasn’t forgotten about the project.

anyway, Based on all the available information about Mad Max: The WastelandIt should take place after fury wayAnd should not be put too many years after fury way Events If Hardy is supposed to stay believable as a thirty-something Max. Charlize Theron is also set to return as Furiosa, with Anya Taylor-Joy’s prequel offering even more insight into her character in the meantime. all said, Mad Max: Fury Road And the whole Mad Max Franchises aren’t over yet, and the timeline will likely remain fluid as the story progresses.

New Mad Max prequel may take place 1 year before Fury Road

Mad Max: The Wasteland Is not the only upcoming project that could affect the timeline order, as a new Mad Max Prequel may take place one year earlier Mad Max: Fury Road. According to George Miller, this Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel story follows Max in the year leading up to the events of Mad Max: Fury Road (via Collider). Not much is known about what actually happens in this story, but Miller’s tease of another Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel After Max is incredibly exciting.

How to watch the Mad Max movies in chronological order

Furiosa is the only Mad Max movie so far presented out of timeline order

As complicated as these Mad Max Timeline is, it provides a fairly straight-forward viewing order for the franchise. Fans can follow the order of release to understand the chronology of the existing movies even if there will be some confusion and contradictions along the way. However, it seems like George Miller created the franchise so that audiences can drop in whenever they want and enjoy each movie as a standalone adventure. In fact, the American release of The Road Warrior Did not present it as a sequel as the American audience was not familiar with Mad Max.

The watching order for the franchise only changed with the release of Furiosa. It was the first movie in the franchise to be a prequel and thus not advance the timeline. As such, fans will watch it before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road If they want to see the movies in chronological order. It is also accepted that Mad Max: The Wasteland Will continue the story after the events of Mad Max: Fury RoadAlthough the story remains unconfirmed. The Mad Max Watch order is:

The Mad Max timeline isn’t that important

The movies can be enjoyed on their own

While it is a Mad Max Timeline that can be determined by the existing movies, it is a complicated one that does not make sense. It seems as though George Miller isn’t too worried about perfect continuity in the movies, and he even seems to mix things up with details like a Mad Max cameo. Furiosa In which he was the same age in which he is Mad Max: Fury Road. As such, thinking about the exact chronology of the franchise is not important for enjoying it Mad Max Movies and the eternal does not really matter.

Each of the movies in the Mad Max Franchises tell their own story without an overall story to build upon or continue with each new entry. Despite a main character connecting the movie, they can be viewed as standalone adventures. One interesting way to look at it is that Each of these movies is a story about the legendary figure of the wasteland known as Max. The stories have been passed down and told by other people so the details don’t always match, but they all tell the tale of Mad Max.