Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the role of Furiosa in the 2024 Mad Max prequel, changing a key part of her backstory that was previously established by Charlize Theron. Theron first portrayed Furiosa in the highly praised Mad Max: Fury Road, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest action films ever made.
The prequel, released nine years later, explores Furiosa’s past in more depth, giving viewers a better understanding of the challenges she faced. Furiosa’s tragic history is largely the same between Fury Road and the 2024 prequel. She was born in the “Green Place of Many Mothers,” a paradise-like area in the wasteland.
However, she was violently taken from this peaceful society and ended up becoming an Imperator in Immortan Joe’s army at the Citadel. These major points of her story are reinforced in Furiosa, though some details, explored outside of the main films, lead to a few differences between the two movies. While Fury Road is often seen as the best in the Mad Max series, it’s interesting to see how the prequel takes a different path.
In Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa betrays Immortan Joe, hoping to free his breeder wives and bring them to the Green Place. This raises the question of why Furiosa herself isn’t a breeder, as it seems unlikely that Joe would spare a woman to drive trucks for him if he didn’t have to. Charlize Theron provided some insight on this in a 2015 interview with EW, saying that Furiosa “couldn’t breed, and that was all that she was good for.”
In the prequel, Anya Taylor-Joy’s version of Furiosa is seen finding her way in the Citadel, and the issue of her fertility is never mentioned. This clears up the question: Furiosa isn’t a breeder because she can’t have children.
Although Theron’s words aren’t official canon, it seems like something she would have discussed with George Miller while creating the character. Yet, oddly, it doesn’t play a role in Furiosa’s story. In the prequel, Furiosa avoids becoming one of Immortan Joe’s breeders by disguising herself as a man.
This adds tension to the film, as she keeps her identity hidden until she forms a bond with Praetorian Jack. Her backstory is vital in the movie, as his training helps her become a skilled road warrior, making her an important asset to Immortan Joe in his war against Dementus.
It’s possible that at some point between the films, Immortan Joe realized Furiosa was a woman and considered her for another role, eventually discovering her infertility. However, this seems less likely after watching the movie, and it appears that Miller reconsidered the creative decision he had discussed with Charlize Theron.
In Furiosa, she earns her position as Imperator, and Immortan Joe never seems to mind that she’s a woman. George Miller hasn’t directly addressed Furiosa being a breeder, so it’s hard to say exactly what he had in mind. Given some possibilities, it might simply be that the new movie’s version fits better with the overall story.
If Furiosa had been used as a breeder, found to be infertile, and then allowed to become a road warrior, it doesn’t seem likely Immortan Joe would have let her live, as he wouldn’t see her as valuable.
The prequel explains that Furiosa pretends to be a man long enough to prove herself and become indispensable. After that, Immortan Joe wouldn’t want to lose one of his best soldiers by turning her into a breeder. Charlize Theron’s idea may have worked well for introducing the character in Fury Road, but the changes in Furiosa make more sense for the story Miller wanted to tell.
