Although Chris Hemsworth will likely play a heroic role in the Furiosa, the spinoff could still pull off an ingenious twist involving Immortan Joe. It is always risky to reveal the story of a franchise installment long before the movie arrives in theaters. Fans of a series will likely always want to know what a movie is about and studios are always eager to capitalize on this interest by building up hype, but giving away too much of the storyline early on allows savvy viewers to guess entire plot lines from the clues included in even a short synopsis.
This could very well be the case with Furiosa. With nine years ing since Mad Max: Fury Road’s 2015 release and the projected 2024 arrival of Furiosa, it is vital that the studio ensures viewers don’t forget about the series. However, Furiosa’s plot synopsis revealed numerous potential story problems when the short summary was released in June 2022, giving online sleuths years to work out the twists and turns of the movie before the Mad Max prequel arrives.
Judging by the casting of Furiosa and the movie’s synopsis, the Mad Max prequel could follow a conventional, disappointingly straightforward storyline. However, the movie’s casting could well be a misdirect, and the prequel might be able to bring back a major twist that the original Mad Max sequel Spiderhead villain Chris Hemsworth, could point toward the likelihood of the prequel taking this path.
Furiosa’s Plot Synopsis
According to the prequel’s plot synopsis, Furiosa will follow the character’s story as a “young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe… [and] the two Tyrants war for dominance.” Although the specific actors playing characters are not yet known (outside of Anya Taylor-Joy playing the titular heroine), it is not difficult for readers to guess which of the remaining cast list will claim the two named roles featured in the synopsis. It seems likely that, between blockbuster star Chris Hemsworth usually playing heroes and co-star Tom Burke’s resemblance to a young Immortan Joe, the former will play Dementus in Furiosa and the latter will play a younger version of Mad Max: Fury Road’s villainous cult leader. This would mean that Hemsworth’s (comparatively) heroic character would be doomed to inevitably die at the end of Furiosa, leaving Furiosa to work with the murderous warlord. However, that’s not necessarily the best twist for the Mad Max prequel.
Why Hemsworth Is Likely To Play Dementus
With no Mad Max equivalent in the movie’s cast, the closest thing the synopsis has to a heroic male lead is Dementus. The synopsis notably doesn’t say that Dementus himself snatched Furiosa from the Green Place of Many Mothers, meaning he’s not necessarily a villainous figure and is instead more of a morally ambiguous antihero like Max. Hemsworth’s blockbuster career has been defined by heroic roles, meaning this seems like the part he is most likely to play. Specifically, the fact that Furiosa is said to “fall into his hands,” coupled with Hemsworth being a little older than his Furiosa co-star, means the character is most likely going to be a gruff but ultimately kind-hearted mentor not akin to Max. This would make his eventual heroic sacrifice in the prequel's ending predictable, but luckily this prediction does not necessarily paint a complete picture of the prequel's plot.
Furiosa’s Story At A Glance
From the synopsis given, it seems likely that a young Furiosa will pair up with Hemsworth’s Dementus to take on Burke’s Immortan Joe, leading to the death of Dementus and Furiosa working for the warlord. However, if Furiosa revisited The Road Warrior’s best cut twist, the movie could pull off a mean-spirited twist that would make Furiosa’s lengthy collaboration with Immortan Joe more believable. Particularly since Hemsworth has started to transition into playing more morally ambiguous characters, Furiosa could reveal that Dementus became the new Immortan Joe after defeating Burke’s version of the character. This would fit Hemsworth’s changing screen persona, Miller’s predictions for Furiosa herself, and the missing twist that was excised from The Road Warrior.
Furiosa’s Potential Road Warrior Twist
Furiosa could revisit the best twist that The Road Warrior excised by having Hemsworth’s Dementus and Furiosa defeat Burke’s Immortan Joe, only for Dementus to then take the warlord's place and title, ruling the Citadel as the new Immortan Joe. Spiderhead’s dark story of unethical drug experimentation proved that Hemsworth could play a charming, seemingly likable villain who tricked a hero into working with him, while Mad Max series creator George Miller himself warned that even a character as seemingly virtuous as Furiosa could become a despotic tyrant if given the power to over the Citadel at the end of the movie’s story. This twist would explain why Furiosa worked for Immortan Joe, why it took her so long to turn on him, and how both characters began their slide into villainy.
Why This Chris Hemsworth Twist Is Perfect For Furiosa
Not only has Hemsworth proven that he is capable of playing a villain, but the Mad Max franchise has never gotten the chance to prove Miller’s point about power corrupting even the most virtuous people ever since jettisoning The Road Warrior’s twist. While Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was that Aunt Entity had always been secretly corrupt, whereas if Hemsworth’s character is introduced as a charismatic, comparatively caring alternative to Immortan Joe, only for him to then become the new version of the warlord, this would be a brutal reminder of Miller’s point. This would also allow Furiosa to explain why the heroine never turned on the villain before the Mad Max sequel since she once believed in his innate decency years earlier.
