Summary

• Immortan Joe and the War Boys are iconic villains in the Mad Max franchise, with origins, backstories, and unique appearances explained.
• Immortan Joe, played by actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, is a ruthless warlord who leads his gang of War Boys in battles for control over resources.
• Immortan Joe's downfall comes at the hands of Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, leading to the liberation of his Five Wives and the disbandment of the War Boys.

Immortan Joe and the War Boys are some of the most fearsome villains in the Mad Max franchise, and here is everything we know about them up until their appearances in Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, explained. While the Mad Max saga has a variety of villains, Immortan Joe has stood out as the most iconic one, with him making his franchise debut in the 2015 revival film Mad Max: Fury Road. The characters were so popular that they returned in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and here is everything that is known about them.

Although George Miller's iconic Mad Max franchise has been going on since 1979, he attempted to revive it in 2015 with Mad Max: Fury Road, with this plan being a massive success. Due to it having been 30 years since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Miller had to make some major changes, including getting a new actor to play Mad Max as well as adding a female protagonist named Furiosa. However, one of the biggest changes was introducing a new warlord villain named Immortan Joe, and here is everything that we know about Immortan Joe and his gang of War Boys.

Immortan Joe's Backstory & Rise To Power

The Comics Provide A Lot Of Backstory

The Mad Max comics and other various materials in the Mad Max expanded universe have given a lot of backstory to Immortan Joe, explaining his origins and rise to power. Immortan Joe was originall named Colonel Joe Moore, with him being a soldier in Oil Wars and the Water Wars. After the apocalypse, however, Immortan Joe started a bike gang which he lead, terrorizing much of Australia. Joe got into battles with the MFP, although his goals changed when he learned about a fresh water aquifier.

In an attempt to obtain this water, Joe decided to lead his bike gang on a battle against the owners of The Citadel, hoping to take the location over. The battle eventually went poorly for the bike gang, but after three days, Joe rallied the troops and led him to victory. During his rule over The Citadel, Joe began to be treated like a god, with many of his followers claiming that he was immortal. This led to him earning the title Immortan Joe, something that he carried for the rest of his life.

Who Plays Immortan Joe In Mad Max: Fury Road & Furiosa

There Are 2 Different Actors

In Mad Max: Fury Road, Immortan Joe is played by the actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, with him being the actor that defined many aspects of the iconic Mad Max villain. However, this wasn't his first time appearing in the franchise. Interestingly, Hugh Keays-Byrne also played Toecutter in the original Mad Max, although these are meant to be two entirely different characters due to Toecutter's death at the end of the first film.

Immortan Joe returned in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but since Hugh Keays-Byrne tragically ed away in 2020, the actor had to be replaced in the prequel movie. Instead, actor Lachy Hulme portrayed Immortan Joe in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, bringing a whole new side to the younger version of the Mad Max villain.

Why Immortan Joe Wears A Mask To Breathe

It Is More Than Aesthetics

One of the most recognizable traits of Immortan Joe is that he has to wear a mask to breathe in the Mad Max movies, and here's why. Throughout his time as one of the warlords in the wasteland, Immortan Joe became a fairly old man. Due to the harshness of the environment, Joe's health quickly began to fail, meaning that he needed some assistance in order to live. Thus, Immortan Joe decided to continually wear a respirator in order to breathe clean air. However, to hide the apparatus, he decided to decorate the mask with skeleton teeth.

Immortan Joe's Wives Explained

Here's Why He Has Five Wives

As Immortan Joe got older, he realized that his sons were not worthy to carry on his rule over The Citadel, with him realizing that he needed to take action. Thus, Joe gathered up the purest women in The Citadel and created a breeding program in an attempt to have a worthy son. These women were named Immortan Joe's Five Wives, with them forcefully being entered into this breeding program. Luckily, Furiosa and Mad Max were able to help the women escape, creating a massive chase that set up the events of Mad Max: Fury Road.

The War Boys Are Immortan Joe's Servants & Soldiers

They Loyally Follow Joe

Throughout Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Mad Max: Fury Road, the War Boys are consistently seen working for Immortan Joe. In the franchise, the War Boys are Immortan Joe's servants and soldiers, with thier zealous belief in Joe's casues leading them to follow him without question. War Boys are chosen from a young age to follow Immortan Joe, with countless War Boys dying throughout the franchise in an attempt to carry out Immortan Joe's causes.

Why Immortan Joe's War Boys All Look Like That

Immortan Joe Also Wears White Powder

Immortan Joe's War Boys all have a unique appearance, with them being incredibly white with the exception of their eyes and lips. According to the lore of Mad Max: Fury Road, Immortan Joe covers himself with white powder for health reasons, with his War Boys using the white powder in order to appear more like Immortan Joe. They then use black makeup around their eyes to give themselves the appearance of a skeleton, following the design scheme of Joe's skeleton mask. This appearance is standard for the War Boys, with them being outfitted this way for most of their lives.

Known Of The War Boys

Several Have Been Named

Although all kinds of War Boys are seen throughout the Mad Max movies, there are a few specific ones that are named in the two films. The leader of the War Boys cult is a character named Rictus Erectus, with him being the youngest son of Immortan Joe. The character Nux is one of the most significant War Boys in Mad Max: Fury Road, with the character getting a good bit of screentime.

Imperator Furiosa was a former War Boy, with her having reached the high rank of Imperator before leaving the cult. These are the most important War Boys, although more could always be introduced in the franchise's future.

What Happens To Immortan Joe & The War Boys

After Mad Max: Fury Road

During the chase in Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa manages to launch a harpoon into Immortan Joe's face. The car that the harpoon is attached to then takes off, ripping Joe's jaw off and violently killing him. This is the end of the reign of Immortan Joe, with Furiosa and Mad Max successfully saving his Five Wives. Not much is known about what happened to the War Boys after Immortan Joe's Mad Max death, although they presumably fell apart after learning that Joe wasn't truly immortal.