Summary

• The Mad Max franchise explores a bleak post-apocalyptic world shaped by major battles like the Gas War and Water War.
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga delves into the lore and battles of the franchise, adding depth to characters like Immortan Joe.
• The epic 40-Day Wasteland War marks the culmination of battles in the Mad Max universe, leaving a lasting impact on the world.

The world and lore of the Mad Max franchise is still shrouded in mystery, but here is every major battle that is known about so far, explained. The Mad Max franchise mostly takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, with the various battles turning the modern-day Earth into a barren wasteland where the ground is too sour to grow anything. The current state of the world in the Mad Max franchise is due to a massive nuclear war that took place in the series' past, but that is far from the only battle that took place in the Mad Max universe.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is finally here, with the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road giving more context to the franchise's lore than ever before. Despite this, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga continues the trend of treating the world of Mad Max like legend, with the canon status of many aspects being disputed. Due to it taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, everything that is known about Mad Max's world has been ed down orally, causing some to believe that Mad Max is a mythical legend. However, these battles in the Mad Max universe have been agreed on.

8 Gas War

Before Mad Max

The world of Mad Max mostly follows the timeline of the real-life Earth at first, with the Mad Max comics even making references to things like the real-life Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott. However, the Mad Max universe first departs from the history of the real world with the Gas War, which has also been referred to as the Oil War and the Fuel War.

According to the movies and comic series, the Gas Wars began when the Earth's fuel supply began to dwindle, with the treatment of the environment having a big hand in this. Thus, various countries went to war over what remained of the gas supply, as the world had become increasingly dependent on oil. This massive war is still talked about at the latest point in the Mad Max timeline, confirming just how big of a deal it was.

The Gas War was the first step toward the decline of civilization, with it leaving society of the brink of collapse. By the time of the first Mad Max movie, gas was difficult to find, with it being near-impossible to acquire outside of a select few locations by the time of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Interestingly, Immortan Joe was actually a veteran of the Gas War, leading him down the path to taking over the Citadel.

7 Water War

Before Mad Max

After the Gas War devastated society, things got even worse shortly later with the start of the Water War. While details are still scarce, it is believed that the Water War began when the oceans dried up, with the later Mad Max movies taking place in a world in which the oceans were replaced by massive beds of dry salt. This further pushed humanity toward collapse, with the various superpowers of Earth again going to war over the control of the remaining water supplies.

By the end of the Water War, water was another incredibly difficult to find resource, although not as hard as gas. Tons of water still existed, although it can only be found under the surface of the Earth, with massive man-made aquifers being required to harvest the water from the ground. One of these aquifers is a major presence in the franchise, with that being The Citadel in Mad Max: Fury Road. The Citadel is built around one of these aquifers, with Immortan Joe using the water access to control the population.

Interestingly, Immortan Joe was also a soldier in the Water War, possibly allowing him to know how important controlling this resource is. In fact, the Mad Max comics state that Immortan Joe was actually a hero of the Water War, although it isn't known what he did to earn this legacy. The Wate War is the final major battle to take place before the Mad Max movies, with the first Mad Max film taking place in the aftermath of the great battle.

6 The Nuclear War

Before Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

An unnamed nuclear war is the next major battle to occur in the world of Mad Max, with it being the one that truly caused the apocalypse. Throughout the Gas War and the Water War, nuclear arms were hastily developed by the world's superpowers, with their use possibly even contributing to the oceans disappearing. However, unknown events led to these nuclear arms finally being used in a major way, one that led to the full collapse of civilization and the end of all governments as we know them.

In the timeline of the Mad Max franchise, the nuclear war took place sometime between the first Mad Max movie and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. This explains why the world of both films seems so drastically different, with Mad Max being relatively normal while Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior's aesthetic is much stranger.

5 Humungus' Battle For The Gas Compound

During Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior features a battle that is smaller than most of the other ones on this list, although it is a big enough deal to make it historic. In the film, Mad Max Rockatansky hears talk of a gas compound around 20 miles away from where he is operating, with him traveling the distance in the hopes of getting the gas. Upon finding the settlers, they explain that they are being attacked by Lord Humungus and his clan, with Max agreeing to help them in exchange for gas.

The bulk of the second Mad Max film chronicles this battle, with Max and the settlers first having to defend the gas compound from Humungus' troops. Eventually, Max gets the settlers to leave the compound, with them transporting the gas away in their vehicles and using a massive tanker as a diversion. The settlers of the gas compound won the battle with the help of Max, with them then traveling north and establishing the Great Northern Tribe.

4 The Battle For The Citadel

Before Mad Max: Fury Road

Interstingly, the Mad Max comics reveal a war that the movies don't mention, with that being Immortan Joe's battle for the Citadel. Before becoming Immortan Joe, Joe Moore was the leader of a bike gang in the Wasteland, with one of his conflicts leading to him capturing the People Eater. The People Eater informed Joe of a massive aquifer that was sitting on a fresh lake, although it was fortified by settlers. Joe tried to bargain with the Citadel's original settlers, but he was rejected, leading to an invasion.

Joe had some of his gang climb up the great rock, while others invaded from the ground. While they were distracted by the ground troops, the Citadel's settlers were vulnerable to the troops that Joe had placed on the rock. After a three-day battle, Joe's gang eventually won, with them taking over the Citadel and Immortan Joe having his nickname originated.

3 The Battle For Gas Town

During Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga features another major battle in the Mad Max universe, with this being Dr. Dementus' battle for Gas Town. In the prequel film, Dementus fails to take over the Citadel, causing him to instead decide to set his sights on the Immortan Joe-controlled Gas Town. Using a trojan horse strategy, Dementus' gang is able to get through the gates of Gas Town and open them for the rest of Dementus' gang, allowing them to enter and take down the War Boys who inhabited it.

This led to Dementus having rule over Gas Town for many years, with him becoming the Wasteland's third great warlord after Immortan Joe and the Bullet Farmer. However, Dementus' rule over Gas Town was much shakier than his comrades', with Immortan Joe and the Bullet Farmer not trusting him and hoping to take him down.

2 The Fall Of The Bullet Farm

During Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga also features another epic battle, with this being the fall of the Bullet Farm. During their attempt to stop Dr. Dementus, Immortan Joe sends the War Rig to the Bullet Farm, telling its drivers to stock up with as much ammo as possible. Upon their arrival, however, Furiosa and the gang realize that Dementus has already overthrown the Bullet Farm, leading to an epic battle.

This battle ends up essentially destroying the entirety of the Bullet Farm, with almost all of its infrastructure falling apart. Mad Max: Fury Road doesn't give much insight on how the Bullet Farm has recovered, but since the Bullet Farmer spends most of his time by Immortan Joe's side, than it probably still isn't running all that well. This war directly led into the final major war in the Mad Max timeline.

1 40-Day Wasteland War

During Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

The final war in the Mad Max timeline is the 40-Day Wasteland War, with this occurring at the end of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. After escaping Dementus after the fall of the Bullet Farm, Furiosa returns to the Citadel and warns Immortan Joe of Dementus' rule, leading to him planning a war that will end Dementus' gang once and for all. This occurs in the area of the Wasteland between the Citadel, the Bullet Farm, and Gas Town, with troops from all three locations being involved.

Most of the 40-Day Wasteland War happens offscreen, with it only being described through narration. However, it finally ends when Furiosa decides to get involved, with her leaving the Citadel to kill Dementus. She chases Dementus and a few of his troops into the Wasteland, with her eventually catching him. This is the end of the final major war in the Mad Max franchise, although future Mad Max movies could always reveal more.