The following contains spoilers for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, now playing in theaters
Summary
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagahas the best villain in the franchise with Chris Hemsworth’s Dementus. The prequel explores the origins of Furiosa before the events ofMad Max: Fury Road, revealing how the dangerous driver found herself in the employ of the monstrous Immortan Joe. The film also introduces wannabee Wasteland warlord Dementus, who proves uniquely capable of surviving far greater enemies while largely skirting around potential consequences. He’s got the natural bombast that the series has always traded in, fitting right into the universe. Dementus stands out from otherMad Maxvillains, however, in some very key ways.
Instead of being a random warlord encountered by the hero,Dementus is very important toFuriosa’s Mad Max solo storyas her ultimate enemy. Hints of a tragic backstory and the subsequent lengths he went through to survive set him up as a uniquely potent foil to the heroes of the franchsie. His ruthless nature never costs him his enjoyably over the top personality though, allowing the character to retain his bizarrely compelling and consistently entertaining qualities. Dementus is the most compelling villain in theMad Maxseries, and is one of the bestcharacters inFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Why Immortan Joe Chose Furiosa to Guard His Wives (Mad Max Plot Hole Solved)
The Mad Max: Fury Road comics tell the previously-untold story of how Furiosa was assigned to be the bodyguard of Immortan Joe’s wives.
Dementus Has The Right Mix Of Danger & Personality For The Wasteland
Dementus is a perfect villain to flesh out theMad Maxfranchise with,serving as a strong foil to both Furiosa and Max. Introduced as the leader of a horde of scavengers on the search for a home, Dementus is the charismatic central villain ofFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga. While characters like Immortan Joe serve as overarching complications for the heroes, he’s treated less as a villain and more as a dangerous form of authority. By contrast, the bombastic Dementus is almost giddy at times, embracing his role as a monster for the sake of controlling all his followers.
The result is a villain who feels perfectly attuned to the larger than life scope of the franchise, as gritty and colorful as his world. Dementus is someone riding around in a motorcycle-pulled chariot and a knack for broad proclamations. He’s also a surprisingly strong and slick fighter, quickly trying to turn the tables against his enemies at any opportunity and willing to abandon any and all of his followers in a heartbeat. He’s ruthless, compelling, and at times even wacky. On a surface level,Dementus fits in well with the general tone and tenor of theMad Maxseries.
Chris Hemsworth’s Furiosa Performance Elevates Dementus
Hemsworth Hints At Dementus' True Character In Some Surprising Ways
Furiosa’s Dementus doesn’t work without Chris Hemsworth, who delivers a fantastic performance as the unpredictable villain. The character at times feels like a demented take on his version of Thor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or an unrestrained version of his villainous cult leader Billy Lee inBad Times at the El Royale. He retains Hemsworth’s natural charm and charisma, but with an untethered core that benefits the character on several levels. This allows Dementus to be comedic in some moments and fearsome in others. Perhaps most notable are the smaller moments of Dementus' humanity that break through the bravado.
There are small beats in the film, like Dementus' quiet acknowledgment of his dead children or his brief reflection on how the wastelands made him turn into a monster, that speak to a more complex character.This resists any temptation to transform Dementus into a more basic one-note villain. There’s an especially effective beat while Dementus has Praetorian Jack killed that hints at Dementus' revulsion and horror at what he has become. It’s a small moment, but one that hints he’s the extreme version of what Max and Furiosa could have become if the Wastelands pushed them too much.
Furiosa Can Finally Answer A Mad Max Franchise Mystery That’s 43 Years Old
Furiosa is set to occur between 15 and 20 years prior to Mad Max: Fury Road, meaning it could answer a question from George Miller’s original movies.
Dementus' Long Gone Humanity Is A Compelling Element Of The Character
Little concrete information is giving about Dementus and his background. This is similar to most villains in theMad Maxseries, which are primarily bombastic threats for Max or Furiosa to come up against. His hints of a previous life suggest that Dementus was once a more noble figure,who did have a family but couldn’t protect them from the Wasteland. All that’s left of that life is the teddy bear he’s frequently seen carrying on his person. He briefly gives it to the young Furiosa in an attempt to reach out to her, suggesting a genuine softness for children.
The end ofFuriosasees the titular road warrior finally catch up to Dementus and confront him over the deaths of her mother and Jack. Having more or less broken the villain, Furiosa demands some means of restoring what he’s taken from her. However, Dementus speaks from personal experience when he comments on how the world takes and cannot give, and that they both were forced to become monsters to survive the world. It makes Dementus an ideal foil to Furiosa and even Max, showcasing how an “anything to survive” mentality can become warped to create all sorts of monsters.
Dementus is a consistent presence inFuriosa,speaking to a unique adaptability as a villain within the universe. While he may not excel as a tactician like Immortan Joe, as a motivational figure like Aunty Entity inMad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, or as a deadly fighter like Lord Humungus inMad Max 2: The Road Warrior, he does enough of all three things well enough to take a place as a Lord of the Wasteland. However, his short-sighted bombast leaves him scrambling to always escape his mistakes. He’s adapted to the Wasteland well, even if has cost him his humanity.
It all makes Dementus a uniquely dangerous villain and one whofits perfectly into the wild tone ofMad Max. Dementus can lay an effective ambush while still being goofy enough to never stop being entertaining. It makes him desperate enough to try anything, and cunning enough to usually find a way out of it. It’s all the qualities of the best villains, while also underscoring the franchise’s themes of human mistakes ruining the world and causing more problems. It all comes together to makeFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga’sDementus the best example of a villain in the franchise.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Cast
A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be.
