One Mad Max: Fury Road theory from 9 years ago simply won’t die, and while this theory may work, there is an even better explanation for the existence of Tom Hardy’s Mad Max. Although all of the Mad Max movies are canon to George Miller’s epic post-apocalyptic saga, the titular protagonist was recast in the fourth film, Mad Max: Fury Road. Since no official in-universe explanation has been provided, a lot of theories have attempted to explain why Max looks different in Mad Max: Fury Road, but this new theory is even better than the most popular one.

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the most popular films of 2015, with George Miller returning to the Mad Max Wasteland in order to bring the titular character back for another exciting post-apocalyptic adventure. However, the exciting return of the Mad Max franchise came 30 years after the previous film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, meaning that Mel Gibson couldn’t return to play the action-heavy character. Thus, George Miller cast Tom Hardy as Mad Max, throwing a wrench into the meticulously planned lore of the Mad Max franchise. So, here is a theory that explains the in-universe character change.

Tom Hardy’s Max Is The Road Warrior’s Feral Kid – Fury Road Theory Explained

The Oldest Tom Hardy Explanation

The most popular theory that attempts to explain Mad Max’s transformation from Mel Gibson into Tom Hardy first came about when Mad Max: Fury Road was released four years ago, with it explaining that Max is actually the Feral Kid. The Feral Kid is a character first seen in Mad Max 2, also known as The Road Warrior. In the film, the Feral Kid is a young scavenger who becomes friends with Max throughout the film, with the duo working together to take down the villainous Humungus and his gang. However, the Feral Kid hasn’t been seen again since.

According to this Mad Max theory, Tom Hardy’s Max and Mel Gibson’s Max are actually two different characters, with the identity of the Tom Hardy iteration actually being a grown-up Feral Kid. The Mad Max Feral Kid theory explains that the Feral Kid was inspired to become like Max after the events of The Road Warrior, leading to him taking up the Mad Max name at some unknown point in the future. Much like his hero, the Feral Kid began to wander the Wasteland, with the events of Mad Max: Fury Road chronicling one of the Feral Kid’s journeys.

Mad Max’s Canon Indicates That Max’s Story Is More Myth

Is Max A Real Person?

Although the Mad Max Feral Kid theory is a working explanation for why Tom Hardy’s Max looks different, the franchise’s canon actually suggests a different possibility. The four Mad Max movies seem to indicate that Mad Max’s story is a myth told throughout the Wasteland, with Max being a folklore character in the same vein as Paul Bunyan rather than a real person with a consistently evolving story. Thus, the legend of Max wouldn’t need an in-universe explanation for why he looks different, as the Mad Max: Fury Road story is simply coming from a different storyteller.

The theory that Mad Max is a mythological character in the Wasteland is supported by a few details in the Mad Max saga. Firstly, Max doesn’t seem to age, with him potentially being a timeless character who can be plopped down in any time period. On top of that, Max is seen at various stages of the apocalypse, with the post-apocalyptic world evolving immensely across the four films. This would also explain why Max has been able to survive so many dangerous encounters, as he was simply written to have plot armor rather than being a real person.

Mad Max’s Myth Theory Perfectly Explains Tom Hardy’s Fury Road Recast

It’s Told From Furiosa’s Perspective

The theory that the Mad Max stories are myths is a great addition to the franchise, as it perfectly explains Tom Hardy’s recast as the titular road warrior in Mad Max: Fury Road. The fourth film in the franchise is being told from a different perspective than the previous three movies, with Furiosa being the one to recount her time with Max in this instance.

Because of this, Furiosa’s take on Max is a different one than the previous storytellers. Although Hardy and Gibson’s Mad Max iterations are implied to be the same person, they are actually different storytellers’ takes on the same character, explaining why there are minor differences when the broad strokes are the same.

Fury Road’s Max Being The Feral Kid Is Still Possible (But Unnecessary)

The Road Warrior Theory Could Still Work

With this new theory in mind, it is still possible that the Feral Kid turned out to be Mad Max. Max could still be a legendary character but a real person at the same time, with Furiosa having actually run into the Feral Kid version of Mad Max. However, this overcomplicates things, with it being a convoluted way of explaining Tom Hardy’s Mad Max recast.

Instead, it is better to keep the simpler explanation that anybody could be Mad Max. Forcing the Mad Max character to have to be one of two people is completely unnecessary, with it constraining this massive legendary figure into an incredibly small box. On top of that, the theory that the Feral Kid turned into Mad Max was always shaky anyway, as there is no evidence for it with the exception of the Feral Kid being friends with Max. While The Road Warrior fans can still believe this theory, it is no longer necessary to explain the Mad Max saga.

How Furiosa Hurts The Mad Max Myth Explanation

The Prequel Throws A Wrench In Things

The theory of the mythological Mad Max works for all four mainline Mad Max movies, but the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga really hurts this explanation. This is because the prequel focuses on a different character, putting Furiosa in the spotlight rather than Mad Max. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga seems to be a straight-up recounting of Furiosa’s origins rather than an implied legend about a mythological Wasteland figure.

However, there are still some ways around this. It could be that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is meant to be Furiosa’s retelling of her story once again, with her synthesizing it with her retelling of Mad Max: Fury Road. This too is incredibly complicated, with it throwing a wrench in the otherwise rock-solid theory of Mad Max being a mythological character in Mad Max: Fury Road.