Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

The inspiration behind calling Furiosa an Imperator in the Mad Max franchise reveals what her title really means, and how she came to be known by it. Furiosa is one of the most important and intimidating people in the entire Mad Max franchise, and her title of Imperator helped convey just how dangerous and legendary she was. Furiosa: A Mad Max saga told the story of how she came to be Furiosa, “the fifth rider of the apocalypse,” but it only hinted at how she became Imperator Furiosa.

Furiosa offered quite a bit of insight into how titles work in the world and the lore of Mad Max. In Mad Max: Fury Road, the Imperator title seemingly just sounded cool, but Furiosa introduced a new character that added a significant meaning to it. Because of Praetorian Jack, who bears a resemblance to Max, one of the franchise’s biggest inspirations has become clear. That inspiration seeps into every part of Mad Max, and it explains not only why Furiosa is called an Imperator, but also how she came to be one in the first place.

Furiosa’s Imperator Title Is Inspired By The Roman Empire

The Entire Mad Max Franchise Draws From Ancient Roman History

Furiosa’s title of “Imperator” came directly from the Roman Empire, and so did much of Mad Max in general. Both “Imperator” and “Praetorian” are terms used to describe different members of the Roman Empire’s military, with Imperator describing a general and Praetorian describing bodyguards and spies. Mad Max took even more inspiration from Ancient Rome than that, though, as many character names are similarly Roman. Corpus Colossus, Rictus Erectus, Scabrous Scrotus, and even Dementus and Furiosa themselves, all follow ancient Roman naming conventions, where men’s names (broadly) end in -us and women’s in -a. Even Max’s name is Roman, as it’s derived from Maximus.

In addition to the visual and linguistic connections to ancient Rome, even the world of Mad Max itself bears a striking resemblance to the Roman Empire. Like Rome, what’s left of society in Mad Max structured itself around a few “strong” leaders with a very imperial organization to their rule. The Citadel, for example, features a strong leader, with trusted advisors and enforcers below them, and soldiers and citizens at the bottom. Dementus even drives a chariot in Furiosa, making the connection to ancient Rome quite overt. Director George Miller clearly drew inspiration from the Roman Empire, and it seems like the characters themselves may have as well.

How Furiosa Became Known As An Imperator

Furiosa May Have Been Rewarded For Killing Dementus & Winning The 40-Day Wasteland War

The influence the Roman Empire has had on Mad Max even helps explain how Furiosa earned the title of Imperator. While it wasn’t outright confirmed in Furiosa or Fury Road, there’s evidence to suggest that Furiosa earned the Imperator title by killing Dementus. In Roman history, an Imperator was a general who won a particularly impressive victory in battle, and the title was given to them by their troops. It was shown in Fury Road that Joe rewarded those who served him well, and it’s entirely possible that Immortan Joe rewarded Furiosa for winning the 40-day Wasteland War by giving her the same title of Imperator.

If anyone could have earned the title of Imperator, it was Furiosa. Without her efforts during the 40-day Wasteland War, Dementus would have taken over the Bullet Farm unopposed, and his attack on the Citadel would have succeeded. Also, dealing the actual blow that took Dementus out was no small feat. If Furiosa hadn’t done what she did at the end of Furiosa, Dementus could have simply found a new group of raiders and tried again later. She was an extremely important part of Immortan Joe’s forces, and Mad Max as a whole, and the title of Imperator was well-earned.