Mad Maxis an electrifying saga that has spawned four feature films thus far, three of which were released in the 1980s, and the most recent one,Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), is considered a soft reboot. Because of this sudden development in the franchise, many fans are unsure whereFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagawill fit into the story’s overall structure.
Furiosa,starring Anya Taylor-Joyand Chris Hemsworth, is set to be released on August 09, 2025, which is just on the horizon. With the release date nearing, manyMad Maxsaga fans are keen on revisiting the franchise, butFuriosais far from a proper sequel. As a result, fans are bombarding the internet with questions about the film’s timeline and whether it serves as a sequel or prequel to the previous installments.
Fear not—despite a 30-year reboot, Furiosa still has its own designated place in the franchise. While it may not have an obvious connection to the original trilogy, it nevertheless fits effectively withinMad Max: Fury Road’s timeline. So, without further ado, here’s a detailed breakdown of theMad Maxtimeline andFuriosa’s place amid its convoluted narrative.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais a tough nut to crack when it comes to determining its timeframe within the franchise, butMad Max: Fury Roadmakes it plausible. As we know, the originalMad Maxfilm, released in 1979, isset in the mid-1980s. It was deciphered from the fact that a piece of graffiti in the movie shows the date December 1984, leading fans to reach the said conclusion. Following Max’s vengeance for hunting down the gang members who brutally murdered his wife and child, we’ve seen what remains of civilization crumble as oil production declines substantially.
SinceMad Max 2: The Roadtakes place about three years after the previous film, the timeline jumps to the late 1980s. As Max drives his interceptor through the Australian wasteland in search of gasoline, he eventually joins a tribe of good people, but the film emphasizes that the new world belongs to the strong and ruthless. Moving on to the third film in the series,Mad Max Beyond Thunderdomeis set about 15 years after the second film, placing the timeline in the early 2000s. This is evident in the movie when an aircraft crashes near the tribe where Max lives, and Captain Walker leaves the place to seek help in 1999.
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Given the film’s events, which take place a few years after the incident, experts believeBeyond Thunderdomedepicts the events of thepost-apocalyptic worldin the early 2000s. Thus far, the timeline has been relatively straightforward to grasp, butMad Max: Fury Roadcomplicates matters significantly because the film takes place around 2050, according to a few references made in the comics. Given that Max is the film’s main protagonist, his existence defies logic, but fans have a few theories.
The characters of Max,portrayed by Mel Gibsonand Tom Hardy, are vastly different, and the events that happened inMad Maxare regarded as myths by the people who appear inFury Road. Ultimately, it is established thatMad Max: Fury Roadtakes place around 2050, but where doesFuriosafall into the timeline?
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
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.
It has already been established thatFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagawill serve as a prequel toMad Max: Fury Road, following the story of Imperator Furiosa, who appeared alongside Max Rockantansky in the last film. According to Warner Bros, the official premise ofFuriosareads as follows:
As the world falls, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. While the two Tyrants war for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa survives many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.
InMad Max: Fury Road, after arriving in Green Place, which has now become uninhabitable, Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, is recognized by a woman who claims she is one of their own and was kidnapped as a child. The age difference betweenAnya Taylor-Joy and Charlize Theronis 20 years; hence, assumingFuriosatakes place 15-20 years beforeFury Roadis the most reasonable option for the timeline.
The trailer states that the events ofFuriosatake place 45 years after “the Collapse,” which corresponds to the original trilogy when consideringFuriosato take place around 2030. Still, given that it is a direct prequel toMad Max: Fury Road, it’s essential to consider how it ties to it. This is where the problem arises, asMad Max: Fury Roadsignifies that the world’s collapse occurred 33 years ago, as shown by a tattoo on Max’s arm.
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According toFury Road, society collapsed in 2013, whereas it actually happened in the mid-1980s in the original trilogy. In fact, George Miller, the creator of theMad Maxsaga, has remarked that he is not overly concerned about the timeline because his vision of the newMad Maxproductions goes beyond what the newly released comics are attempting to achieve. In addition, he toldcomicbook.com:
This story happens 15 years directly before Mad Max: Fury Road, and it runs straight into it, and Max is lurking around somewhere in this story, but it’s really the story of Furiosa and how she got to be. A lot of the film will be familiar, and a lot of it’s new, which we haven’t seen before.
In a nutshell, whenMad Max: Fury RoadandFuriosaare combined with the original trilogy, the timeline of the entire franchise becomes more confusing, but if we look at them separately, Furiosa should take place about 15 or so years beforeMad Max: Fury Road, according to George Miller, and because Furiosa’s younger version appears to be 15 years old in the new film. To make things easier, here’s a table with the timelines for each movie in theMad Maxsaga:
Mad Max(1979)
Mad Max 2(1981)
Late 1980s
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome(1985)
Early 2000s
Mad Max: Fury Road(2015)
Around 2050
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga(2024)
Early-to-Mid 2030s
Mad Max: Fury Roadis streaming on Apple TV and is available to rent on Google Play.Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais heading to theaters on July 06, 2025.
