Origin
Furiosa was born in a location known as the Green Place in the Australian Outbacks, where the land is fertile and fresh vegetables are grown for food. Her mother’s name was Mary Jo Bassa and she was a member of the Vuvalini of Many Mothers, she was a member of the Swaddle Dog clan. At some point during her childhood her and her mother were attacked (either by Immortan Joe or his allies) and taken captive, brought to the Citadel for the remains of her life. Her mother died 3 days after their capture, leaving Furiosa to fend for herself.
During her time at the Citadel she gained the attention of Immortan Joe and rose to the rank of Imperator, a higher official in his army of War Boys.
Creation
Furiosa was created by George Miller for the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road. She served at the central protagonist of the film.
Character Evolution
Furiosa has a very rebellious attitude; shown in her betrayal of Immortan Joe. She is fierce and independent; however, after working alongside Mad Max she shows a certain level of compassion and the hope she has for herself the the wives of Immortan Joe. It is hinted at that she becomes the leader of the Citadel after the events of Fury Road.
Major Story Arcs
Fury Road
“Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can and run.”
Imperator Furiosa is assigned a mission by Immortan Joe; she must head to Gas Town and the Bullet Farm in order to trade water for fuel and ammunition. Furiosa; however, has a different plan in mind and has hidden Immortan Joe’s wives in the war-rig, intent on freeing them from Immortan Joe and bringing them to her former home, the Green Place. Furiosa’s betrayal infuriates Immortan Joe thus causing him to send all of his War Boys after her, this begins her journey down Fury Road. Furiosa proves to be a formidable combatant, fighting off the War Boys and driving through a thick desert storm. She’s eventually held up by Max while repairing the war-rig, the two fight and Max attempts to drive away with her vehicle but doesn’t get far due to the fact that Furiosa designed a locking mechanism that prevents the vehicle from getting away without a specific code.
Deciding to make a deal with Max the two team up and travel down Fury Road together in search for safety and the Green Place. After escaping the War Boys several times she locates one of the Vuvalini of the Many Mother’s and announcer her mothers name and clan title, proving that she was once one of them. When she asks them about the Green Place they inform her that the soil went bad due to the hostile environment, thus the Green Place no longer exists. Enraged and heartbroken, Furiosa decides to abandon the war-rig and join the Many Mothers in search of a new home.
While driving to a new location she is stopped by Max, who gives her the idea of returning to the Citadel due to the fact that none of the War Boys are there to defend it. Furiosa goes along with Max and the group journey back to the Citadel; plowing right through Immortan Joe’s forces. During the journey back Furiosa gets into a fight with Immortan Joe who she winds up killing by tearing off his face mask which removes his lower jaw.
Furiosa is severely injured in the battle and passes out while Max tries to save her, the last thing she hears is Max finally telling her his name. When Furiosa awakes she is at the Citadel where she and her group drive inside, displaying the deceased Immortan Joe for all to see. The Citadel erupts into a loud cheer and accepts Furiosa as their new leader and protector. She makes one last glance of acknowledgement to Max before he disappears into the crowd.
Skills & Abilities
Trained since she was kidnapped, Imperator Furiosa is a skilled tactician, a talented driver, mechanic and is a fierce combatant in vehicular warfare. She was also shown to be a skilled marksman as she shot the spotlight on Major Kalishnikov‘s vehicle thus blinding him.
Equipment
- Prosthetic Arm – Furiosa is missing her left arm but wears a mechanical prosthetic which functions as a replacement.
- Shoulder Pad – The pad has what appears to be a plastic plate (perhaps from an old motocross roost protector), and a guilted soft padding underneath. The plate appears to have a tiny motor, pull-start handle, and hoses attached (ostensibly to run the prostethic arm). There are also a number of brown leather straps running from the pad to various points on the 3 belts and the prosthetis. Pieces of bicycle inner tube are used in the belts for elasticity. The soft padding appears to be covered in a basic natural-color utility cotton fabric, and is likely filled with cotton batting. It has the appearance of vintage sports protective gear.
- Blouse – Natural colored/light tan scoop-neck made of scraps. Tiny French sleeve on the right. Left sleeve is longer. A bunched-up, bandage look around the bustline. The blouse appears to to be made from a pilled cotton knit. Due to the similarities of the fabric of the blouse to the clothing worn by the Five Wives.
- Girdle – A dark brown, form-fit layer from the under-bust to the hips. Laced in the rear. Possibly leather. Possibly a layer of fabric showing through at the top
- Belts – Three assorted leather belts cover the waist, and have attachments for the shoulder pad. An additional brown leather belt sits on the hips and carries two leather pouches, as well as a hanging emblem on the front. The emblem has assorted chains hanging from it.
- Trousers – Fabric trousers reminiscent of horse riding trousers. There may be some stretch leather panels on them. There are slits bordered with stitching all over the outer panels of the trousers. Interesting stitch patterns on the seams.
- Boots – Black modern motorcycle boots. The tops of the boots are obscured by a wide anklet cuff on the left leg, and a zippered half-chap or gaiter on the right leg.
- SKS Rifle – Furiosa uses a Chinese SKS rifle with a long-range scope throughout most of the film.
In Other Media
Films
Mad Max: Fury Road
In the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road, Imperator Furiosa is portrayed by Charlize Theron.
Comic Book
Mad Max: Fury Road: Furiosa
A limited comic book series created by George Miller, Nico Lathouris, Mark Sexton and published by Vertigo. Serving as a prequel to the 2015 film of the same name, the series focuses on several characters from the film at various points in their lives before it. The second comic takes place right before the events of the film. It relates the story of how Imperator Furiosa meets with the Five Wives and helps them escape.