Mad Max: The Wasteland is the upcoming sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, and while the film is exciting, it is already creating a major problem with Furiosa. Furiosa is one of the main characters in Mad Max: Fury Road, with Max deciding to help Furiosa free the five wives of the villainous Immortan Joe. Furiosa is one of the best new characters that George Miller's Mad Max series has introduced, but the franchise is running into an issue regarding how it will handle her in The Wasteland.
Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film in director George Miller's beloved Mad Max franchise, with the 2015 film acting as a soft reboot of the original Mad Max trilogy. Besides replacing Mel Gibson's Max with Tom Hardy's, Mad Max: Fury Road also introduced a litany of other changes, with one of the most notable being the introduction of a female lead named Furiosa. Furiosa has gotten so popular that the next Mad Max film will be a Furiosa prequel, with Anya Taylor Joy playing the post-apocalyptic warrior. However, the series has run into a problem with the movie after Furiosa, Mad Max: The Wasteland.
Furiosa Won't Appear In Mad Max: The Wasteland
Despite her popularity, Furiosa won't be appearing in Mad Max: The Wasteland. George Miller confirmed this in an interview with Digital Spy, saying "She's not in the Mad Max [sequel] story." This comes as a shock, considering that Mad Max: The Wasteland will be releasing not long after the Furiosa prequel, making her inclusion in the sequel an obvious choice. While there was debate regarding which version of Furiosa would appear in the next Mad Max film, it seems that the true answer is neither.
In the same Digital Spy article, George Miller explained that the film is still a work in progress, meaning that it's possible that Furiosa could find a spot in Mad Max: The Wasteland. It's possible that she could be added in if Furiosa is successful, highlighting fan demand for the character to return. After all, she's still alive at the end of Mad Max: Fury Road, making her absence in Mad Max: The Wasteland make even less sense. Therefore, as it stands, Mad Max 5 currently has something of an awkward Furiosa problem.
Why Mad Max 5 Not Featuring Furiosa Is A Mistake
Furiosa is one of the Mad Max movies' most popular elements, making her absence in Mad Max: The Wasteland a huge mistake. Besides Max Rockatansky himself, Furiosa will make the titular character the franchise's only other recurring main character. Mad Max: Fury Road put Furiosa on a level equal to Max, and not capitalizing on that is a bad idea.
Simply having Furiosa in the film would be a great way to cross-promote the Furiosa prequel and Mad Max: The Wasteland. On top of that, Furiosa is a great example of a female protagonist that isn't often seen, and her absence from Mad Max: The Wasteland removes this great representation. Furiosa needs to appear in Mad Max: The Wasteland, and without her, Mad Max's storytelling risks regressing to the days of the original trilogy.