The Mad Max movies got off to an incredible start in 1979 with George Miller’s original Mad Max, but Max only got really mad relatively recently. The Mad Max movie franchise has retained an amazing consistency in tone and aesthetic since 1979. It has pioneered its unique world, style, and message. These small miracles are due to George Miller helming the franchise from its very beginning, writing the story with Byron Kennedy, penning the screenplay, and then directing the movies. But despite this consistency, one thing did evolve over the years – Max himself.

Across the Mad Max timeline, Max Rockatansky is the titular antihero, only giving the spotlight to Furiosa once in the 2024 movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Originally played by Mel Gibson, Max Rockatansky fronted Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Playing Max between 1979 and 1985, Gibson defined the franchise and carved out a niche for his unpredictable warrior in the pantheons of sci-fi legends. But it wasn’t until Tom Hardy took up the role of Mad Max for Mad Max: Fury Road that the character started living up to his name.

Tom Hardy In Fury Road Was The First Time Max Rockatansky Truly Lived Up To His “Mad Max” Nickname

Tom Hardy’s Mad Max Must Be Revived

The Mad Max displayed by Mel Gibson in the first three Mad Max movies was unpredictable and a little unhinged, but he was no more mad than a wide variety of other pompous heroes and villains in the 1980s. He was, if anything, a little more heroic than his name suggested. Meanwhile, Tom Hardy’s inspired interpretation of Mad Max appeared barely functional beyond the rhythmic twitching of vital muscles and brute strength. It took 36 years, four movies, and two actors, but in Tom Hardy, Max was finally raving mad. And, magically, sympathetic to boot.

Tom Hardy’s Mad Max Performance Shows Why He Should Return For The Wasteland

Tom Hardy’s Fury Road Was Just The Beginning

It would be criminal for the Mad Max movies to end when Max had only just gone mad. Tom Hardy’s completely Mad Max was just the beginning of the franchise’s potential, opening up a journey of soul-searching, freedom-fighting, and post-apocalyptic violence for the character. Max’s madness allows him to tackle the soul-destroying perils of the wasteland with a stoic glaze over his eyes. However, if Tom Hardy was allowed to return in the Mad Max: The Wasteland movie, this surprisingly charismatic character could slowly blossom and show more emotion.

Antiheroes are Tom Hardy’s specialty, and Hardy’s stellar performances in Venom and Warrior prove it. Hardy’s action movie credentials are almost unsurpassed, and he brings just the right balance of chaos and control to his leading roles. This is ideal for long-term character development across a franchise, and the Mad Max movies would be missing a huge opportunity not to let Tom Hardy’s Max grow into himself. Max could plumb new depths of insanity, but also reach new depths of wisdom and power. Really, it is this growth that will keep audiences coming back to Mad Max.