[SPOILERS] Cameo in Furiosa Explained

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga manages to be a prequel that stands on its own, separate from the acclaimed action film it spun off from. However, it features a brief but interesting cameo that changes a key relationship in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Is Max in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a prequel that enriches the story of Mad Max: Fury Road in more ways than one. While the main focus of the story revolves around Furiosa and her entrapment in the Wasteland years before she ever encounters the Road Warrior, there are still large connections to the previous 2015 Mad Max film. Furiosa gives us a closer look at the titular character and reintroduces the Citadel and other key locations and characters from Fury Road. Moreover, the prequel also sets up the world and power systems that are eventually overthrown in Fury Road as well.

One interesting thing to note is that the 2015 Mad Max film implies that it’s the first time Furiosa ever meets Max, which leads to their hostilities in the first half of the film before teaming up in the last chase sequence. However, a brief cameo in Furiosa seems to indicate that Max had a larger role to play in Furiosa’s epic story of revenge than what was seen in Fury Road. The cameo comes toward the end of the film after Furiosa (Anya Taylor Joy) escapes a near-death experience with Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and passes out in the desert.

Related: Why Isn’t Charlize Theron In Furiosa?

Did Max Save Furiosa?

While not explicitly shown, it’s implied that Max Rockatansky is the one who takes Furiosa to the edge of the Citadel after she passes out. The scene that establishes Max’s presence has him on a cliff overlooking the desert landscape in a shot very similar to the one at the beginning of Fury Road. While viewers can’t see his face (and we’re pretty sure it isn’t Tom Hardy reprising the role), we see the character’s iconic Pursuit Special as well as the black leather outfit Max is known for wearing.

From that point, we see Furiosa being dragged away from the desert heat by an unknown character, but since viewers see Max before that happens, it should be safe to assume that Max saved Furiosa, not knowing her journey or the consequences of doing so. While this is a brief cameo, it still manages to elevate the relationship between Max and Furiosa, making their encounter in Fury Road feel different and their team-up feel less serendipitous and more something fated or destined to happen. George Miller’s insertion of Max in this movie reinforces the director’s love of myths and storytelling, making Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga a meaningful and powerful prequel.

And that’s Max’s cameo in Furiosa, explained.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters now.