“Mad Max: Fury Road” is one of the best action movies of the past decade, a masterclass in storytelling and worldbuilding by George Miller that introduced a rich world full of possibilities. From the moment the film became a hit, fans have been clamoring for a sequel. Though Miller has spent years teasing a prequel film starring the character of Furiosa, he now reflects on what might come next in the film’s world, and the answer isn’t pretty.
READ MORE: ‘Furiosa’: Jodie Comer Reportedly In Contention To Star In ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Prequel
In a new interview with Josh Horowitz for a virtual New York Comic-Con panel, Miller talked about what might happen after Furiosa killed Immortan Joe and freed the people of the Citadel. “I’ve often thought about it. There are two ways to go,” Miller said. “One is utopian, which is not an interesting story, really. I’ve somehow imagined that the first thing she would do in line with that, is go up and release the water … it wasn’t withheld. … A New Deal, politically.”
Miller notes that this whole thing is unlikely, and uses the theories of Joseph Campbell to explain why the most likely scenario would involve Furiosa pulling a Daenerys Targaryen and becoming a tyrant.
“Campbell said that the usual story is that today’s hero becomes tomorrow’s tyrant. The hero is the agent of change. They basically relinquish self-interest in order for some common good,” added Miller. “[Campbell] basically says … you love what you’ve built, or saved, too much. You become holdfast. You become the orthodoxy. You develop the dogma and basically then you have to protect it. That tends to be the rhythm of these things.”
Miller admits he’s “torn between two things,” and thankfully he adds that perhaps Furiosa would be able to avoid falling into becoming a new Immortan Joe.
“I think she’s too smart to fall into that trap. She’s already seen it with the Immortan Joe,” Miller explained. “I believe he went through the same process. He was probably a heroic character in his own time.”
You can watch the rest of the panel below: