Summary
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagaconfirms Tina Turner’s Aunty Entity was defeated afterMad Max Beyond Thunderdomethrough one piece of worldbuilding. TheMad Max: Fury Roadprequel bridges the gap between George Miller’s franchise relaunch and the original trilogy byexploring the Mad Max world in the 15 years leading up toFury Road. This allowsFuriosato expand on various ideas and pieces of lore that were previously established within the universe and explain lingering questions, likehow Furiosa lost her arm.
Connections betweenFuriosaandMad Max Beyond Thunderdomewere not inherently expected.Furiosais the next film after Max’s encounter with Aunty Entity in theMad Maxtimeline. WhileMad Max does cameo inFuriosa, his appearance comes much closer to the events ofFury Roadthan when Mel Gibson’s final movie in the franchise occurs. Still, the introduction of Praetorian Jack and his experience driving Immortan Joe’s War Rig across the post-apocalyptic landscape leads to a subtletease of what happened to Aunty Entity and Bartertown afterBeyond Thunderdome.
Mad Max Timeline Explained: When Each Movie Takes Place
Because of the changes made by Mad Max: Fury Road, the series timeline can be a bit confusing. So when do they happen, and how do they fit together?
Bartertown Does Not Exist When Furiosa Takes Place
There’s Only 3 Cities That Remain
Based on the information provided inFuriosa, Bartertown no longer exists when Furiosa is working for Immortan Joe. She becomes Praetorian Jack’s partner as he shares his knowledge of the road and driving with her. It is through this relationship thatJack mentions that The Citadel, Gastown, and Bullet Farm are the only places that remaininMad Max’s post-apocalyptic Australia. Even withoutFuriosashowing a full map of the world at this point, Jack has traveled all across the Wasteland and is a trusted source for what cities or settlements still exist.
If Jack is correct in saying that The Citadel, Gastown, and Bullet Farm are the only places that are still standing whenFuriosatakes place, then Bartertown is no more. The town existed in the middle of the Wasteland during the events ofMad Max Beyond Thunderdome, so its location should be known to someone who is as familiar with the layout of the world as Jack. It was also largely destroyed by Max and others during the third film’s conclusion, but Aunty Entity planned to rebuild it, meaningBartertown should still be around duringFuriosa.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Ending Explained
Furiosa ends in a way that ties up the title character’s storyline, relaying her origins. We break down the biggest moments from Furiosa’s ending.
Bartertown’s Status Means Aunty Entity Was Defeated Between Thunderdome & Furiosa
She Wanted To Rebuild Bartertown After Beyond Thunderdome
The fact that Bartertown is not one of the cities mentioned by Praetorian Jack as existing inFuriosadoes not bode well forTina Turner’s Aunty Entity. She was a very powerful ruler inMad Max Beyond Thunderdomeand someone who was prepared to rebuild her city, most likely to even bigger heights. There isno confirmation whether Aunty Entity was successful in rebuilding BartertownafterBeyond Thunderdome. Jack’s line inFuriosaimplies that Bartertown was either never rebuilt or destroyed for a second time.
No matter what the explanation is for what happened to Bartertown, the fact thatthe location is no longer around means that Aunty Entity has been defeated. It was her mission to rebuild the city, and her demise is likely the only thing that truly would have stopped her. She would have otherwise surely entered the power struggle of The Wasteland between Dementus and Immortan Joe. That possibility raises the question about who defeated Aunty Entity and stopped Bartertown from becoming an even more important location in theMad Maxworld.
Did Immortan Joe Defeat Aunty Entity & Turn Bartertown Into Gastown?
There Is A Possibility
There is no information on what happened to Aunty Entity afterMad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and Bartertown’s status was also left in limbo as a result. But ifFuriosa’s detail does mean that Bartertown is no more and that Aunty Entity has likely lost all power in The Wasteland, it becomes possible that her demise is connected toImmortan Joe’s rise. He is completely absent from the originalMad Maxtrilogy and rises to power sometime after Aunty Entity’s introduction.
While Dementus remained as an adversary in The Wasteland duringFuriosa,Aunty Entity could have posed a closer and more immediate threat to Immortan Joe. It would not be too surprising if conquering or destroying Bartertown was part of his quest for power. This is simply speculation at this point, as Aunty Entity’s defeat could have come from any number of possible threats. But, Immortan Joe taking down Aunty Entity would be a great piece of backstory to include in theMad Maxfranchise.
In fact, there is some potential evidence that Immortan Joe learned and borrowed from Aunty Entity and Bartertown when constructing his empire. TheMad Max: Fury Roadprequel comic revealed thatGastown has its own version of Thunderdome. This would imply that Bartertown and Aunty Entity’s legacy did live on in some capacity. It’s even possible that the original or rebuilt Bartertown was reconfigured into Gastown after Immortan Joe’s conquest. If that is the case, then Gastown’s presence means a version of Bartertown is shown inFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga.
