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It is by my hand, you will rise from the ashes of this world!

– Immortan Joe

Colonel Joe Moore, better known as "Immortan Joe," is the main antagonist of Mad Max: Fury Road and appears in the prequel film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The Lord of The Citadel and the leader of the fanatical War Boys was played by Hugh Keays-Byrne in Fury Road and Lachy Hulme in Furiosa.

Biography[]

Immortan Joe's origin story is recounted by the History Men in Vertigo Comics' "Nux & Immortan Joe." They tell of the "man who cheated death" and his rise to power:

"One ordinary Wednesday the power was turned off and it didn't come back again. The world went beyond the tipping point [...] Those who could, left the city to a slow death. Those with muscle and ruthlessness [...] ex-jarheads, devildogs with high and tight haircuts, caches of weapons and the will to use them, men in search of something more, a vision of a new world rising from the ashes of the old world. Their leader, the militant Colonel Joe Moore . . ."[1]

Rise to Power[]

Fury Road Immortan Joe Young

Immortan Joe in his younger years, alongside Major Kalashnikov and the People Eater.

Immortan Joe - formerly known as Colonel Joe Moore - was a veteran of the Oil Wars and a hero of the Water Wars. He formed a group of marauders who defeated other groups of survivors after the Fall. They killed the weak, dispensed with children, seized the women and accepted the strong into their ranks.

Colonel Moore's growing gang included henchmen dubbed "Major Kalashnikov" and a strategist called "Deepdog." Eventually, his idea of bringing back society willingly took a dark turn. He and his gang entered the Wasteland, where he would learn about a massive rock formation sitting on top of an aquifer that would later become known as The Citadel.

Learning About the Aquifer[]

Out in the Wasteland, Colonel Joe Moore spotted a group of rogue MFP officers (Roop & Charlie) attacking another group of survivors. He sent out a war party that found a survivor (who later became the People Eater) with knowledge of the location of a massive aquifer built into a series of natural stone masses in the Wasteland. After learning about the location of the aquifer, Colonel Joe Moore tried to bargain with its roughneck inhabitants, wanting to trade the captured women for water. His offer was turned down and his gang was attacked. He decided to look for water elsewhere.

Finding Gastown and the Bullet Farm[]

Colonel Joe Moore sent scouts to look for water, but what they found was a derelict oil refinery and an abandoned lead mine. He also sent out disposable members of his gang to climb and inspect the great rock, but all of them were shot down.

Seizing The Citadel[]

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His victory over the aquifer, against all odds, earned him his title "Immortan Joe."

Joe Moore, inspired by a story of a Persian (Maratha in actuality) General Tanaji Malusare, decided to sneak into The Citadel and take it over in a similar fashion. He strapped a rope to a lizard that climbed up the wall and allowed the gang to climb it as well. The lizard was reluctant to climb at first so one of his gang members called Fuk-ushima sacrificed his finger and tied it to a stick hanging in front of the the lizard's head to encourage the reptile to climb up. The lizard eventually made its way up and the attackers climbed the rope at night. The remaining gang members on the ground started an all-out assault, and while the aquifer defenders were busy shooting them from atop, a surprise attack came from the people who made their way to the top. As Moore's men were attacking atop, the defenders retreated to another tower and destroyed the pipes connecting the towers. Moore's plan was seemingly foiled. The gang started to count losses. As they were doing so it came to their attention that there was still a fight inside the main tower.

Becoming A Legend[]

War boys salute

War Boys salute to Immortan Joe atop The War Rig.

As the day went on, the main tower started to burn. The gang on the ground thought someone made it inside, but then they saw their gang members hung from the top one after another. On the third day, the band underneath lost all faith and decided to leave. But then, Joe Moore appeared victorious. He was immediately dubbed "Immortal man" or "Immortan Joe" by his gang.

Immortan's Cult[]

Immortan Joe saw this as an opportunity to elevate his status to a divine figure. A man who cheated death itself and returned to tell the tale. He created a religion around himself that was a combination of Norse mythology, ancient Greco-Roman influences and capitalistic elements of the old world all revolving around vehicles and all things mechanical. This resulted in a truly bizarre hodgepodge death cult signified by statements such as "Riding eternal on the highways of Valhalla" or "McFeasting with the greatest of all time" while water was renamed to "Aqua Cola" and the Immortan's guards were called "Imperators" or "Praetorians". The goal of the cult was simple - to elevate the Immortan to a divine status and give everyone hope that there is afterlife they can all enter as long as they follow his rules. As with any religion - it worked best on people in despair, and there was no shortage of those in the Wasteland. It also was very effective on young people that could be easily indoctrinated into becoming War Boys. In a world where people have become "Half-lives" due to radiation, The Immortan chose vehicles and machinery as a symbol of afterlife. While human bodies could not be rid of cancer and other diseases - a rusty car wreck could be cleaned up, fixed and brought back to life. Hence the War Boys scarified themselves with mechanical parts and were obsessed with things becoming 'Shiny and Chrome'. However, this cult only captured the minds of young and the weak. The People Eater and the Bullet Farmer were fully aware of Immortan's manipulation, as well as other older members of his gang and The Wretched that were not buying into it.

The Three Fortresses of the Wasteland[]

Immortan Joe's Empire

The construction of the Citadel and the building of his legacy.

The harshness of that world blurred the edges of reality. Some people worshipped Joe like a god. Meanwhile, he rebuilt the towers into The Citadel and scoured the land for resources. He reclaimed the Oil Refinery up North and used it to produce guzzolene, tyres and pitch for his armada. Dubbed "The Gas Town," it was ran by the Guardian of Gas Town. Gas Town was later taken over by Dementus and almost ran into the ground. After the Immortan defeated Dementus, the People Eater was given semi-control over Gas Town.

Immortan Joe refurbished the abandoned lead mine and turned it into The Bullet Farm, augmenting the facility to function as an arms, ammunition, and propellant factory, to fuel The Citadel's war effort against other gangs that roam the wasteland. It was placed under the rule of his former gang mate, Major Kalishnikov, now known as The Bullet Farmer.

Together, these three fortresses were called the "Triumvirate" within the narrative of the comic books. In the prequel film, Furiosa, they were referred to as "The Three Fortresses of the Wasteland." And it was during the events of Furiosa that we witness Immortan Joe fight the warlord, Dementus, in a battle for power.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga[]

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Having seized The Citadel from a group of roughnecks, Immortan Joe understood first and foremost the rock temple's power as a source of the most valuable commodity in the Wasteland - fresh water - as well as its strategic importance as a nearly impenetrable fortress. He also understood that any other factions in the Wasteland would, eventually come for it. And so it was not surprising when one day the Warlord Dementus and his Biker Horde arrived at the Citadel's proverbial doorstep with demands, "Bring me your leaders, and throw them down. You will rule with me in the splendor of a new wasteland!" Dementus promised. This new threat didn't phase Immortan Joe or his cabal of leaders; he kept a calm, cool demeanour as he showed Dementus just what he was up against in quickly dispersing the biker horde.

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Yet, Dementus, would not be deterred. He eventually captured Gastown from The Guardian of Gastown, and then demanded a meeting with the Immortan. The Immortan had no plans to negotiate with Dementus until the younger upstart threatened to destroy Gastown if he didn't return safely after the negotiations, citing that it is rigged with explosives that only he can disable with a six figure code. Immortan Joe listened with great patience to Dementus rantings and, ultimately, negotiated a shrewd deal which was far less than what Dementus demanded. In the process, Immortan Joe negotiated the acquisition of a valuable "Organic Mechanic" as well as a little girl who would become the highly trusted Imperator Furiosa.

As the chronicles of Furiosa unfolded, Dementus grew increasingly dissatisfied with the deal he negotiated, having felt cheated and unfairly blamed for the fiasco; his men blamed him and openly revolted to the point of going rogue. It was in these dire circumstances in which Dementus concocted a plan to seize the Bullet Farm with his eyes set once again on the Citadel.

However, it was the Praetorians, Jack and Furiosa, who discovered Dementus plot. Furiosa, sans her left arm, returned to the Citadel to warn Immortan Joe and his lieutenants, notably his sons Scrotus and Rictus, who both reacted with furious anger. It was Immortan Joe, however, who kept a cool head and listened carefully to what Furiosa had to say.

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Heeding the Praetorian's words.

This led to Immortan Joe crafting a cunning plan to fool Dementus into thinking he was sending forces to Gastown. This clever ploy worked in fooling Dementus and the two warlords then engaged in one of the longest and bloodiest road wars which was later dubbed "The Forty-Day Wasteland War," with Immortan Joe and his War Boys emerging victoriously.

Mad Max: Fury Road[]

The legend of Immortan Joe captured the hearts of many and they traveled to The Citadel from all over the Wasteland to seek a better life. These were known as The Wretched, only occasionally allowed to drink water from Immortan Joe's supplies. Only the healthy ones were taken by Immortan to become either Milk Mothers, Treadmill Rats, War Boys or Breeders. None of them knew what fate awaited them. The young boys were forged into fanatical believers of Immortan Joe's cult, becoming mechanics, worshipers in the Cult of the V8 and Immortan Joe's greatness. Immortan Joe, however, was ever fearful of the future and the future of his empire in seeing his sons, each with a deformity, unworthy of becoming his successors. It was in this fear that Joe created his "breeding program" in order to produce a healthy successor for his empire. He sought the healthiest and purest women and called them "The Five Wives," who escaped his tyranny with the help of Imperator Furiosa and set in motion the chain of events that would lead to his demise.

Demise[]

The villainous Immortan Joe

After his trusty Imperator, Furiosa, betrayed him and escaped with The Five Wives, Immortan Joe commenced a chase across the wasteland to retrieve his most valuable assets. This was referred to as "The Road War" by the History Men.

Eventually, the heavily wounded Furiosa managed to climb up onto Immortan Joe's vehicle - the Gigahorse - during the chase and managed to lodge a harpoon into Immortan Joe's mouth. The chain connected to the harpoon was caught by the wheels of the Gigahorse and pulled the harpoon with tremendous force, ripping Immortan Joe's jaw, throat and nose off, killing him in an instant.

His body was covered in sheets and delivered atop the Gigahorse back to The Citadel. Upon removing the sheets, thus revealing Immortan Joe's body to both the Wretched and the Winchmen guarding the main elevator, his body was dropped off the vehicle and immediately torn apart by hoards of Wretched while the Gigahorse with the victorious Furiosa drove on the elevator platform and, with the blessing of Joe's last living son, Corpus Collosus, was lifted up to the Citadel.

Appearance and Personality[]

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Early on, Joe typically wore his signature gas-mask and had long, black or dark-brown hair which he slicked back and tied with a bandana across his forehead. He wore a very rough leather sleeveless jacket which is embroiled with epaulettes decoration that military officers usually wore on their left shoulder whilst his right shoulder is protected with stubbed metal armour. Underneath his quasi-military jacket he wore a simple black muscle-shirt. Joe was resourceful, ruthless, and determined. However, in his pursuit for a better future he lost himself, lost his morals and became a tyrant who justified horrific acts in the name of survival and progress.

Joe was able to gather around him a small army that was growing as he roamed the wastes. Upon learning about the rock formation atop an aquifer - he knew this would have to become his fortress. After taking it over, he built it up along with an abandoned lead mine and a derelict oil refinery, effectively creating a self sustaining infrastructure in the wasteland. A small island of civilization, however barbaric, in an otherwise desolate wasteland.

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Immortan Joe was fully aware of the toxicity of the wasteland and its dangers. He became obsessed with continuing his lineage by establishing a harem of healthy women that would be repeatedly raped in order to deliver a heir. Those efforts were for the most part - futile. He did produce three sons, all of which had physical and mental deficiencies. In his later years Joe is revealed to have become impotent and could only perform with the help of Organic Mechanic's injections. Eventually the reality of the wasteland caught up with him as he became old and weak with his hair turned white, his build becoming stocky and his body covered in large boils and wounds. He also had severe respiratory problems but due to his status, he breathes clean air through a respirator mask (decorated with horse teeth to resemble a skeletal jaw) connected to a large breathing apparatus (resembling bellows) worn on his shoulders and hidden behind his head. Joe covers himself from head-to-toe in talcum powder to ease his pain[2], giving him a ghostly pallor which is mimicked by War Boys (this make-up design was inspired by Indian holy men[3]). He wears bulletproof Plexiglas armor, which is adorned with several service medals and molded to give him a muscular appearance. His elaborate costume is designed to both aid his failing body and hide it from the prying eyes of The Wretched and War Boys. It's also used as means of intimidation.

Joe displays many traits typical of cult-leaders and dictators. He is a tremendous public speaker, delivering lofty speeches to elicit fealty from his subjects. He regularly demonstrates his control over The Citadel's resources, constantly reaffirming his dominion over the population. He commands a horde of fanatical warriors who worship him and follow him without question, even going so far as to sacrifice their lives for his every whim. In return, he offers them the promise of eternal life with him in Valhalla.

Despite his totalitarian nature, Joe does seem to have an altruistic side. He sincerely believes that he is doing right by society within The Citadel: by rationing the water, growing and distributing crops, capturing "blood bags" (enslaved individuals used as blood donors) for medical use, and by implementing a "breeding program" to produce a heir that would carry on the legacy he built.[4]. He has a great affection for his wives but treats them as objects, referring to them as his "treasures." In the Mad Max: Fury Road comic he considers the wives ungrateful for what he sincerely considers to be generosity. He seems to think that keeping the wives imprisoned as sex slaves is truly what's best for them and thinks of them as spoiled when they verbally rebel.

Joe's sexual tendencies are covered much more in the comics and are suggested to be unusual. In the presence of his wives, he refers to himself as "Daddy," asking Cheedo to sit on his lap like a child and seemingly taking pleasure in the age gap between him and his wives. Toast also remarks that during one of her rapes he had penetrated her anally rather than vaginally. It's also hinted at in the comic that he may have a closeted attraction to men. The wives mock him by saying he would rather sleep with a War Boy than with them, and the History Man narrating the comic shares this sentiment.

Known Relatives[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Original Character Design[]

The design of Immortan Joe changed over many years of movie's development, however the only remaining characteristic present in all designs is his breathing apparatus also functioning as a menacing mask.

The Immortan himself was going to be painted blue. In early storyboard concepts the Winchmen are holding containers with blue washing detergent. That's what was being traded to give the warlord his blue colour. According to Mark Sexton, the idea came about as a joke among the writers. In early storyboards The Wretched were trying to trade packs of Cold Power (a brand of laundry detergent by Colgate-Palmolive) with the Winchmen. [5]

Trivia[]

  • In Mad Max: Fury Road, Immortan Joe is portrayed by Hugh Keays-Byrne, the actor who played the Toecutter in Mad Max. For the prequel film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the role is assumed by Lachy Hulme, who also appears as a new character, Rizzdale Pell, Keays-Byrne having passed away in 2020. Hulme is a personal friend of filmmaker George Miller and was originally cast for the film as Pell, who is a gang-member associated with the Warlord Dementus, a new villain created for Furiosa. Hulme discussed the character of Immortan Joe with Miller, who stated "I'll probably just get a body double," to which he replied "Well, somebody needs to step up for Hugh. Someone needs to honour this great man. I can do it. I can do the voice."[6] In an interview, Hulme stated that performing the character wasn't about getting inside his headspace, as viewers already know who he is, having seen Fury Road. Rather, it was more about portraying a specific flavour of the character, specifically "a corporate CEO under a lot of pressure."[7]
  • The sceptre carried by Joe in the film is actually a personal artefact belonging to Keays-Byrne, a memento of his mother-in-law.[8]

Quotes[]

  • "That's my child! My property!" (To Angharad)
  • "Do not, my friends, become addicted to water, or it will take hold of you and you will resent its absence!"
  • "Return my treasures to me, and I myself will carry you through the gates of Valhalla. You shall ride eternal. Shiny, and chrome." (To Nux)

Gallery[]

References[]

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