| “ | . . . But tell me, why do they call you the Dark One? Sweetheart, when I was coming up they reckoned I was the darkest, lowest, meanest man on the road. I guess they were right -- cos I'm also the oldest. |
” |
– Jessie Rockatansky to the Dark One | ||
The Dark One was supposed to be Max Rockatansky's driving partner in the original script for Mad Max whose presence in the movie has been almost entirely removed.
The Role[]
Original Script[]
The character of "The Dark One" was prominently featured in the original script for Mad Max. He is first mentioned in Goose's story about a gruesome accident where the The Dark One hit the tree and bounced back into the car trying to scream with his face ripped-off.
Later in the script, Max and Jessie were actually supposed to meet The Dark One where he is seen sporting a plastic nose piece, most likely the aftermath of the accident, however, his face wouldn't be clearly visible most of the time. The Dark One would handle the situation with Cundalini's hand over the phone and reassure Max that everything is going to be okay.
| “ | At last a battered police car pulled up in the drive. At the wheel was a semi-retired police officer known throughout the Force as the Dark One. He greeted Max and Jessie with a sort of understated warmth and quickly examined the contents of the bag. | ” |
– Description of the Dark One's arrival in the novelisation | ||
After Jessie and Max arrive at May Swaisey's farm, Jessie has an encounter with the Toecutter gang at the beach. Upon finding this out, Max tells May to call The Dark One and tell him to come over. There is no further mention of The Dark One in the original script.
Dis-Appearances in Mad Max[]
The Dark One was cut from the movie almost entirely. The story that Goose tells at Fat Nancy's diner makes no reference to The Dark One at all despite it being his accident story.
Later, when Max and the fam arrive at May Swaisey's farm he encounters a character named "Ziggy," and MFP officer and the local sheriff, who handles the Cundalini-hand situation. Originally, they would've met with The Dark One, but that character was removed, The Dark One was simply renamed to Ziggy for that scene.
However, after Jessie runs back from the beach Max still says to May Swaisey to call "The Dark One" for help which at that point would've been an entirely different character that we never get to meet.
Another remnant of The Dark One is his name written on the side of Max's yellow Interceptor.
In the novelisation, The Dark One is re-introduced in Ziggy's role and given his dialogue; however, no reference is made to his knowing Max, and he is not described as being disfigured.
A Serendipitous Change?[]
Whether a purposeful change, accident, or budget, the absence of this "Dark One" character would prove serendipitous to the movie and, especially, to Max Rockatansky's overall story-arc.
When we first meet Max Rockatansky, he is preparing to join the chase for the Nightrider. He is alone, however, even though the MFP cars were intended for two-man crews. This is the first foreshadowing -- Max being alone or, more specifically, "a loner."
The driver's side of the car reads, "M. Rockatansky" and below it "The Dark One." When one reads it, it seems to convey "M. Rockatansky The Dark One." With the absence of a partner one can read into this as symbolism -- Max Rockatansky is "The Dark One." This is the second foreshadowing as, by the end of the movie, Max Rockatansky would become Mad Max -- "The Dark One," the loner. This foreshadowing is reinforced a bit later in the movie when Max and Jess are messing around at home and Max dons a grotesque "monster mask." Yet, more foreshadowing.
A Tale of Two Interceptors - Car As Characterization[]
Some viewers of Mad Max may see just another superhero, action film. Maybe even the grandfather of the Fast and Furious franchise with its larger than life characters and its amazing car stunts. But that's not really the case. The reason the Mad Max franchise has sustained all these years isn't because of frenetic action and crazy characters. Yes, there are crazy characters and plenty of frenetic action, but its the depth of these characters and the situations and themes surrounding them that makes fans come back time and time again. Part of that depth is the symbolism. Symbolism goes hand in hand with mythology, thus psychology.
In the Mad Max franchise the cars have character because they are characters. They aren't just cars. For Max, in particular, his 1974 Ford Falcon XB Sedan that we see at the beginning of the seminal events IS Max Rockatansky. Some would argue that "that's jut how George Miller and the production wanted to design them." Perhaps. Perhaps, there was meaning behind the way the production designers formulated the cars?
Max's Unit 508, like the other MFP cars, is bright yellow, pretty shiny, and hardly dinged or scraped-up. Symbolically speaking, Max Rockatansky has a bright personality at this stage in his life. He's cheerful at the beginning of this arc. some might even say "happy." After all, he has a decent, respectable job, a beautiful wife, and an adorable child. Basically, within the context of his current world, he "has it all."
From Light to Dark
Then, as the events begin to unfold, we watch as those shiny, happy cars begin to get dented, damaged, and destroyed. The cars -- especially for the main protagonist, Max Rockatansky -- begin to reflect or resemble his inner world in a synergistic yin and yang. And bit by bit, his outer world is similarly dented, damaged, and destroyed, until Max Rockatanky loses everything -- his wife and child murdered! -- his outer and inner life collide unto collapse like the fragile civilization around him.
By the end, Max Rockatansky exists no more, turned into a monster like the ones he fought so hard against . . . to become "The Dark One" . . . to become Mad Max and this is adamantly reflected in the deep black monster of metal he drives at the end.