| “ | For reasons long forgotten two mighty warrior tribes went to war and touched-off a blaze which engulfed them all . . . | ” |
– The Feral Kid (As Narrator) | ||
The Fall was a worldwide energy crisis that resulted in the deaths of millions, collapse of economies, societies and industrial civlization, due to scarcity of oil.
Overview[]
"The Fall" of civilization led to economic and societal collapse, massive crime sprees with the masses looting, rioting, and stealing whatever they could. Even stuff like drinking water and food became scarce. The wars for the last remaining oil deposits ultimately led to the launching of nuclear warheads, resulting in the "Great War" -- the Apocalypse.
Max Rockatansky, being a Main Force Patrol Interceptor Unit on a deadly highway, realized he must become like the terminal psychotics in order to survive road wars in his V8 Interceptor.
After the Fall, whomever survived was turned into a scavenger, left to scour the Wasteland for whatever they could find to help them live another day.
Mad Max: Fury Road (Comic Series)[]
In the comic book prelude to Fury Road, a History Man tells the origin story of Immortan Joe. He tells his audience of youngsters about the Fall.
| “ | One ordinary Wednesday, the power was turned off and it didn't come back on again. The world went beyond the tipping point. The cities fell apart.It was Anarchy . . . chaos. There was nothing to aspire to other than . . . survival. | ” |
– History Man | ||
Lore: The Fall[]
A Mad Max comic describing The Fall
The timeline of events, including the Fall, is never specifically sated within the context of the narrative. However, since the movie was made in the late 1970s, extrapolating the oil shocks from that time, it's likely the Fall was started by the Yom Kippur war of 1973 and the Iranian revolution of 1979. The catalyst for the nuclear holocaust is believed to have begun sometime in the mid-to-late 1980's as the Main Force Patrol was not founded until 1983.
The price of oil doubled and then quadrupled over the course of a single day, then again over the next one. Money lost its value, basic things like drinking water and food became scarce. Gangs and militias took over. The nuclear warheads started flying.
The opening narration of The Road Warrior aptly sets the grisly world stage:
My life fades, my vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land. But most of all, I remember the road warrior, the man we called "Max." To understand who he was you have to go back to another time. When the world was powered by the black fuel, and the desert sprung great cities of pipe and steel. Gone now, swept away. For reasons long forgotten two mighty warrior tribes went to war and touched-off a blaze which engulfed them all. Without fuel they were nothing. They'd built a house of straw. Their thundering machines sputtered and stopped. Their leaders talked and talked and talked, but nothing could stem the avalanche. Their world crumbled. Cities exploded. A whirlwind of looting. A firestorm of fear. Men began to feed on men . . .
The History Men and the Immortan Joe in the Mad Max comic that was released while making Fury Road lay an even more grim world:
In the weeks after the power failed, thousands fled down the highways, anywhere to escape the dying cities. But the gangs got there first. Only those who were prepared escpaed without permanent damage...
[...]
One ordinary Wednesday, the power was turned off... and it didn't come back on again. The world went beyond the tipping point. The cities fell apart. It was anarchy.. chaos. There was nothing to aspire to other than... SURVIVAL. Those that could, left the city to a slow, creepying death--those with muscles and ruthlessness... ....men such as these... ex-jarheads, devildogs, with high and tight haircuts, caches of weapons and the will to use them. Men in search of something more...
[...]
...A past that started before the Fall... ...in a world where commodity and greed ruled... ...and all was powered by the black fuel. Where industry chattered and churned to produce baubles to entertain the masses... ...spilling its wastes into the waters and the sky, poisoning the world as if there was no limit. But the resources WERE limited. The black fuel ran low. The land turned sour. Even precious water became scarce. Wars were fought to control the little that remained. Finally, the people woke up from their complacency, realized their peril... ...but their calls for action were met with force, directed by those who held onto power. But it was all too late. The world went beyond the tipping point. The streets were filled with fire and blood. Anarchy reigned. Gangs and militias took control, while citizens hid under their beds. Only a precious few stood for order in the chaos. Ordinary men, standing for peace... ...men like MAX. But the maelstrom found him. And in the roar of an engine... ...he lost everything. His world became dust. All that was left... ...was vengeance. He became a shell of a man, hollowed by his loss... lost in his own wasteland. And around him, the world fell apart.
The world burned. The waters dried up. The cities died. Only those who were mobile and brutal enough thrived. Men fought and died on the roads... ...for a single tank of guzzoline. Haunted by his demons, Max wandered alone... ...seeking contact only when necessity demanded it of him. But in this hostile world, one man could never prevail. Once again, he lost everything. It was only by making alliances that Max could survive... ...only to be cruelly used. And again he walked back out into the wasteland.