| “ | History Man, a Word Burger, please? Tears. Human tears. The secretions of the lacrimal gland containing oils, salts, proteins, and stress hormones. The tears of joy and those of sorrow have different chemical compositions. |
” |
– Dementus and a History Man | ||
A wordburger is exposition and definition provided by History Men to give detailed background information within the living narrative. The term "wordburger" was first introduced in the Mad Max; Fury Road comic book mini-series in 2015. It was first seen in action in 2024's prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Overview[]
With the Fall of civilization books were burned; information was lost. The younger generations growing up in this ensuing chaos had to rely on the older folks -- both men and women -- to act as "History Men" in order to teach them about the past and provide context for things, objects, ideas that were becoming lost.
Mad Max: Fury Road (Comic Series)[]
"Wordburger: death, the natural end of life."
In the Fury Road preludes, the stories are told from the perspective of these History Men who often times, as an aside, introduce wordburgers -- exposition -- that help put the events into context and ultimately give them meaning.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga[]
The first time we see a History Man on screen is in Mad Max: Fury Road. Although not identified in the film, Miss Giddy is a History Woman with the distinct tattoos on her body. The first time we hear the term "wordburger" is when Dementus calls for one to describe human tears, the tears of Furiosa as she's forced to watch her mother, Mary Jabassa, tortured to death.
Later, we find Furiosa in a caged carriage along with a History Man, portrayed by George Shevtsov. The History Man tells Furiosa that she could become a History Man and that he would teach her to improve her memory. Ultimately, he tells her to make herself "indispensable." It is their knowledge, particularly the words of their body, that make these living documents indispensable.
Lore: Wordburger[]
History Men are important in order to teach the young. When this doesn't happen, we see situations like the Lost Tribe of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome who invent a shared history -- a mythology such as "The Tell" -- cobbled together from random bits of memory, things they heard, and scraps of items they scavenge. As we see in the events of Thunderdome, this led to false hopes and beliefs and, ultimately, inaction as the tribe stayed in a little oasis in the Wasteland waiting to be saved.
Additionally, when the young are not taught, they invent new terms for mundane things as evidenced in Furiosa. Dementus' Biker Horde sees a signal flare in the sky. They investigate to find a Lone War Boy who informs them that he signaled them with "sky blood." Without these History Men, mankind devolves into a state of savagery where misunderstanding and superstition become the guiding religions and belief systems.