Warning: SPOILERS for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga are in play. If you haven’t taken this most recent trip into the apocalypse yet, you’ve been warned.
Sometimes a teddy bear is just a teddy bear, and sometimes, like in the case of co-writer/director George Miller’s 2024 movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, that stuffie on the belt of Chris Hemsworth’s Warlord Dementus actually means something. In a stark contrast to what we know about this Fury Road prequel, the answers behind this question aren’t as readily given. It all rests on knowledge that Hemsworth shared that was handed down to him by his director, and it's easily summed up in three simple words: “Nothing is accidental.”
How George Miller’s Furiosa Mantra Inspired Chris Hemsworth's Teddy Bear Backstory
As CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell attended the recent press day for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, he asked Mr. Hemsworth outright about what sort of setup went into giving the bear its lore. This, in turn, led to a revelation that has me going down a bit of a rabbit hole when it comes to the story of both Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) and the Mad Max saga itself.
For starters, here’s what Chris Hemsworth told CinemaBlend about how he and George Miller’s pieced together what this children’s toy meant:
This was George's thing. His mantra was ‘Found objects, repurposed.’ So everything in the Wastelands, everything you see had a previous duty or purpose, and now is being reused in some other way, and fashioned into something else. And the teddy bear was there, and was part of the costume. And I said to George, ‘Well, what does it mean?’ And he's like, ‘Ah, well, I'm not sure. What do you think it means?’ And then we began to sort of have different discussions about, ‘Maybe it’s his? Maybe it was a child’s?’ And so on. And then it took on a life of its own, and held a lot more presence than I think we'd initially expected. But the absolute takeaway for me is that everything does need to have a story. That nothing is accidental. And it gives it so much more nuance, and depth.
I have to admit, despite my Furiosa review not being the most glowing, this subject vastly intrigues me. Obviously we can assume that the teddy bear in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga belonged to a dead child of Dementus. Hemsworth’s heel of a character tells us that much as he talks about how losing his own family and the quest for vengeance that resulted from it. Working off of that assumption, I think there’s an even greater message we can take away from that beady-eyed innocent.
What I Think Furiosa’s Teddy Bear Truly Means
I personally think that Dementus’ teddy bear is the last literal shred of humanity the Warlord had on his person. It makes sense with little context clues, like Chris Hemsworth’s heavy mentioning the loss of his family, as well as with some deeper digging into the series’ pre-existing lore.
In a way, Dementus is another “Mad” Max Rockatansky figure, who loses his family to the slow rolling apocalypse we see kicked off in 1979’s origin story. Only instead of becoming a sort of avenging folk hero to the wastelands like Max did, he became a vicious warlord who's only out for himself. That choice ultimately robs our somewhat sympathetic villain of his humanity, save for the memories he has attached to that plush bear.
He suggests as much in his final confrontation with Furiosa, warning her that revenge solves nothing. That caveat is all the more applicable, as we see Charlize Theron’s incarnation of the character seize the Citadel's power by eventually betraying her former ally/boss Immortan Joe. When taken with George Miller’s comments on the Mad Max franchise future, these events become even more poignant.
With his mind already pondering further angles in this world of the wastes, the director also took to Den of Geek to discuss a potential follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road that would focus on our heroine’s reign in the Citadel. The themes of revenge and power feel even more insightful after reading the following:
People have speculated. Is Furiosa going to improve [the Citadel]? Can she improve it? Or is she going to do what often happens in many stories where there is some revolution. As [Joseph] Campbell said, ‘Often yesterday’s hero becomes tomorrow’s tyrant.’ And that’s a story told over and over again as well. I’ve honestly thought a lot about what happens to Furiosa when she takes over the Citadel. … But I’d rather other people speculate because stories are in the eyes of the beholder.
Much as the backstory to Warlord Dementus’ teddy bear was left to Chris Hemsworth to game out, we the audience are left to talk about its meaning as well. With that, we’re also forced to question if Furiosa herself isn’t a villain in the making after her hard-fought victory in Fury Road.
If you’re interested in examining those questions yourself, feel free to see Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as preparation; as that film is currently showing in theaters. Also, with Mad Max: Fury Road currently streaming for Max subscription holders, you'll easily be able to form your own opinion on where the woman who fought the world ends up after taking the Citadel.
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