Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Summary

• Dementus' twisted character in Furiosa reflects his tragic backstory and his fate through clever symbolism.
• Furiosa highlights the impact of loss on its characters, with Dementus becoming a villain due to his traumatic past.
• Dementus' biker gang loyalty and brutality add depth to his character, ultimately leading to his downfall at the hands of Furiosa.

Dementus acts as the main antagonist of Furiosa's cast of characters.

Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth, was a true Mad Max villain, as he was utterly demented. He would often say strange and funny things during very tense moments, which both helped give Furiosa some comedic relief and gave an insight into his mind. By the end of Furiosa, Dementus had made himself one of the most important people in both the wasteland and Furiosa's story, and he suffered a gruesome fate for it. For such a central character, though, not much is explained about Dementus in the movie, though some major parts of Dementus' character are hidden throughout Furiosa.

Dementus' Backstory

Dementus' Story Before Furiosa Is Left Somewhat Vague

Not much is known about Dementus' backstory prior to Mad Max's apocalypse. Dementus does it in Furiosa that he had a family prior to the apocalypse, but other than that, there are very few details about him. He was old enough to have been around before the wasteland begun, so he likely had a fairly normal life before taking on the moniker of Dementus, which clearly incorporates the word "demented." While Furiosa doesn't spend a lot of time outright explaining Dementus' backstory or what happened to his family, there are some clues about it, most notably in the form of Dementus' teddy bear.

Dementus’ Teddy Bear Explained & What Happened To His Family

Dementus' Teddy Bear Belonged To His Child Who Was Killed Before The Movie

Throughout Furiosa, Dementus carried a teddy bear strapped to his belt. When he had enslaved Furiosa at the beginning of the film, he offered the bear to her as a way to calm her down during his biker gang's burtal executions. At that moment, he explained to her that the bear was his child's, and that she had to keep it very safe. This hinted at the teddy bear's significance to Dementus, and what it says about the fate of his family.

Given Furiosa's proximity to Mad Max's apocalypse, it's safe to assume Dementus' family died in tragic fashion when the world ended.

Furiosa never fully explains what happened to Dementus' family beyond him stating that they died. Given the movie's proximity to Mad Max's apocalypse, though, it's safe to assume they died in tragic fashion when the world ended. That was also likely a driving factor behind Dementus' madness, and a large part of the reason he was so cruel. It's interesting that this backstory essentially makes Dementus a foil for both Furiosa and Max: all of them lost their families, but Furiosa and Max decide to use the madness their losses caused to become heroes, while Dementus uses his loss as an excuse to become a villain.

Dementus' Biker Gang

Dementus' Gang Was Extremely Loyal & Brutal

A major reason Dementus is such an intimidating villain throughout Furiosa is that he commanded a biker gang that essentially acted as his own personal army. Like Immortan Joe's War Boys, Dementus' gang would essentially do anything for him, including facing down certain death. His gang also allied with the Octoboss' band of raiders before their initial assault on one of Immortan Joe's rigs and Gas Town, strengthening them even further. That alliance eventually died out, though, and Octoboss' gang left Gas Town.

Furiosa also revealed exactly how Dementus was able to command such obedience and respect from his biker gang. Early in the movie, the gang captured a group of survivors and forced them to fight to the death for one of five dirt bikes that were attached to a man's limbs. The survivors who won were allowed to the gang, while the others were killed. That brutal initiation both inspired loyalty to Dementus, as it was a traumatic event, and ensured that only those who were most willing to listen to him and kill at a moment's notice survived long enough to the gang.

War With Immortan Joe & The War Boys

Dementus Tried To Rule The Three Fortresses Of The Wasteland

Over the course of Furiosa, Dementus' goals changed significantly. At first, he wanted to find the Green Place, but he quickly gave up on that goal after realizing Furiosa would rather remain silent than tell him. Then, he learned of the three fortresses of the wasteland - the Citadel, Gas Town, and the Bullet Farm - and decided to take them for himself. He set his plan into motion quickly, as Dementus first took over Gas Town by tricking its leader into letting his gang through the gate. Then, Dementus took the Bullet Farm by capitalizing on Immortan Joe's war conference, only to be foiled by Furiosa and Praetorian Jack.

After he left the Bullet Farm and Furiosa warned Immortan Joe, Dementus and his gang went to war with him and his War Boys. As the People Eater explained, that conflict would be known as the 40-day Wasteland War. Much of Dementus' plan hinged on fooling Immortan Joe into sending his War Boys into an ambush in Gas Town, but since Furiosa warned them in advance, Dementus lost his strategic edge. After that, Dementus couldn't compete with the sheer number of War Boys at Immortan Joe's disposal, and it was simply a matter of time before the established powers of the wasteland weakened Dementus enough for Furiosa to strike.

Dementus' History with Furiosa

Furiosa Saw Him As A Captor, Dementus Saw Himself As A Father

Dementus had an extensive history with Furiosa. The beginning of the movie saw some of Dementus' gang kidnap Furiosa and take her away from the Green Place. Furiosa's mother came to rescue her, but she failed and was captured by the gang. Then, Dementus had her tortured by tying her up above a fire to burn the soles of her feet so she would reveal the location of the Green Place. Furiosa saw all this happen, which inspired her deep hatred of Dementus.

After killing her mother, Dementus kept Furiosa as a prisoner. She got to see the inner workings of his gang up close, along with all the horrors they inflicted on the wasteland. Dementus likely saw himself as a kind of perverse father figure to Furiosa, as he renamed her "Little D" after himself, gave her his teddy bear, and encouraged her to close her eyes if she didn't want to watch his gang's violence. Dementus eventually sold Furiosa to Immortan Joe to be one of his breeders as part of their deal to let Dementus control Gas Town.

Dementus' Death In Furiosa: What Really Happened To Him?

Dementus Thought He Was Already Dead & Furiosa Proved Him Wrong

In reality, Furiosa didn't kill Dementus; instead, she planted her peach pit in him and turned him into a tree.

In the final moments of Furiosa, the History Man, who also serves as the film's narrator, explained a few different ways Dementus' death might have played out. He first talked about a scenario where Furiosa simply shot him the head, ending his life immediately in the desert, and how many thought that was too kind for him. Then, he spoke about what some people imagined she did to him, namely dragging him behind her car, the same fate Praetorian Jack suffered at his hands. Finally, the History Man revealed the secret truth about Dementus' fate that only he and Furiosa knew about.

In reality, Furiosa didn't kill Dementus; instead, she planted her peach pit in him. As the History Man explained, instead of soil, the seed Furiosa had carried since she was a child in the Green Place used Dementus' body as its nutrients. In many ways, this was one of the cruelest fates Furiosa could inflict on Dementus: she kept him alive for years to come and left him in a constant state of pain as his life was slowly drained by the tree. Then, Furiosa gave the fruit it yielded to the breeders she saved in Mad Max: Fury Road, fully linking the movies together.

Dementus' death was also one of the most thematically poignant parts of Furiosa. At the climax of the movie, when Furiosa was ready to kill him, Dementus told her that they were the same: they were the already-dead, and all their lives had to offer anymore was sensation. Furiosa completely dismantled his assertion: Dementus may have thought himself already-dead, but he would be kept alive to give new life to others. Similarly, Furiosa wasn't already-dead either, as she still had people to save. It was a fitting end to a very deep character's story, and Dementus' death made Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga all the better.