If Tom Hardy doesn't return to play Max Rockatansky in a sequel to world of Mad Max was much closer to the real world. The Mad Max franchise has changed significantly since then, though, and there have been plenty of theories that try to explain all the franchise's changes.

The most popular Mad Max theories vary quite a bit in scope and likelihood. They range from theories about how the apocalypse happened to possible ways Sprog, Max's child from the original film, could have survived his encounter with Toecutter and shown up later in the franchise. One theory in particular, however, is both very compelling, and extremely unlikely to ever be confirmed. If it was true, it would completely redefine Tom Hardy's tenure as Max Rockatansky, but Mad Max won't be able to use it.

The Mad Max: Fury Road Feral Kid Theory Explained

Tom Hardy Might Not Have Played Max Rockatansky; He May Have Played The Feral Kid Grown Up

For Mad Max: Fury Road, Tom Hardy became the second main actor to play Max Rockatansky, replacing Mel Gibson in his iconic role. Aside from looking significantly different from Gibson, Hardy's version of Max had a few key differences. Hardy preferred guttural grunts over coherent sentences, he had a completely wild look in his eye, and he often acted like a caged animal. Fury Road, however, didn't address the switch in Max's appearance or demeanor at all, and some fans have come up with a theory that explains why Hardy's version of the character looks and acts so differently from Gibson's.

As the theory explains, Tom Hardy's version of Max could be a completely different person from Mel Gibson's. In Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Max met a child who was aptly named the Feral Kid (Emil Minty), a boy who grew up in the Wasteland and behaved like a wild animal. Some fans have drawn a connection between Max's appearance, his wild nature in Fury Road, and the amount of time that had ed since the apocalypse began, and hypothesized that Tom Hardy was actually playing a grown-up version of the Feral Kid, not Max Rockatansky.

Aside from Hardy's appearance and his more wild take on Max, there's a surprising amount of evidence to the Feral Kid theory. For example, by the end of The Road Warrior, Max had given the Feral Kid a gift: a wind-up music box. In Fury Road, Max had a similar music box that was taken from him by the War Boys after he was captured. Additionally, Fury Road's place in the Mad Max timeline would coincide with the Feral Kid being about Max's age. If Tom Hardy was playing The Feral Kid instead of Max, it would completely redefine Fury Road.

Tom Hardy Looks Unlikely To Return As Mad Max

Hardy Doesn't Seem Willing To Play Max Rockatansky Again

Though Tom Hardy's take on Max was almost universally praised, he may not return to the role ever again. Very plainly, Hardy got into a feud with Charlize Theron on the set of Fury Road, and he reportedly had several problems with director George Miller's methods. Those issues may be enough to keep Hardy from playing Max again.

On top of Hardy's reservations, there are a few other reasons he may not play Max again. George Miller has previously said, while explaining why Mel Gibson didn't play Max in Fury Road, that he doesn't want to tell a story about an older version of Max. Hardy is already 47 years old, and the next Mad Max film is still several years away. Hardy may simply be too old, and Miller may simply want a younger actor to take his place. However, even if Hardy were likely to return to the role of Max, a sequel might not happen at all.

George Miller has also hinted at a possible prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, though Hardy would likely still be too old to play an even younger version of Max Rockatansky.

The next entry in the Mad Max franchise, Mad Max: The Wasteland, is far from a guarantee. The most recent movie in the franchise, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, didn't perform nearly as well as it was expected to. Furiosa's poor box office performance, coupled with the fact that Mad Max has never been a tremendously profitable franchise, may be enough to keep Miller from finding anyone willing to fund The Wasteland for fear of losing money. Without another Tom Hardy Mad Max movie, though, the Feral Kid theory will never be proven.

Mad Max's Next Movie Can't Reveal Tom Hardy Was Playing The Feral Kid If Max Gets Recast

The Opportunity To Confirm The Feral Kid Theory May Have Already Past

If Tom Hardy never gets another chance to play Max Rockatansky, the Mad Max franchise will never get a chance to reveal he was the Feral Kid all along. If Max is recast for Mad Max: The Wasteland, the sequel will likely gloss over Max's change in appearance, just as it did in Fury Road. Even if it doesn't, though, the opportunity to confirm the Feral Kid theory will have ed. It would be exceedingly strange for The Wasteland to essentially stop and explain who the main actor of the last film was, and it just doesn't seem likely to happen anymore.

Mad Max Being Unable To Confirm Fury Road's Feral Kid Theory Is A Blessing In Disguise

Mad Max Is Better As A Folk Tale With No Strict Continuity

Though seeing the Feral Kid theory confirmed would be cool, it's almost surely for the best that Mad Max can't double down on it. George Miller views the entire Mad Max franchise as a type of legend or folk tale, rather than an of a real person's life (via National Film and Sound Archive of Australia). It's why he's never concerned himself with continuity between movies, and why he's never had a problem introducing retcons and changes. The biggest advantage of the Feral Kid theory was that it helped explain a continuity issue, but there's no such thing as a continuity error in folklore.

Not only does George Miller, the mastermind and creator of Mad Max, not see a need for the Feral Kid theory, but his alternative is much more interesting. Seeing Max as a folk hero grants him an almost mythic status and adds an immense amount of texture to the people and world. In a way, the folk hero idea makes every Mad Max film a window into what is important to people in the post-apocalypse. Max is their hero, and their stories about him reveal what they consider good qualities: bravery, strength, and the - often reluctant - desire to do good.

As an additional bonus, viewing the Mad Max franchise as a series of legends helps explain continuity errors even better than the Feral Kid theory does. If Max was a real person, all of his adventures would be extremely unlikely; a person can only cheat death so many times. If he was a folk hero, however, all of Max's close-calls and amazing feats could simply be chalked up to embellishment for the sake of a good story. It would also explain how he got so far across the Wasteland, and how he managed to fight for almost 40 years, both before and after the apocalypse.

While Mad Max: Fury Road's Feral Kid theory is interesting, seeing Max as a folk hero is better.

While seeing Max as a legend has a litany of benefits on its own, it also avoids a major problem with the Feral Kid theory. At the end of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, the Feral Kid revealed that he had grown up and become the leader of the former oil refinery inhabitants. If Tom Hardy was playing the Feral Kid in Fury Road, it would have directly contradicted The Road Warrior. Therefore, the Feral Kid theory would have created more continuity issues than it solves. While Mad Max: Fury Road's Feral Kid theory is interesting, seeing Max as a folk hero is better.

Source: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia