My own blood bag driving the rig that killed her. That enthusiasm dissipates when he fails to kill Furiosa on behalf of Joe.Ĭapable finds him at the back of the War Rig, hitting his head in punishment, “He saw it all. Nicholas Hoult, the actor who plays Nux, says, “He’s very hyped up and running on this enthusiasm and belief that he’s destined for something great.” Despair to Hope When Nux goes on his own kamakrazee drive, dumping gallons of gasoline into the car and riding into the apocalyptic desert storm, he shouts to Max, “Witness me, Blood Bag!” He’s thoroughly committed to the Cult, determined to “ride eternal on the highways of Valhalla” with Immortan Joe. Part of what makes the death worthwhile is the memory of the way in which the death occurred, the way it benefited the empire. When a war boy dies for the purposes of the Cult of the V8 (the religion of the empire), there seems to be a tradition of witnessing. We see him cheer as a pierced war boy shouts “Witness!” and jumps to his death, taking out an enemy vehicle. He refuses to stay at the Citadel and “die soft.” “If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die historic on the Fury Road.” And yet, hearing of betrayal, he’s energized, determined to die for the purposes of the empire and to please Immortan Joe. When we first meet Nux, he’s resting and connected to his “blood bag” - death is imminent. We meet him as a happily indoctrinated war boy, but hours later he fully commits himself to the destruction of Immortan Joe’s empire and the overthrowing of the Citadel.Īt the start of the film, his body is “battle fodder” (as the Splendid put it) in the service of the empire, but in the end he sacrifices his body in order to destroy the empirical forces.Īnd he’s the one character the audience sees progress through all the types of hope. Nux may be the most drastically transformed character over the course of Mad Max: Fury Road.
So seriously, go watch the movie already! Then come back. SPOILER ALERT – In this post we witness Nux in the most significant 24 hours of his life.