A fan theory for the Mad Max franchise manages to fix the series’ timeline issues, which have confused viewers for years. The first Mad Max film was released in 1979, and followed Max, who was then played by Mel Gibson, in a war-torn Australia after oil has been depleted from the world. In the first film, Max was seeking revenge against a biker gang after they killed his wife and son. However, from the second film on, Max was presented as a much more mysterious wanderer of the wasteland.