Mel Gibson on Max

"One thing about the character, even though he's a killer, is that he does have a code of ethics. But you see, that code of ethics --- how will I put it? --- is adjusted for this environment where killing can be justified.

"His family has become something from another era, another world, something that he now finds abhorrent. Yet, he just cannot do something like killing Blaster [in Mad Max III]. It's something that would bother his conscience, then he would feel ashamed. Or maybe not. Max would kill Blaster, except that something makes him stop. He himself doesn't even know what that something is. He hates it in himself. It's his weakness, or he thinks it's his weakness. But in fact, it's probably the only thing that singles Max out from the rest of the scum."

"Max is not a guy to rush into things. I don't think he even wants to do heroic things. It's just a survival instinct in this post-holocaust world gone crazy. It's a bit like a fairy tale, in that a lot of things just fall into place. That's the nature of Max --- he's not trying to punch anything along, but things just happen to him. It's like a pre-ordained journey that he must undertake. And it's that aspect of the character, the ability in man, that leads him into heroism."

"Although Max is the obvious link which makes the films into a series, they're all so different that he could almost be a different character. What each of the films is trying to say, I think, is different. Yet, I feel you could almost show them in one block and they would still work as one whole, big story."

Terry Hayes: "Listen mate, it's Jesus in black leather."

"I noticed [Max's resemblance to a Christ figure in Mad Max III] myself. I didn't realize I was looking that way until I saw a couple of shots. It looks a bit like the 40 days in the desert --- it's not a bad thing. Max looks a bit like a knight later, after his hair gets cut. I like the look of it. Norma [Moriceau, who also designed costumes for Mad Max II] has done a fantastic job with the wardrobe. She always does. These films have had a lot of influence on the look and the style of music. They've really influenced many people."