Why does Furiosa shave her head?

When many think of the character Furiosa, the first thing that pops up is her shaved head and grizzly appearance. In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the origins of her now iconic look are explained, so here is a breakdown of when and why the character shaves her head in the film.

In George Miller’s 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road, Charlize Theron stunned audiences with her gritty and raw portrayal of Furiosa. To complement her warrior-like persona, Theron shaved her head for the role, a trait that has now become a defining aspect of the character.

While Anya Taylor-Joy was told by Miller that she did not have to actually shave her own crop of hair for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the character still does shave her head multiple times throughout the film.

And while audiences may not be shocked to see Furiosa shed her hair in the film, the reasoning is one that many may not have expected.

When and why does Furiosa shave her head?

Furiosa shaves her head twice throughout the prequel, predominantly as a disguise to avoid the clutches of Immortan Joe. The first time is shortly after Dementus hands her over to Immortan Joe as a child and she is trapped in the Citadel, destined to become another child-bearer much like the rest of The Wives.

In a way to avoid this fate, Furiosa shaves her head not only to escape the clutches of Rictus Erectus, but to disguise herself as a man, becoming a soldier of the Citadel after proving her worth. 

From there, Furiosa manages to work her way up the ranks of the Citadel and become the top Imperator. Responsible for driving Immortan Joe’s War Rig across the Wasteland. However, while doing so she secretly continues to grow her hair out, hiding it under a hood. 

After an epic road battle, her identity as a woman is revealed, long hair out and free for most of the second half of the film as a result.

However, during the fifth and final act and the final major moment of the film, Furiosa once again shaves her head, therein cementing her transformation into the character audiences know and love in Fury Road.

For more from Mad Max, find out whether Tom Hardy is in Furiosa or learn more about when Furiosa is set. Looking ahead, it’s time to get excited about new movies like Deadpool 3.