Why do the War Boys yell "witness me" in Furiosa and Mad Max: Fury Road? Details explored

With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller brought us back to the iconic wasteland he has spent most of his career building now. The story follows the journey of the titular character to get revenge on Warlord Dementus for killing her mother and explains how she ended up with Immortan Joe prior to the events of Fury Road.

One of the more interesting details from recent movies is when a war boy screams, "Witness me!" before sacrificing himself in a blaze of glory. The reasoning behind that is pretty interesting in its own right. Primarily, this is done so that they can secure their place in the afterlife.

What George Miller does best is worldbuilding when it comes to these films, and Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa have that in plenty. From the desolate world occupied by various factions to the hints of lore scattered through means of clothing and physical attributes, the Wasteland is rich with details to be observed.

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Reasoning behind the battle cry of War Boys in Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa

War Boys are essentially the followers of Immortan Joe, who have a place in his army at the Citadel. Sporting a pale look to them with deformities and tumors sometimes seen on them, they cover themselves in white powder and indoctrinate themselves into the cult of V8. They live an extremely difficult life and willingly serve their leader, Immortan Joe - who they consider a living god.

The first instance of the War Boy battle cry can be seen during the war rig run in Mad Max: Fury Road. One of the war boys, who is known as Morsov, is shot in the head and torso with an arrow, and while he is on the verge of death, he sprays his mouth with chrome paint and yells, "Witness me!".

This is followed by other War Boys recognizing that he is about to make a sacrifice, and he jumps onto an enemy car with explosives killing himself in the process as well.

War Boys carry out this tradition, hoping to secure a place in Valhalla, better known as the afterlife. Every War Boy hopes to die in a blaze of glory so that they can receive a worthy death and ride forever in the afterlife alongside gods.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga also features an instance of this. When Dementus challenges Immortan Joe, he selects one of his War Boys to sacrifice himself by saying they are "awaited" in Valhalla. This is again followed by the War Boy picking up explosive spears and jumping into Dementus' army.

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Who is Immortan Joe in the Mad Max movies?

In Mad Max: Fury Road and its prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Immortan Joe is the leader of the War Boys and the ruler of the Citadel. He commands a large army that controls many parts of the Wasteland, and was also a veteran in the Oil and Water Wars that made him achieve the status of a legend.

Alongside that, he is also the primary antagonist of Fury Road. He keeps many healthy women in captivity and uses them to breed more war pups. Joe meets his end in Fury Road when Furiosa is successful in killing him and frees the Citadel from his rule. He is played by Hugh Keays-Byrne in Fury Road and Lachy Hulme in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

The film is currently playing in theatres.