The Lord Taketh, The Lord Giveth
By: Alain Loubeau
"I am displeased.There has been too much violence."
"Too much pain."
"None of you have to die."
"You choose to be enemies."
"Give me the pump, the oil, the gasoline, and the whole compound, and I will spare your lives.
"Just walk away."
"I will give you a safe passage through the wasteland."
"Walk away, and there will be an end to the horror."
Those words were spoken with such rational, authoritative ease that as a young child with my round brown eyes glued to our Sony Trinitron CRT 27 -inch television set on cable I saw one scary motherfucker mutant bodybuilder addressing a group of survivors in a desert wasteland with a bullhorn in that not only did I find him frightening, but ironically…humane.
These words were spoken by Kjell Nilsson, a Swedish bodybuilder, Olympic-class weightlifter, and actor best known for playing the iconic main antagonist Lord Humungus in the 1981 post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Nilsson passed away on July 2, 2026, at the age of 76 in Queensland, Australia, following a long battle with end-stage kidney disease.
It's a sad loss because I think the character of Lord Humungus should have had a much bigger footprint in pop culture villainy like Darth Vader. Obviously he looks like a post apocalyptic version of Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. And it’s beyond obvious that Christopher Nolan and Tom Hardy liberally took inspiration from Nilsson’s performance for the character of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. I remember the first time watching that movie I kept saying to myself “those motherfuckas owe George Miller a check, this dude is Lord Humungus baby bro.” But what made him stand apart for me, was his emotional intelligence in a world gone to shit. How he disarms the gleefully manic WEZ played by the great Vernon Wells with physical strength and authoritative leveled rational tone…
“Be still, my dog of war.
I know your rage.
We all lost someone.
But we do it my way."
I should fear this guy, but his level-headedness madehim more endearing to me. Now there is reason why this could be the case as George Miller had crafted a backstory for his character in that he formulated for Kjell Nilsson to pull from during his performance. Apparently he told Nilsson that Humungus was a high-ranking, decorated military officer who suffered severe head injuries during an explosion when the world fell apart. The evidence is displayed on the contents of Humungus' customized gun case. When he opens it to retrieve his scoped Smith & Wesson revolver, viewers can briefly see an array of genuine Commonwealth, German, and Australian military insignia alongside an old photograph of a military man and woman. His rigid tactical discipline, eloquent speaking style, and ability to organize an unruly gang of raiders into a functional army support this background.
Now that makes all the sense in the world. Being a member in the military you don’t have time for bullshit. Chaos and impulsive rage are seen as nothing more than distractions to the mission at hand. Humungus had a goal, and he wasn’t going to let Wez’s explosive rage get in the way, fuck that shit. Military discipline is the bedrock of operational success, turning raw individuals into cohesive, mission-ready units. Humungus knows this, and was probably considering taking out Wez as a liability in seizing the oil tanker…but his compassion got a hold of him, and arguably did him in.
I just have a bias against charismatic villains. I don’t want to like them too much because I’m gunning for that cathartic release when they get the comeuppance they deserve. But when Humungus dies by driving at high speed directly toward the tanker, trying to run Max off the road, and thus having Max's massive tanker plowing directly over The Lone Wolf, instantly crushing Humungus and Wez beneath the heavy steel bumper...I felt a little bummed. I liked him. And that’s all due to Kjell Nilsson’s brilliantly charismatic performance. He’ll be missed.
Author Bio:
Alain was an 80's kid who grew up in the movie theater and watched everything from E.T. to Robocop. No genre was off limits. His writing has earned a list of accolades for his various screenplays. See Alain’s other articles HERE.
IG: @alskicollectables
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