Before The Apocalypse (First Film): Ever felt the interest to know what caused the world of Mad Max? According to the official comic book spin-offs of "Fury Road," at some point in the near future, black fuel (what they call oil in the franchise) started to run out, causing riots and wars over control of the remaining sources of oil - later referred to as the Fuel Wars. Soon after, the Water Wars broke out, which were not about literal water, but a series of uprisings against the reckless approach by the government to the environmental crisis. This led to anarchy, with governments struggling to combat the gangs and militias that started to take over the rural areas. By the time of the first "Mad Max," the world is still relatively the same. There are vast pastures in Australia and the ocean is still wet. Sure, gasoline is scarce, but everyone is still driving around in cool cars and bikes. The real problem is that biker gangs terrorize the countryside, killing people for their gas, but also for the fun of it. This leads to the creation of the Main Force Patrol in Australia, a leather-clad highway patrol force that chases down criminals with a lot of speed, and as much violence. They are the only rule of law out in the wasteland, and in the years after, society completely collapses, governments shut down, and civilization crumbles. The Road Warrior Wasteland and Nuclear Thunderdome: According to the official comic book spin-offs of "Fury Road," at some point in the near future, black fuel (what they call oil in the franchise) started to run out, causing riots and wars over control of the remaining sources of oil — later referred to as the Fuel Wars. Soon after, the Water Wars broke out, which were not about literal water, but a series of uprisings against the reckless approach by the government to the environmental crisis. This led to anarchy, with governments struggling to combat the gangs and militias that started to take over the rural areas. By the time of the first "Mad Max," the world is still relatively the same. There are vast pastures in Australia and the ocean is still wet. Sure, gasoline is scarce, but everyone is still driving around in cool cars and bikes. The real problem is that biker gangs terrorize the countryside, killing people for their gas, but also for the fun of it. This leads to the creation of the Main Force Patrol in Australia, a leather-clad highway patrol force that chases down criminals with a lot of speed, and as much violence. They are the only rule of law out in the wasteland, and in the years after, society completely collapses, governments shut down, and civilization crumbles. Fury Road & A New Timeline: In the years after "Thunderdome," nuclear fallout ends ravaging the Earth, to the point where the remaining humans now barely know of a green world, and water is almost unheard of. By this point, Max has seen some stuff, and he's grizzled and hopeless, having seen any sliver of hope be killed by humans throughout the years. The problem with "Fury Road" is that it was originally meant to be a proper sequel to "Beyond Thunderdome," with Max now an old warrior in his 50s, desperately clinging onto his humanity. But with production hell looming over the film and delaying it at every turn, the film eventually became a soft reboot, recognizing the events of the previous films but not directly following the plots. In this new timeline, the nuclear apocalypse takes place right after the events of the first "Mad Max," with the titular Max fleeing out into the wasteland as the oceans dry up and people flee the cities. Further complicating things is the fact that Max is around the same age as Furiosa, but talks with knowledge of the old world around the Vuvalini. And yet, the plot description of the "Furiosa" prequel implies that she was alive before the apocalypse. When Did The Apocalypse Happen? Again, there are two answers. In the timeline of the original trilogy, the resource wars started in the '70s, as co-writer of "The Road Warrior" Terry Hayes was inspired by the 1979 oil crisis. There are also quick hints in the first film that point to the film being set in the mid-'80s, with "The Road Warrior" taking place three years after, and "Beyond Thunderdome" taking place 15 years after, it would make the actual nuclear apocalypse take place in the late '80s, with the world completely changed and ended by the '00s. In the "Fury Road" timeline, however, the comic book prequels do name actual historical events and dates, like uprisings against the government of Australian PM Tony Abbott between 2013 and 2015, or the Fukushima disaster. These events lead to the uprisings that led to the fall of civilization around the 2010s, with the Fuel and Water Wars leading to the events of the first "Mad Max" that same decade. If we follow the math of the original trilogy, then nuclear war would happen towards the end of the decade.
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In the Underworld universe, Vampires and Lycans are not malevolent supernatural creatures, but rather the product of a virus; unlike Vampires of other more 'traditional' works, Underworld Vampires are not supernatural in origin. Also, some Vampire relics and amulets featured in the movies are cross-shaped, and they show no aversion to Jesus’ name, which is heard a few times throughout the narrative. In the 5th century, a man named Alexander Corvinus was the only survivor of a plague that wiped out his village. Somehow, Alexander's body was able to turn the disease to his own benefit and so he became the first true Immortal. Later, he fathered two sons who became the first Vampire and Lycan by being bitten by a bat and a wolf. Vampires vs. Lycans: After the end of the Vampire-Werewolf War and the capture of William Corvinus, the Lycan species evolved, beginning with Lucian. The Lycans were kept as slaves by the Vampires, favored over Werewolves due to being more intelligent and docile. Under the Vampires, Lycans suffered captivity and poor treatment, and dreamed of freeing themselves. The war officially began in the early 15th century, when Lucian rebelled against the Vampire Elder Viktor, after being forced to watch the brutal execution of his pregnant lover, Viktor's own daughter, Sonja. Lucian vowed undying revenge on Viktor for the loss of Sonja and their unborn child. Lucian lead his brethren – whom Sonja had previously helped to escape – and a pack of surviving Werewolves to storm Castle Corvinus and destroyed almost the entire Budapest Coven, freeing the remaining slaves. Viktor swore revenge against Lucian and the Lycans for their defiance. Viktor had the Vampire histories altered after this to omit the enslavement of the Lycans and any mention of his daughter, to make it seem as though the Lycans were to blame for starting the war and that their violence was unjust, whereas in reality, the Lycans were originally only retaliating against the brutality of their former masters. The Origins: It all begins with Alexander Corvinus - The Corvinus Clan, (lit. the "Clan of the Raven"), is a Hungarian clan whose genealogy plays a crucial plot device in the Underworld franchise. According to the prologue in the novelization of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the Corvinus Clan's domain was a Duchy. The Clan's domain also included Castle Corvinus, which later came into possession of the Vampire's Old World Coven, and was the seat of their power for centuries, before being overrun by Lucian's forces. It was later burned down in a clash between Vampires and Lycans. The Corvinus Clan has been around since at least the early seasons of the fifth century, if not earlier. Described by Lycan scientist Singe as "the rarest of bloodlines", it was from within the blood of one Alexander Corvinus, a Warlord, Duke, and the Patriarch of the Corvinus Clan, (and a recipient of this same rare bloodline), that the Corvinus Strain was mutated, in his immune system's response to a plague that ravaged his home village, his rare blood-strain bonding with and adapting the plague virus, and himself in turn, to his benefit. In the end, Alexander alone survives the plague, becoming "the first true Immortal". The Corvinus Strain immortality virus would later become the parent strain for two subspecies: Vampires and Lycans, which mutated through his twin sons, Marcus and William Corvinus. Both Marcus and William inherited the Corvinus strain in its active form, ensuring that they were both born Immortal. Years later, as adults, William was attacked and bitten by a wolf, and later Marcus was bitten by a bat. In immune responses to the bites, they also bonded with, and were altered by, both the viruses and animal DNA that was deposited by the bites of the respective animals, resulting in the creation of two distinctive Immortal subspecies: Werewolves (who later gave way to Lycans) and Vampires. Alexander's wife, Helena, was a normal human, and their third son would only inherit the Corvinus Strain in a dormant form, and, as only a "Carrier", lived and died in a normal human lifespan, but not before continuing on the Corvinus bloodline. The dormant Corvinus Strain would appear less and less with each generation, but at least one known family line, (Michael Corvin's), can be positively traced through the male line all the way back to Alexander Corvinus through his mortal third son, by the continued presence of the dormant Corvinus Strain preserved in their blood throughout the centuries. The family name "Corvinus" survives to the present day as "Corvin". The ancient history of the Corvinus Clan has been long forgotten by its modern-day mortal descendants. In Underworld: Evolution, it is revealed that Alexander Corvinus had remained hidden in the shadows of time, and that he had created a secretive group known as the Cleaners to clean up all evidence of the war between the Vampires and Lycans. It is hinted in Evolution that Alexander had kept track of his mortal descendants, as he identifies himself as Michael Corvin's "forefather" when they meet. Following the events of the Lycan Rebellion, Viktor, one of the Vampire Elders, in his attempt to rewrite the past and take Marcus's place in history as the first Vampire, goes as far as to discredit even the very existence of the Corvinus Clan to the rebuilt Old World Coven. He even banishes Andreas Tanis, the Coven's historian, (and one of the few old enough to remember the truth), citing that Tanis had been documenting "malicious lies". As such, to the Vampire Nation as a majority, the Corvinus Clan is remembered as nothing more that a "ridiculous legend". In the family's more recent history, Michael Corvin's paternal grandparents immigrated to America from Hungary in the 1940s, after the events of World War II. Years later, around 1975, their grandson, Michael Corvin, was born. At the age of 28, Michael relocated to Hungary for a fresh start of his own, landing an internship as a trauma surgeon, less than a year before the events of the first film. At some point between the time Lucian turned Singe and the events before the first film, present-day members of Alexander's mortal descendants were tracked down and abducted by Lycans, on Lucian's orders. One by one, their blood was tested for the Corvinus Strain, and they all tested negative. Afterwards, they were killed. An unknown number of the Corvin family were killed before the Lycans turned their attentions to Michael Corvin. Vampire Elders: The Vampire Elders, also known as Grand Elders and Great Elders, are the three leaders and rulers of the entire vampire population and the most powerful of their kind. The original Elders are the three oldest known Vampires. These three Vampires are Marcus Corvinus, Viktor, and Amelia. By the end of Underworld: Blood Wars, three new Elders were chosen. These three Vampires are Viktor's progeny; Selene, David, the son of Amelia, and the gifted Lena. Marcus was the original Vampire and he sired the Hungarian warlord Viktor on his deathbed in exchange for his military prowess and the use of his army to aid Marcus in capturing his brother William, the first and most dangerous Werewolf. For this task, Viktor’s troops were turned and made into the first Death Dealers, Vampire warriors trained to hunt & kill Werewolves. Marcus later sired Amelia for unknown reasons, though most likely to contribute to the effort to combat the Werewolves and locate William. As the oldest and most powerful living Vampires, the three of them founded the Old World Coven and were soon regarded as Elders. Viktor was considered the most powerful and Amelia was also highly influential. Marcus, however, was undermined and over-shadowed by both of them. In the early 15th century, Viktor intended for his pure-blooded daughter, Sonja, to eventually become an Elder ; however, this never came to pass, due to Sonja being executed for having a secret affair with the Lycan slave, Lucian. There were apparently no further attempts to make any other Vampires Elders after this (Sonja was possibly an exception due to being Viktor's daughter and it's revealed that Amelia was secretly planning to do the same with her son David). By the events of Underworld: Evolution, in the early 21st century, all three original Elders are deceased: Amelia had her blood completely drained by Lycans on the orders of Lucian, in an attempt to turn himself into a Hybrid, Viktor was killed by Selene to save Michael and in retaliation for the murder of her family, and later Marcus was also killed by Selene in the attempt to stop him from releasing his Werewolf brother's rage onto mankind, in self-defense and to prevent him from wiping out the species, and bring further death to innocent lives. Following the death of the three Elders, the Vampires are left without their central leadership for over a decade and Selene was wanted dead for killing Viktor. In Underworld: Blood Wars, after the defeat of Marius's Army, three new Elders are chosen: Selene, the gifted Nordic Vampire Lena and David who is the son of the original Elder Amelia and thus her rightful heir. All three of the new Elders are Enhanced Vampires and possess greater abilities than the original Elders. In the Blood Wars comic, Selene states that they shall forge new alliances, reclaim their Covens, and create new strongholds. Vampire Council: The Vampire Council, also known as the Elite Council, is a group of chosen Vampires that were overseen by the Vampire Elders. They are the most powerful Vampires within the Vampire society, second only to the Elders, and are responsible for deciding laws and political matters, as well as passing judgment on Vampires who have broken the Coven's laws. The Council advises and helps guide the Vampire Elders through decisions that can affect the Vampire society as a whole, giving different perspectives and opinions for the Vampire Elders to consider, when choosing the future of their reign. When there are no Elders, Regents, or Coven leaders present, the Council rules the Covens as a group instead, as seen in Blood Wars where Cassius and the Council are viewed as the Vampire Leaders. They are also viewed with great respect among the Covens, considered the nobility of the Vampire society and having more privileges than the lower classes. They usually follow the Elders when they travel to different Covens unless the Elder demands to go alone, like in the case of Amelia and how she traveled to the Nordic Coven and secretly remained there while she gave birth to her son. They are the only ones that have the power to elect new Elders if all the previous Elders are dead. By the end of the 14th Century, they serve as a kind of ruling organ of the Old World Coven, with Viktor at the top. At the time, there are twelve (fifteen when/if the three Elders are awake at the same time) seats on the Council, including the presiding Elder. The notary, a position held by Andreas Tanis at the time, is present during Council but does not hold a seat. The hall where Council members met the humans accommodates ten seated Council members, five on each side. The ruling Elder sits on a throne in the center, and Sonja stands to his side. This would suggest that the ruling Elder is counted as one of the twelve council members. The Regent, a position held by Kraven at the time of Underworld, most likely does not hold a seat but since being tasked to carry out the will of the Council may be allowed to attend and speak before them. During the early 21st Century, the Council members were living in New York in the New World Coven under the leadership of the Vampire Elder Amelia. The Eastern Coven has its own Council and a meeting space that seated five: the Council itself may have five members unless one or more are obligated to stand, as Sonja was. This Council had issued a death warrant for Selene for the murder of Viktor, but agreed to grant her clemency in exchange for Selene teaching their new Death Dealers to fight the new Lycan leader Marius and his army. The Council was tricked by Semira into believing that Selene was a traitor and Semira attempted to overthrow the Council after they refused to go to war with Marius approaching. The Council was then approached by David who revealed himself to be the son of Vampire Elder Amelia and thus the rightful ruler of the Eastern Coven. After viewing Amelia's blood memories, both the Council and the Death Dealers sided with David. Following the deaths of Marius and presumably Semira, the Council elected Selene, David, and Lena as the new Vampire Elders. The Chain: The Chain is a term given to the system to organize the reign of the three Vampire Elders: Viktor, Amelia, and Marcus Corvinus. As specifically explained in the Underworld novelization, the Chain served three functions: first, as an ingenious power-sharing arrangement among the three Elders. The Chain follows a never-ending rotary cycle which involves the three Elders taking turns in ruling over the Vampire Coven and their former Lycan slaves. By the end of the 14th Century, it is seen to be established that while one rules, the other two slumber in coffin-shaped tubes hidden within the various headquarters of the coven. According to the novelization of Underworld, while in hibernation, an Elder is hooked-up to life-support, an intravenous feeding system, designed to sustain an Elder during their two-century hibernation; and according to the novelization of Underworld: Evolution, a Vampire Elder enters hibernation via fasting. Every century, a different Elder is awakened with a small amount of blood from the currently-reigning Elder, thus giving a detailed record of their reign, informing the awakening Elder of the times through blood memories. History of The CHAIN: At what point the Elders agreed upon the Chain is not known apart from Viktor’s claim to Selene in Underworld that the Elders have rotated for fourteen consecutive centuries. After Underworld, the cycle of hibernations was generally assumed to follow this simple pattern:
At the very end of Amelia’s reign, the Chain was disrupted by Selene, who awoke Viktor a full century too early to reveal the Vampire regent Kraven’s treacherous alliance with Lucian. Amelia was then murdered by the Lycans, and Viktor was killed by Selene via partial decapitation, completely ending the Chain with only Marcus surviving, until his death. Following the deaths of Marius and, presumably, Semira, Selene, David and Lena are chosen as the new Elders. Resources: https://www.looper.com https://www.underworld.fandom.com |
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