In the radioactive, post-apocalyptic wasteland of the series, Immortan Joe is a powerful warlord; his cult and army of fanatical "War Boys" revere him as a god of Norse mythology, who will lead them to Valhalla.
His desire to breed a genetically healthy heir to his kingdom leads him to acquire and mistreat a harem of sex slaves, a candidate for whom, Imperator Furiosa, becomes his trusted military lieutenant on taking down the Warlord Dementus in Furiosa, before turning against him to free Joe's remaining slaves from the Citadel, thus triggering the events of Fury Road.
He wears a clear, plastic carapace — chest armor — over oozing sores, his long, white hair flaring around a skeleton-smile mask he uses to hide a breathing apparatus."
[3] The cornerstone of Joe's power is the War Boys, an army of young men who have contracted cancer and other fatal diseases from the radioactivity of the Wasteland.
He encourages the already-dying War Boys to seek a glorious death in battle, promising valiant soldiers a place in Valhalla.
To quickly move his War Boys across the Wasteland, he maintains a large collection of pre-apocalyptic vehicles, which he calls the "House of Holy Motors"; his mechanics creatively repurpose the vehicles into fighting machines, including the "War Rig," a heavily armed and armoured supply tanker that ferries trade goods through the lawless wasteland.
While Joe is attempting to capture the aquifer, he sends out scouts who discover an abandoned oil refinery and a lead mine, which would eventually become Gastown and the Bullet Farm respectively.
Immortan Joe appears in Furiosa, the Fury Road prequel, when the warlord Dementus's Biker Horde lays siege to the Citadel.
When Furiosa arrives back at the Citadel, Joe's war council is debating how to respond to black smoke billowing from Gastown.
By Fury Road, Immortan Joe is the wasteland's most powerful warlord, with allies firmly in charge of both Gastown and the Bullet Farm.
He has no healthy heir and only five remaining wives: Toast "the Knowing", Capable, the Dag, Cheedo "the Fragile", and his favorite, "the Splendid" Angharad.
At the beginning of the film, Joe dispatches the War Rig (commanded by Imperator Furiosa) on a seemingly routine supply run to Gastown and the Bullet Farm.
To his great surprise, he sees that the War Rig has turned around and is heading back to the Citadel, as Furiosa's original destination can no longer support human life.
Having lost their "savior", the remaining War Boys reluctantly surrender the Citadel to Furiosa, ending Joe's regime and dynasty for good.
Writing about the film for ABC News, Michael Rothman described Immortan Joe as "a real bad guy who looks nothing like any villain that's ever graced the silver screen".