Pappagallo's Gang

Lore & Background

Pappagallo's Gang consists of settlers who have fortified themselves inside an oil refinery compound. Their leader, Pappagallo, is described as an idealistic man who "carries the weight of his predicament with swaggering dignity." The group includes a variety of individuals: Warrior Woman, who initially distrusts Max; Zetta; the Captain's Girl, a beautiful young settler; the Mechanic, who is paraplegic; an unnamed elderly settler wearing a military helmet and decorations; an unnamed settler who wields a bow and arrow and initially wants to accept Humungus's offer of safe passage; Nathan, who leaves the compound to look for a truck and dies shortly after Max brings him back; an unnamed quiet settler; the Mechanic's Assistant; and the Feral Kid, an eight-year-old boy who speaks only in growls and grunts and defends himself with a sharpened metal blade or shuriken-like object. The settlers are divided over whether or not they can trust Lord Humungus when he offers to spare their lives in exchange for their fuel supply. Pappagallo entreats Max to accompany the settlers north, but Max initially refuses, opting instead to collect his fuel and leave. After Max is injured and his dog killed, he is rescued by the Gyro Captain and returned to the compound. Despite his injuries, Max insists on driving the repaired truck during the escape. The settlers ultimately flee their compound in a caravan of smaller vehicles after rigging the refinery to explode, while the tanker truck serves as a diversion—it is actually leaking sand, a trick by Max to make the marauders think it was full of fuel.

In Their Own Story

The settlers' plan hinges on Max retrieving a wrecked semi-trailer and prime mover he saw earlier. Max offers a deal: he will bring them the truck so they can haul away their oil tanker, if they return his car and give him as much fuel as he can carry. The settlers agree. That night, Max sneaks past the marauders on foot carrying fuel for the truck, encounters the Gyro Captain, and forces him to carry the gasoline to the truck, which he gets started. The truck is somewhat damaged as Max passes through the marauders' encampment, but he makes it to the refinery, followed by the gyrocopter. During the escape, Max's support consists of the Gyro Captain, Pappagallo in a separate vehicle, three settlers on the outside of the armoured tanker, and the Feral Kid, who jumps on the truck as it leaves. The marauders pursue the tanker, allowing the remaining settlers to flee. Pappagallo and the three settlers are killed, and the Gyro Captain is shot down. Max turns the truck around and, as he fights with Wez, Humungus collides with the truck head on, killing Wez and himself. The truck rolls off the road. The surviving marauders abandon their chase when they see the tanker leaking sand. The Gyro Captain succeeds Pappagallo as leader of the settlers and takes them north.

Reader's Guide

Pappagallo's Gang is a faction of survivors dedicated to escaping the wasteland with their fuel. Their primary goal is to defend their oil refinery from Lord Humungus's marauders and transport their oil north. The gang consists of settlers who follow Pappagallo, an idealistic leader. They are known for their desperate plan involving a semi-truck and a tanker full of oil, which ultimately serves as a diversion. In the broader conflict of the wasteland, they act as a target for Lord Humungus's gang, who want their fuel. The settlers' escape is made possible by Max's driving and the Gyro Captain's assistance, with the tanker truck leaking sand to fool the marauders.

Did You Know?

• The settlers' tanker truck was a trick by Max, who filled it with sand to make the marauders think it was full of fuel; the leaking sand caused them to abandon their chase.
• Pappagallo is described in the source as an idealistic leader who 'carries the weight of his predicament with swaggering dignity.'
• The Feral Kid, an eight-year-old settler who speaks only in growls and grunts, kills Wez's partner (the Golden Youth) with a sharpened metal blade or shuriken-like object, not a boomerang.
• After Pappagallo's death, the Gyro Captain leads the survivors north, but he is not explicitly stated to become their permanent leader in the film's ending.
• Three settlers on the outside of the armoured tanker were killed during the escape, along with Pappagallo.