The Marauders. Brutal savages that decided once civilization collapsed, now was the time to rape, pillage, and kill. Sometimes they don't even kill. They tend to tie people up, living or dead, and strap them to the hoods of their cars.
Worse still, given that they drive police cars and wear MFP uniforms, some of them may have once been cops.
At least in the original movie, there was still civilization left. Now, it's all gone, and it's every man for himself.
Wez. God knows what turned him into the raving psychotic he is in the movie, even before his lover is killed.
As for how his lover was killed: a razor-edged boomerang to the face that nearly lops the top of his head off!
The fact that most of the characters seem to have been around pre-war. Things must have gone to hell really fucking fast. The synopsis on the back of the box of one VHS release states that it's only been three years since the first movie.
It doesn't help that the Mad Max series tends to be all over the place in terms of timeline, and its never really established just when it takes place. Parts of it seems like it could be 20 Minutes into the Future of our own world, as is explicitly stated in the first movie, while others makes it seem like its almost a different universe altogether.
The Lord Humungus. Whoever he was before, now he's the king of the garbage heap. Can you imagine what kind of ruthless bastard you'd have to be to control the psychos under his command?
That Humungus is lying to the refinery about safe passage is a given, even without the bit where he promises this to Wez. However, it's hinted that regardless of his own feelings about the matter, he really has no choice but to let his horde have their way with the settlers to "let off steam", if he wants to keep leading them. Villains, too, have their own brutal version of The Chains of Commanding!
It's been suggested by George Miller that Humungus was a military man before the collapse, hence his eloquence, sense of discipline, and strategic mindset. This makes it even more terrifying that a man of his caliber is leading an army of savages, rather than teaming up with the refinery to help rebuild civilization.
