Ok, things I’ve found in the Mad Max artbook, comics and interviews that shed light on daily life with Immortan Joe and the wives:
– Joe doesn’t actually need his mask. It’s just an air purifier so he doesn’t breathe in dust and gas.
– Cheedo is the youngest, and also the only virgin. This could be because Joe has issues with sleeping with young girls, which is an interesting quirk for someone who otherwise has no problem with using and abusing human bodies. It could also be because Cheedo hasn’t menstruated yet; malnutrition, stress, and/or illness can delay puberty – all quite likely factors in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
– Part of the reason Cheedo is willing to return to Joe is because she hasn’t realized how horrific the reality of being his wife truly is; he has not yet forced himself on her.
– Splendid self-harms, creating deliberate scarification on both her arms and her face. This is basically her only means of rebellion prior to the escape (harming Joe’s ‘property’).
– Joe intentionally sought out one of the few historians in the world (Miss Giddy) to tutor his wives and give them a good education. Despite seeing his wives as his property, he clearly takes pride in having them be the best in every way, including in their intelligence and knowledge. Miss Giddy is more than just their caretaker; she’s their teacher and mentor.
– The wives regularly see Joe at his most intimate, not just when he wants sex. They see enough of him to know that he is 100% human and that he’s “full of shit.” This would imply that Joe is at his most relaxed around them, that he spends real “quality” time with them.
– The Citadel’s upper floors are climate controlled, and the girls are dressed accordingly, able to live in their sheer sarongs with little discomfort due to temperature or weather.
– Despite most of the books in the world being burned, Joe has collected what remaining books he can for his wives, likely to contribute to their education.
– Joe’s Gigahorse is designed to represent animalistic copulation.
– The five women we meet are in no way his first wives. He has been a slaver-polygamist for a long time, giving each wife three chances to produce a healthy heir before he divorces them and sends them out among the Wretched. Until Splendid, there was no ‘success.’
– When the wives escape, Joe blames only Furiosa, thinking that she’s fed them lies and intentionally undermined his relationships with them. This indicates that he probably thought they were devoted to him before Furiosa ‘got to them’.
– Joe legitimately sees himself as the savior of the wastes. Whether he actually considers himself divine is up to debate, but he certainly views himself as reasonable, benevolent and paternal to both his people and his wives. He provides for his wives (as long as the marriages last) and sees himself as a good husband. They are precious to him, but still objects in his eyes.
This confirms something I noticed on my second viewing: Immortan Joe is a NiceGuyTM.
I mean, he honestly believes he loves these women, and Splendid especially. He repeatedly tries to avoid even injuring them, to the point of flipping his car in an attempt to avoid running Splendid over when she falls. It’s obvious from the film (and confirmed here) that he tries to give them a life of comfort and ease. He’s genuinely upset over their loss.
And it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make him less horrifying or villainous. *His love, no matter how sincere it is to him, does not redeem his actions.* He loves them, he believes they love him back, he thinks he’s honestly providing for the wants and needs of those around him (not just the Wives/Sisters, but also the people whose water supply he controls). He’s just another narcissistic abuser with a power fantasy in which he’s the guy who knows best and everything he does is for everyone else’s own good.
I think that’s so much more believably evil than if he were simply in it to hurt people.
^^^^^^^^