Peacock's Twisted Metal: A Fusion of Mad Max and Fallout

1 week ago 8

Published May 1, 2026, 5:32 PM EDT

Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers.

Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism.

Peacock has a show that's essentially a fusion of Mad Max and Fallout, and it's one of the streaming service's absolute best post-apocalyptic shows. Mad Max and Fallout are two of the absolute best examples of the post-apocalyptic subgenre of science fiction. They both had a huge effect on the genre, both have huge followings of both general audiences and cult fanbases, and more. Combining the two into a new show seemed like an easy win, and it was.

Mad Max pioneered the genre in 1979 and revolutionized it again with Fury Road in 2015. The franchise gave viewers a look at a horrifyingly scarce and insane future dominated by madness and wars over resources in the wake of either ecological or nuclear disaster. Mad Max also became culturally ubiquitous in the process, inspiring other sci-fi movies like Water World and, in the case of Fury Road, redefining the limits and possibilities of movie action.

While Fallout doesn't have nearly as long of a legacy as Mad Max, it has also left an indelible mark on the post-apocalyptic genre. The Fallout games drew inspiration directly from Mad Max, but they added remarkable new aspects like the weirdness of a nuclear wasteland, massive government and corporate conspiracies, and more. Prime Video's Fallout television show also redefined how video game adaptations work after decades of failed movies.

Vault-Tec · Dweller Knowledge Assessment War Never Changes “Prepare for the future — with Vault-Tec!”

☢️LoreThe bombs fell

🛡FactionsAd Victoriam

🎮GameplayV.A.T.S. online

👤CharactersGood boy, Dogmeat

🏆LegacySince 1997

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In the Fallout universe, the Great War — the nuclear exchange that devastated civilization — took place on October 23rd of which year?

A2047 B2077 C2097 D2177

✓ Correct! The bombs fell on October 23, 2077. In just two hours, nuclear fire reshaped the world. The date is one of the most important pieces of lore across every Fallout game.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is 2077. The Great War lasted only two hours on October 23, 2077, but its effects defined every Fallout story that followed.

The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system defines your character’s core attributes. What does the “L” in S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stand for?

ALeadership BLethality CLuck DLogic

✓ Correct! S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. High Luck affects critical hits and random event outcomes across the series.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is Luck. The full acronym is Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck — the foundation of every Fallout character build since 1997.

Nuka-Cola Quantum is the rarest variant of the Wasteland’s signature beverage. What gives it its distinctive bright blue glow?

AConcentrated Mentats extract BIrradiated sugar cane CA fusion cell byproduct DA mildly radioactive strontium isotope

✓ Correct! Nuka-Cola Quantum contains Strontium-90, a radioactive isotope that gives it the signature blue glow. Eighteen of the original taste testers reportedly lost their teeth, but focus groups loved the color.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is a mildly radioactive strontium isotope. Strontium-90 was added by the Nuka-Cola Corporation to create Quantum’s famous blue luminescence — safety concerns were deemed “acceptable.”

The Brotherhood of Steel is one of the most recognizable factions in Fallout. What is their primary mission across most games in the series?

ACollecting and safeguarding advanced technology BRebuilding the U.S. federal government CEradicating all radiation from the Wasteland DUniting all Wasteland settlements under one banner

✓ Correct! The Brotherhood of Steel is a techno-religious military order obsessed with recovering and hoarding pre-war technology. They believe advanced tech in the wrong hands caused the Great War.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is collecting and safeguarding advanced technology. Founded by Roger Maxson after the Great War, the Brotherhood believes controlling dangerous technology is the key to preventing another apocalypse.

V.A.T.S. is the iconic targeting system that lets players aim at specific body parts. What does V.A.T.S. stand for?

AVisual Augmented Tracking Software BVault-Tec Assisted Targeting System CVariable Auto-Targeting Scanner DVentral Aim Triangulation System

✓ Correct! V.A.T.S. stands for Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. Introduced in Fallout 3, it bridged the gap between the original games’ turn-based combat and the new real-time shooting mechanics.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. V.A.T.S. was Bethesda’s solution for bringing targeted, strategic combat into a real-time 3D world while honoring Fallout’s RPG roots.

Fallout: New Vegas is beloved for its deep role-playing and branching storylines. Which studio developed it?

ABethesda Game Studios BInterplay Entertainment CBlack Isle Studios DObsidian Entertainment

✓ Correct! Obsidian Entertainment developed New Vegas using Bethesda’s Gamebryo engine. Many Obsidian staff were veterans of Black Isle Studios, who made the original Fallout games — bringing the series full circle.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is Obsidian Entertainment. While Bethesda published it, Obsidian — staffed by former Black Isle developers who created the original Fallout — handled development, delivering it in just 18 months.

Dogmeat is the franchise’s most iconic companion. In which Fallout game did a dog named Dogmeat first appear?

AFallout 2 (1998) BFallout 3 (2008) CFallout (1997) DFallout 4 (2015)

✓ Correct! Dogmeat first appeared in the original Fallout (1997), found in the scrapyard town of Junktown. His name is a reference to the movie “A Boy and His Dog,” a major inspiration for the series.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is the original Fallout (1997). The very first Dogmeat could be found in Junktown, and a version of him has appeared in nearly every mainline Fallout game since.

In Fallout 4, the player character emerges from Vault 111 after being kept in cryogenic suspension. What happens during that frozen sleep that sets the main story in motion?

AThe vault is invaded by super mutants BYour spouse is murdered and your infant son is kidnapped CA radioactive leak contaminates all other pods DThe Vault Overseer seals you in permanently and escapes

✓ Correct! While the Sole Survivor is frozen, Kellogg and Institute operatives forcibly open the cryo pods, murder your spouse, and kidnap your son Shaun. This sets you on a quest across the Commonwealth to find him.

✗ Critical miss! The answer is your spouse is murdered and your infant son is kidnapped. The mercenary Kellogg, working for the Institute, takes Shaun from the cryo pod — and the Sole Survivor’s desperate search drives Fallout 4’s entire story.

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Fallout and Mad Max are absolute juggernauts of the post-apocalyptic subgenre, and Peacock made the smart move to combine elements of both franchises into its original series Twisted Metal. Based on a series of racing/combat video games from the early 2000s, Twisted Metal takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting where John Doe (Anthony Mackie) has to deliver a package across the country while encountering psychopathic raiders who run lethal demolition derbies, and it's one of the best shows on Peacock.

Sweet Tooth holding someone over his shoulders while his head's on fire in Twisted Metal season 2 YT

The similarities between Twisted Metal and Mad Max are arguably the most overt. The desert wasteland settings are immediately alike, but even more similar is the fact that like Mad Max, Twisted Metal has a huge focus on vehicular combat. Almost every aspect of Twisted Metal's cars, trucks, and other vehicles seem directly inspired by Mad Max. The entire show is filled with fiery explosions, cars loaded with spikes and other makeshift modifications, and plenty of car-to-car violence.

Twisted Metal also took quite a bit of inspiration from Mad Max's villains. The series' most prominent antagonist, the killer clown Sweet Tooth, seems to be the franchise's take on Lord Humungus from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Both are massive, physically imposing men who wear BDSM leather, wear intimidating masks, and are characterized by their utter lack of empathy and penchant for brutal violence.

By virtue of coming out so much later than Mad Max, however, Twisted Metal is able to take a lot of these shared concepts up to 11. The vehicular combat scenes are longer, more brutal, and more visually stunning than the first three Mad Max movies. Sweet Tooth gets much more screen time than Humungus did, and he uses it to be truly diabolical and oddly endearing in a homicidal maniac sort of way.

If you like Mad Max, particularly the newer films, Fury Road and Furiosa, you're going to like Twisted Metal. John is a very different character from Max Rockatansky, but his companion, Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz) is very similar to him. Twisted Metal also has a very similar visual style, particularly in its action scenes, to both Fury Road and Furiosa.

Twisted Metal Also Adapts A Weird Post-Apocalyptic Video Game Like Fallout

Michael James Shaw as Axel shouting while in his wheels in Twisted Metal season 2 YT

Twisted Metal isn't just a Mad Max ripoff, however, as it was also inspired by Fallout. Most broadly, both shows are video game adaptations, and both are post-apocalyptic. Twisted Metal even took a page from Fallout's book: while they're both based on games, neither of them directly adapt the events of their games and instead tell a new story set in the same world and inspired by the vibe of the games.

Tonally, Twisted Metal and Fallout are also very similar. Unlike Mad Max, the worlds of Twisted Metal and Fallout are deeply silly at heart. There are certainly very serious moments and themes, but both shows make it a point to highlight the absurdities of an apocalyptic wasteland and the strangeness that often accompanies madness. They're essentially action-comedies rather than action dramas.

Most importantly, Twisted Metal and Fallout both prioritize fun above all else. Both shows have great stories that don't get undermined by jokes, but the priority is clearly in making a show that's enjoyable to watch rather than a sweeping saga. Twisted Metal and Fallout are both filled with Easter eggs and references for fans of the games, lighthearted and humrous moments that anyone can enjoy, and a lot of action to keep things exciting. If you want a fun show to watch, you can't go wrong with Twisted Metal.