I got the distinct impression he was being tattooed (actually looks more like he's being branded) against his will. Like, the story the trailer seems to be telling is he gets captured by some wasteland raider tribe/cult, they brand/tattoo him for some reason, then he gets sprung from their custody when the raiders cross paths with Charlese Theron's character. That could be bollocks though: could just as easily be random "cool" shots in no particular order in regards to story.
I'm curious as to where in the timeline this movie is set. Tom Hardy is (and looks) younger than Max IIRC was supposed to be as of Thunderdome. The stuff I've been reading all suggests this is a straight continuation of the existing continuity, not a reboot or branching continuity. Don't recall if we ever saw him shirtless in Thunderdome or Road Warrior (been a long time since I've seen the films in their entirety).
Is it just me, or does Hardy look a bit like a haggard James Dean in the few glimpses of his face we get there?
Cool random irrelevant detail I just noticed: Charlese Theron's character has a prosthetic left arm (duh), and the door of her truck has a skeleton arm painted on it right where her left arm would be if she were driving with it hanging out the window.