Since his first appearance in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, Indiana Jones has become one of cinema’s most popular characters, but he isn’t without his flaws. Indiana Jones is an icon of 1980s cinema, but his stories are set much earlier, and the character is a throwback to pulp magazines which feature dashing heroes. Harrison Ford’s brilliant portrayal of Indiana Jones combines fast-paced action with moments of genuine heart. Over the course of five movies, Indy became one of the world’s most beloved adventure heroes.
All great characters have their flaws, but there are some particularly uncomfortable truths that Indiana Jones’ biggest fans have to reckon with. His actions have been the topic of many debates over the years. Often, his conduct isn’t consistent with his image as a true hero. He’s more morally ambiguous than many other heroes, but he usually finds a way to save the day and protect his allies. Looking back on Indiana Jones from Raider of the Lost Ark right up until 2023’s Dial of Destiny reveals a few harsh realities about his character.
New Indiana Jones Game Reveals First-Ever Gameplay
The new Indiana Jones game by LucasFilm Games and Bethesda received its first official gameplay footage, over three years after it was announced.
10 Indiana Jones Puts His Allies In Danger
Short Round and Willie are just two examples of people who get dragged along on one of Indy’s adventures
Indiana Jones first meets Short Round after he catches him trying to pick his pocket in Shanghai. Soon after, the two become unlikely allies in the city. While it’s touching that Indy takes Short Round under his wing rather than turning him over to the authorities, enlisting him as a getaway driver is wildly irresponsible. It’s Indy’s decision if he wants to put himself in mortal danger, but dragging a child into his mess is immoral. Also, taking a nightclub singer as a human shield and whisking her away onto a cargo plane further highlights Indy’s recklessness.
9 Indiana Lets His Fantasies Get In The Way Of Reality
Indiana is more than happy to abandon his life to live in ancient Syracuse
Indiana Jones is fascinated by the past, but sometimes his passion for history consumes too much of his attention. Dial of Destiny’s ending sends Indy all the way back to the Siege of Syracuse in 214 BCE, and he considers staying and living the rest of his life alongside Archimedes and his contemporaries. Helena eventually has to knock Indy out and drag him back to 1969 by force. He is willing to turn his back on everyone in his life just to feed his obsession. This cheapens the impact of his reunion with Marion, as that isn’t his first choice.
8 Dr. Jones Is A Terrible College Professor
Indy’s job is quickly forgotten about, but his students are left needing answers
When he’s not discovering buried treasure and fighting Nazis, Indiana Jones is an archeology professor. Raiders of the Lost Ark shows Dr. Jones’ classroom filled primarily with infatuated young women, staring at him intently. While he clearly knows his stuff, Indy is quick to abandon his students and run off chasing the Ark of the Covenant. He also climbs out of the window in his office to avoid having to talk to any of his students. Attendance for his class is probably so high because his students know that he could run away at any point.
7 Indy Is Protected By Some Absurd Plot Armor
Indiana Jones could have died dozens of times
Realistically, any person who got into the same number of potentially lethal situations as Indiana Jones would have died long ago. It’s one of the hallmarks of his character to escape death at the last possible second, and each movie features at least a few miraculous near-misses. Indy escapes from a rolling boulder, a pit of snakes, and Nazi kidnappers on more than one occasion. His most absurd escape is Kingdom of the Crystal Skull‘s infamous nuclear explosion scene, in which he survives a bomb blast by hiding in an empty fridge.
Harrison Ford Is Right About Indiana Jones’ Death & Indy 5 Fate
Harrison Ford understands Indiana Jones possibly better than anyone, so it’s worth listening when he says Dial of Destiny got Indy’s fate right.
6 Indiana Jones Often Succeeds Through Sheer Luck
Although he tries to do the right thing, Indy’s enemies sometimes destroy themselves
There’s a famous Raiders of the Lost Ark theory that suggests that Indiana Jones does nothing to affect the plot. In the end, all of Indy’s meddling amounts to very little, and the Nazis get their hands on the Ark. This theory has been debated ad nauseam for decades, but every attempt to either comprehensively prove or debunk it inevitably relies on hypothetical arguments. Dial of Destiny provides further evidence that Indy isn’t the most effective protagonist, since Voller is ultimately able to bring the two halves of the Antikythera together.
5 Indiana Jones’ Theft Of Important Relics Is Morally Gray At Best
Indy has good motivations, but his actions could be construed negatively
The iconic opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark follows Indy deep into the forests of Peru as he recovers a golden idol from a heavily booby-trapped temple. In his defense, Indy knows that Belloq is also aiming for the idol, and it’s better off in a museum than on the black market. However, just because Indy thinks that Belloq is going to retrieve the idol doesn’t mean that he should be the one to remove it from its rightful resting place. There’s a chance that Belloq’s men would have all been killed by the traps anyway.
4 Indiana Jones Hurts Innocent Bystanders If It Gives Him An Advantage
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull shows how callous Indy can be
Indy gets into plenty of scrapes over the years, and he must constantly come up with new ways to get out alive. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy and Mutt are cornered by Russians in a diner. His escape plan involves getting Mutt to throw a punch at an innocent bystander, starting a brawl that creates enough chaos to mask the duo’s exit. This isn’t the only time Indy endangers other people for his own benefit. He may be on the right side of history, but this shouldn’t mean innocent people have to get caught in the crossfire.
3 Indiana Jones Doesn’t Learn From His Perfect Ending
The Last Crusade wraps up his story, but the two following sequels show he hasn’t changed much
Popular characters don’t often get to have brilliant send-offs. Usually, they are given more and more sequels, and their story has to remain open-ended. However, The Last Crusade gives Indiana Jones a heroic ending. After once again defeating the Nazis and reconciling with his father, Indy literally rides off into the sunset. Bringing him back for more movies meant that his character had to revert to his old ways. The Last Crusade teaches Indy that there are more important things than his quest for historical relics, but he is just as fixated on them in the subsequent movies.
1 Last Crusade Nazi Detail Makes The Indiana Jones Movies Even Darker
One detail surrounding the Nazis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade makes the third outing for the whip-wielding hero so much darker.
2 Indiana Jones Takes Advantage Of His Skewed Power Dynamic With Marion
Marion is a teenager when she first meets the much older Indy
Marion Ravenwood is Indiana Jones’ most meaningful love interest, but their romantic history highlights some troubling behavior from Indy. When Marion and Indy reunite in Raiders of the Lost Ark, there is a considerable age gap between the two. This wouldn’t be a problem, but Marion reveals that they first met when she was much younger. In an argument with Indy, she yells “I was a child! I was in love! It was wrong and you knew it!” Marion was probably around 15 or 16 when she started her relationship with Indy, while he was in his mid-20s.
1 Indiana Jones Trades Historical Artifacts For Personal Gain
Temple of Doom opens with Indy attempting an illicit trade
The opening scene of Temple of Doom follows Indiana Jones into a Shanghai nightclub where he meets with Lao Che, a dangerous crime boss. Indy meets with Lao Che to trade the remains of Jin dynasty Emperor Nurhaci for diamonds. Since Temple of Doom is a prequel, it’s important to note that this is how Indy starts his journey. He eventually develops a greater appreciation for the preservation of cultural artifacts, but somebody needs to grap Indy by the lapels and yell his own famous line at him: “It belongs in a museum!”
