Rick O’Connell is often considered the main character of The Mummy franchise, but a closer look reveals that it is Evelyn who runs the show. From the very first film, Evie was always at the center of the plot, and it was her knowledge that typically saved the day. Despite this, she is often overlooked as an essential character of the series and was even recast and downplayed in the franchise’s third film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Of course, this was when things went downhill, proving that Evelyn had been way more important than anyone had given her credit for.
Throughout the Mummy movies, Rick O’Connell is the action hero everyone expects to lead a film. He’s charismatic, tough, and funny—full of that American cowboy charm. Of course, he is perfectly balanced by his love interest (who eventually becomes his wife), who is brainy, quick-witted, and equally as brave. Together, they make a team that could rival Indiana Jones. Still, when observing the plot as a whole and their roles throughout the story of The Mummy, it seems that Evelyn O’Connell was pulling a little more of the weight.
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10 Evelyn Was The Only Reason The Titular Mummy Was Found
There would have been no story in The Mummy if it wasn’t for Imhotep’s resurrection—and there would have been no resurrection if it wasn’t for Evelyn. Though it wasn’t necessarily in everyone’s best interest, Evie was the one who deciphered and read aloud the words needed to bring the titular mummy back from the dead. Since this was the movie’s entire premise, it stands to reason that the person who made it happen would be the lead.
9 Rick Would Have Died At The Beginning Of The Mummy If Not For Evelyn
If it weren’t for Evelyn, Rick O’Connell would have died long before the plot got going in The Mummy. The hanging scene, notorious for being the scene in which actor Brendan Fraser almost died, would have been the end of the line for Rick, but Evelyn stepped in and quickly wagered with his life that she would find the fortune hidden at Hamunaptra. Rick went on to repay the favor several times over, but it never would have been possible if it hadn’t been for Evie’s quick thinking.
8 Evelyn Was An Underrated Indiana Jones-Style Hero
The Mummy and Indiana Jones fit into a similar mold. The campy supernatural horror mixed with the mysteries of archeology seems to be the perfect recipe for bringing in devoted audiences. Like Indy, Rick is recognized for his action-star charisma, but it’s really Evelyn who best embodies all that the professor-turned-adventurer represents. In the end, she is a scholar first—an expert in all things linguistics and history. That said, she isn’t afraid to put herself in harm’s way to get her hands directly on that history, just like Indiana Jones.
7 Evelyn Was At The Center Of Imhotep’s Plans In The Mummy
The first The Mummy movie was based on the film of the same name from 1932, which first introduced the high priest Imhotep to the world. The central character of this movie (aside from Imhotep himself) was Helen Grosvenor, who the titular mummy believed (rightfully) was the reincarnated form of his lost love, Anck-Su-Namun. So, he kidnapped Helen and devised a plot to murder the woman’s body to let out Anck-Su-Namun’s soul. Of course, this was similar to Imhotep’s plans in the 1999 version of The Mummy, where Evelyn filled this central (leading) role instead.
6 Imhotep Was Defeated Because Of Evelyn’s Knowledge
Just as it was Evelyn who brought Imhotep from his grave, it was she that sent him back to it. Rick’s plan for everything focused on rushing in and blowing things up, and while audiences love him for it, it wasn’t going to get them far in The Mummy. This made it all the more frustrating when he decided to lock Evelyn away to keep her safe. Thankfully, this didn’t work out very well, and Evelyn was able to instruct everyone on what to do and later walked Jonathan through reading the necessary passage from the Golden Book of Amun-Ra.
5 The O’Connells’ Earned Their Wealth Because Of Evelyn
Before Rick met Evelyn, he had been a criminal sentenced to hang. By the end of The Mummy, however, he was a member of the wealthy elite. Once again, this all came down to Evie’s promise that Hamunaptra would contain all the gold they could ever hope for. This had much to do with other characters sneakily loading horses with gold while the main crew was fighting Imhotep. However, that isn’t to say that Evelyn didn’t have more direct responsibility for the O’Connells’ wealth. After their adventures, she became a successful author and brought in even more money that way.
4 Evelyn’s Reincarnation Proved She Was Destined To Stop Imhotep
Though Imhotep initially thought Evelyn resembled Anck-Su-Namun, she was revealed in The Mummy Returns to be the reincarnated form of Nefertiri, the daughter of the Pharaoh. As it turned out, this made her something of a rival of Ack-Su-Namun, and she even had once witnessed Imhotep’s murder of King Seti I. When it came to The Mummy‘s plot, this meant some badass battles between Evelyn and her old nemesis’ reincarnation and proved that she had always been destined to bring Imhotep back and put an end to the curse keeping him tethered to life once and for all.
3 Evelyn Filled The Resurrected Hero Tope In The Mummy Returns
Not only does Evelyn O’Connell fill the reincarnated hero trope in The Mummy, but she also took on the resurrected hero archetype. In The Mummy Returns, Evie was stabbed by Anck-Su-Namun and left to die in her husband’s arms as Rick and Evelyn’s son Alex looked on in horror. However, just as her trope dictated, she came back to life (thanks to Jonathan’s quick thinking for once) and jumped in to defeat Anck-Sun-Namun and save Rick’s life in the knick of time—once again proving they would all have been lost without her.
2 Evelyn Saved Other The Mummy Characters More Than They Saved Her
A story like The Mummy would be expected to have a damsel in distress, and while that role occasionally went to Evelyn, it wasn’t often. Sure, she had been taken captive by Imhotep in the first movie, but once she was set free, she was a force to be reckoned with all her own. Virtually every other moment throughout the Mummy franchise, Evie was saving everyone else. She saved Jonathan and Rick on countless occasions (something her husband would likely be the first to admit) and protected her son with all the ferocity of a hero in The Mummy Returns. All in all, she never should be counted out.
1 The Mummy Movies Failed When Evelyn Wasn’t The Focus
Because Rick has often been considered the irreplaceable lead of The Mummy movies, Evelyn has frequently been underappreciated. This meant that when actress Rachel Weisz couldn’t return for The Mummy 3, the creators thought the franchise could continue with a recast. However, just as Tomb of the Dragon Emperor couldn’t have worked without Brendan Fraser as Rick O’Connell, the movie was a flop without Weisz. Something in the franchise’s foundation had been lost without her, and the planned Mummy 4 never happened as a result. It all just goes to prove that Evelyn O’Connell was the true main character of The Mummy all along.
