Indiana Jones 5’s Scrapped Short Round Idea Would’ve Fixed 1 Problem (But Created Another)

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny eliminated a plot starring Short Round, which would have solved one problem but created another one. The last time audiences saw Short Round, he was known as Indiana Jones‘ tiny sidekick, fighting off Shuggee warriors and even driving a car (with the help of some trusty wooden blocks). The karate-chopping child first came to prominence in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom in 1984 and, apart from being in a few comics, hasn’t been seen in any of the other Indiana Jones movies or television series.

Short Round’s actor, Ke Huy Quan, has been working as a stunt coordinator and an actor for nearly 40 years, winning multiple awards for his role in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Having him brought back would have pleased the fanbase of Indiana Jones as well as the AAPI community. While the idea of a comeback would have been great for Short Round’s character development, having him return as part of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s cast could have also redeemed Short Round as a character.

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Indiana Jones 5 Could Have Redeemed Short Round (& It Would’ve Been Great To See Him Back)

Seeing Short Round again in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would have been a great asset to the movie and helped redeem him as the paper-thin character from Temple of Doom. With Indy’s son, Mutt, confirmed dead in Indiana Jones 5, Short Round could have filled in as a son-like figure, taking over the sidekick role. The movie could also have explored more about Short Round’s background and expanded on the plots in the comics. According to the comic series, Short Round went on several more adventures with Indiana Jones after The Temple of Doom, including rescuing the archeologist from pirates in the Caribbean, and later attending boarding school.

Indiana Jones 5 could have been a good chance to give Short Round a family and explore what his life was like after his adventures with Indy ended. Ke Huy Quan acquired experience as a stunt coordinator during his time away from acting, so seeing him in action again would have been amazing for audiences who grew up with the original Indiana Jones movies. It could also help bring more Asian American actors front and center, adding diversity to The Dial of Destiny as well as to Ke Huy Quan’s career comeback.

Indiana Jones & Short Round Fighting Zombies Probably Wouldn’t Have Worked

According to ILM concept artist Saby Menyhei, one of the original ideas to bring Short Round back was to have Short Round and Indiana Jones face zombies. The Indiana Jones franchise has featured many supernatural creatures, ranging from wraiths in Raiders of the Lost Ark to “interdimensional beings” in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But having zombies in The Dial of Destiny would not have worked. The whole story would have required major revisions, and it would have distracted from the plot. A zombie subplot may have pushed the film’s rating to R, given how current zombie movies are very gory and intense.

While the franchise does not shy away from showing the supernatural and has used zombies before, it is a bit of a stretch, even by Indiana Jones standards. Zombies make several appearances in canon and non-canon Indiana Jones books, but making them believable to the audience would have been a challenge, given that Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny already pushed their luck by incorporating time travel into the plot. Adding in too many supernatural elements would have required a greater stretch of the imagination than usual.

The Indiana Jones movies are available to stream on Disney+.