“The man in the hat is back.” After a 15-year absence, Harrison Ford brings back one of his most iconic characters next week when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theatres. It’s the first Indy film not directed by Steven Spielberg (though he produced it), but in his place is the more than capable James Mangold, who directed Logan, 3:10 to Yuma, and Ford vs. Ferrari.
The Indiana Jones series began over 40 years ago with 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. And while this is the fifth film, in that time there’s also been a live-action TV show, games, books, you name it. With the movie out next week though, maybe you don’t have time to brush up on all of that. Don’t worry. We’ve got you. Here are 12 crucial Indy things to remember before watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The Basics
Of course, you have to remember the basics. Henry Jones Jr., who prefers to go by the name Indiana, is a tenured professor of archeology. He’s taught at schools all over the world and, in his downtime, will occasionally get involved in high-stakes adventures centering on priceless, ancient artifacts that sort of cross over with his archeology background.
The stories we’ve seen on screen take place from 1935-1938 in the first three movies, then in 1957 in the fourth movie. Dial of Destiny takes place in 1969.
A war hero
Since the films skip the years between 1938-1957, we learn in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that Indy was a decorated war hero during World War II. Among his exploits was being a double agent and a spy. This comes into play because we get to see some of this in Dial of Destiny, as the opening is set in 1944.
Indy hates Nazis
As one might expect from an American who fought in World War II, Indy hates Nazis. But this goes back well before that as he was already fighting against the forces of Adolf Hitler in both 1936 and 1938, when Hitler sent his goons out to find ancient relics. Maybe, just maybe, he continued to do that.
Marion Ravenwood
Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen) was the daughter of one of Indy’s college professors and the two had a fling many, many (maybe too many) years ago. We see them reconnect first in Raiders of the Lost Ark and then again in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. At that time we learn that they had been together for a while in between and almost got married, but eventually Indy got cold feet.
However, adventuring for interdimensional beings in the jungle seems to rekindle things and, at the end of Crystal Skull, Indy and Marion finally get married.
Oh, and we learn that in between films, they had a son together, real name Henry Jones III, who prefers to go by the first name “Mutt” and last name of his stepdad, “Williams.” He was raised mostly with his mum until he was a teenager and finally met his dad, Indy.
Mutt Williams
There’s a lot we can say about Mutt Williams but, for the purposes of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, here’s all you need to know. He’s Indy’s son. He and his father were very much alike, which could create a riff at times. And, once his mum and dad finally got married, he was about 20 years old — which in the late 1950s/early 1960s was a significant age to be.
Fathers and sons
Well, now that we know Indy was married and had a kid after Crystal Skull, let’s talk about his past. Specifically, his relationship with his parents. In Last Crusade we hear that Indy’s mum left them when he was pretty young and as a result, he was raised only by his dad. A dad who was obsessive about work and wasn’t really much of a father. That lack of parental care had a profound impact on Indy and, well, you hope he’s learned from it when raising his own son — even though his son was a man by the time they met.
A resourceful sidekick is a must
One of the most famous characters in all of Indiana Jones lore is his 1935 sidekick, Short Round, played by Ke Huy Quan. Indy and Shorty met when Indy caught him trying to pick his pocket and the two became fast, inseparable friends, mostly because Short Round is so capable and resourceful.
Unfortunately, Short Round does not return in Dial of Destiny — but we do meet Teddy, played by Ethann Isidore. Teddy is Helena’s (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) sidekick and it’s important just to know that, in this world, great adventurers need a good sidekick.
Sallah
Played by John Rhys Davies, Sallah was one of three characters who appeared in more than one of the original three Indiana Jones movies. (One is Indy; the other is Denholm Elliot’s Marcus Brody, who passes away before Crystal Skull). Sallah is a good friend of Indy’s and very resourceful. He’s is a guy that can get things done and that’s probably because he’s a father to many, many children.
Though we primarily see Sallah in Egypt, he appears in Dial of Destiny in New York City where he and Indy have remained friends now for over 30 years.
A physical toll
At nearly 80 years old, obviously, Harrison Ford can’t do what he did at 35 or 40 years old. This Indy doesn’t run and jump as well as he once did. But, in the story context, it’s good to remember that not only is Indy now much older, he’s been beaten up more times than anyone would like to admit. We’ve seen him punched, kicked, and sliced; he’s been shot, tortured, you name it. In fact, Indy does at one point in the film.
Anything can happen
This doesn’t play specifically into Dial of Destiny but overall it’s important to remember that Indy has seen and or experienced some very weird shit. Ghosts flying out of an ark. A man living without a heart. The revelation that immortality is a real thing. Oh, and proof that multiple dimensions exist and beings exist that can traverse them.
All of which is to say anything can happen in the world of Indiana Jones, no matter how crazy.
Indy is almost too smart
When we think of Indy, we think of the adventurer. The action hero. But we tend to forget that, in his day job, Indy is a very famous and successful professor and archeologist. As such he kind of knows… everything. It’s a bit of a trick but his smarts make it believable that he knows every legend, every language, almost anything he needs to know in a particular scene. This continues to be a fact we’ve just come to accept about the character.
This is the end
Finally, it’s good to remember that this adventure is likely to be Indy’s last. Though we’ve learned to never say never, Harrison Ford himself has said he won’t be playing Indiana Jones again after this. And that finality is a big part of making Dial of Destiny hit that much harder.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is out today, June 28.