After years of rumors and speculation, the fifth installment in theIndiana Jonesfranchise is finally hitting theaters! A fifth film was teased bySteven SpielbergandGeorge Lucasbefore the fourth installmentIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullwas even released. Just likeKingdom of the Crystal Skull,Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinywent through many development changes. After several screenwriters came in to pitch their ideas, Spielberg decided to step down as the director, withJames Mangoldtaking over.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyfollows a much, much older version of the iconic archeologist who is officially on the verge of retirement. However, Indy is spurred into going on “one last adventure” after he’s approached by the aspiring archeologist Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), the daughter of his wartime ally Basil (Toby Jones). Helena enlists the reclusive professor to help her in finding a mysterious dial that has haunted both of their families for years. Even if Indy is beginning to feel the constraints of his age and reject the adventurous spirit of his youth, he’s always in the mood to punch a Nazi.
Indy has faced his fair share of great villains, and between Nazis, Russians, gangsters, and thieves,Harrison Ford’s new antagonists have a lot to live up to. The franchise has produced some truly heinous villains. Here are Indy’s cinematic villains, ranked.
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11. Antonin Dovchenko — ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
Kingdom of the Crystal Skullwas sharply criticized for not taking Indy seriously. Instead of the vulnerable, relatable character that he was in the first three films, Indy was now basically a superhero who could survive getting relentlessly pummeled by the Soviet Union Colonel Antonin Dovchenko (Igor Jijikine). Dovchenko is dull in every sense of the word. He’s basically a big, clueless dummy, whose CGI-ladden death is one of the franchise’s weakest moments.
10. Mola Ram — ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
Here’s a case where theIndiana Jonesfranchise has simply not aged well. Spielberg and Lucas were both going through personal issues while makingThe Temple of Doom, and as a result the 1984 prequel is far darker thanRaiders of the Lost Ark. It strayed away from the first film’s basis in actual history, focusing on the supernatural and the absurd. AlthoughAmrish Pariis at least having fun being hammy, he’s just a ridiculous character. Mola Ram unfortunately comes off as a racially insensitive Hindu stereotype.
9. Herman Deitrich — ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
If you need a great bad guy, Nazis can always fit the bill. Herman Deitrich (Wolf Kahler) is just as evil as the otherRaiders of the Lost Arkvillains, but he’s not quite as interesting of a character. Dietrich’s purpose is to add a military threat to Indy’s quest. It’s hard to differentiate him from any of the other brainless fascists that Indy beats up.
8. Lao Che — ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
The nightclub opening ofThe Temple of Doomis one of the film’s highlights. Spielberg had a blast recreating a James Bond-style opening, when Indy seduces the singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) at Club Obi-Wan. The club’s owner, Lao Che (Roy Chiao), is a classic ‘30s gangster. He even manages to poison Indy’s drink in a move any 007 villain would approve of.
7. Klaber — ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (2023)
There’s always room in anIndiana Jonesfilm for a blunt, stupid henchman who just needs to get punched in the face, andBoyd Holbrook’s character Klaber certainly fills that description. Here’s a character who is exactly who he says he is; Klaber is a straight up fascist who is willing to murder anyone that questions the authority of his commanders. Thanks to the addition of his sidekick Hauke (Olivier Richters), Holbrook gets to do a little more of the scenery chewing while his partner gets in brawls. It’s a relatively thankless role where he’s asked to simply play dumb a majority of the time, but Holbrook is a talented enough actor that he pulls it off.
The issue with Holbrook’s character inIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyis the same with his role in a previous Mangold film,Logan. Both Indy andHugh Jackman’s Wolverine are essentially fighting against time and the limits of their own achievements, so placing physical dangers in their path isn’t as exciting. That being said, Klaber does manage to get under Indy’s skin by threatening Helena, and seeing Waller-Bridge outsmart the Nazi goon adds some of the film’s most rewarding moments.
6. Jürgen Voller — ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (2023)
While the notion of a former Nazi surviving World War II and planning to turn back time is a little inherently ridiculous, this is theIndiana Jonesfranchise we’re talking about! The series has always embraced absurdism, and a Nazi mad scientist isn’t any weirder than a Russian alien obsessive, a supernatural cult warlord, or an exotic billionaire obsessed with eternal life.Mads Mikkelsenis perfectly cast as the vicious Jürgen Voller, but that itself might be the issue. There’s nothing that really distinguishes Voller from any of the other antagonists Mikkelsen has played over the years; he’s not quite as terrifying as Le Chiffre in the James Bond filmCasino Royale, but not as gloriously over-the-top as Rochefort inPaul W.S. Anderson’sThe Three Musketeers.
It’s a somewhat disappointing role for Mikkelsen considering that films likeThe HuntandAnother Roundprove that he is a much more nuanced and accomplished actor than viewers have expected if they were only familiar with his American work. Voller is certainly evil and has some ludicrous ideas about how to secretly win World War II for the Nazis, but his ending battle with Indy and Helena feels like it was calling for a little more absurdism on his part. Perhaps an actor who was more willing to embrace the ludicrous nature of the role would have been better suited for the eccentric nature of the role. Like all ofIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Voller’s presence is always engaging, yet never that memorable. Even his death with a fiery plane explosion (in a scene plastered with computer-generated imagery) feels a bit underwhelming considering the more memorable ways that Indy’s antagonists have been dispatched with in the earlier films.
5. Ernst Vogel — ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)
The Last Crusade’s Colonel Ernst Vogel (Michael Byrne) is everything thatKingdom of the Crystal Skull’s Colonel Dovchenko fails to be. While he poses a physical threat to Indy, Vogel is just as ruthless of a tactician as he is in a fist fight. Considering that the film’s main antagonist Walter Donovan is a more charismatic character, it was nice to have another one who was just plain evil. He literally falls off a cliff in one of the saga’s most memorable deaths.
4. Irina Spalko — ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (2008)
Cate Blanchett’s Irina Spalko is one of the rare highlights ofKingdom of the Crystal Skull. Although a lot of the ‘50s genre influences don’t work (particularly anything alien-related), Blanchette’s eccentric Russian accent is the perfect tribute to classic espionage thrillers. Look, no one wanted to see anIndiana Jonesmovie where he fights Martians, but Blanchette sells Spalko’s obsession with the supernatural. If you look past the terrible CGI, the extended sword fight between Spalko and Mutt Williams (Shia Labeouf) is actually a lot of campy fun.
3. Major Toht — ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
None of Indy’s villains enjoy being evil as much as Sturmbannführer Arnold Ernst Toht (Ronald Lacey). The Nazi Major has a delighted look on his face any time he thinks he’s put Indy in a corner. It makes it even more enjoyable when he’s eventually outsmarted. Outside of being a fascist monster, Toht has another obvious reason to hate Indy’s guts. After they brawl in Marion Ravenwood’s (Karen Allen) bar, Toht gets brutally burned when he tries to pick up Marion’s burning medallion.
2. Walter Donovan — ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)
Fun fact:Julian Gloveris the only actor to have played a villain in theStar Wars,James Bond, andIndiana Jonesfranchises. Walter Donovan is certainly the most evil of the three characters. He initially convinces Indy to begin his search for the Holy Grail when he teases information about Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery). He later shoots Indy’s father in the film’s gripping third act, before briefly finding the Grail. Unfortunately for Donovan, “he chose poorly.”
1. René Belloq — ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
The French archeologist Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) is the only bad guy whose wit matches Indy’s. In many ways, Belloq is the polar opposite to Indy. He seeks out ancient architects for personal gain, and he doesn’t care who they end up with. If Indy’s passion for treasure hunting comes from admiration, Bellouq’s comes out of a pure desire for power. His greed ultimately gets the better of him when the Ark of the Covenant literally “melts” his plans.
