X Never, Ever Marks the SpotRankings, theories, behind-the-scenes stories, and fun facts about the adventures of Indiana Jones, the archaeologist who can find anything—except the inner-strength to conquer his own fear of snakes.
April 13, 2020 20.1k votes 4.3k voters 185.3k views
Indiana Jones has proven to be one of the most popular and durable movie characters of our time. From the moment he debuted in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, audiences have been enthralled with the adventurer, played by Harrison Ford. Three sequels -- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- followed. Even though some fans were a little disappointed by that last one, interest in the character remains high.
Because of this devotion, a lot of Indiana Jones fan theories have gone around the internet. To find the most interesting and unique, we turned to the users of Reddit, where there's plenty of in-depth Indy talk. Users there have spent time dissecting all four films in the franchise, and even speculating on what might occur in the fifth, which is reportedly on the way. What they've come up with will leave you fascinated.
Your task is to decide which of them is the best by voting up your favorites. Vote up the Indiana Jones fan theories that you think make the most sense.
In a much-mocked scene from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, our hero survives an atomic blast by hiding in a refrigerator. Would that actually work? Reddit user u/That_secret_chord thinks not, speculating that Indy survived that -- and other -- perils because he drank from the Holy Grail in The Last Crusade and has thus been blessed.
Indy is a skeptic throughout the series, but u/Cheesecakejedi thinks he may have been a believer in aliens. After all, Indy -- an anthropology professor -- is inexplicably called in to consult when a downed UFO is discovered in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The character also expresses no surprise when informed of the possibility of aliens. It's almost like he already knows they're real, or has had some prior experience with them.
We know there's a fifth Indiana Jones adventure on the way. Even though it hasn't been made yet, u/Animation_Bat predicts that Indy will lose his right eye in the fifth film. This theory is based on the TV show The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, an episode of which was bookended with a 90-year-old Indy wearing an eye patch and sporting a massive facial scar.
This is a grim one. Redditor u/archangelmlg is certain Indiana Jones will perish in the fifth movie, at the request of star Harrison Ford. Given that Ford's other two iconic characters -- Han Solo in Star Wars and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner -- both expired in their recent sequels, the user thinks Ford wants to eliminate all his signature heroes.
Redditor u/t00t1r3d asks others to consider a crossover between the Indiana Jones movies and the TV series Warehouse 13. The theory goes that Indy could be a Warehouse agent. There are parallels about artifact hunting in both franchises and, of course, the Ark is stored inside a giant warehouse at the end of Raiders.
You have to hand it to u/slbain9000 for taking the heroism out of Indiana Jones. This user posits that Indy accomplished nothing. The Nazis were going to find the Ark anyway, Belloq was behind the idea to open it in a ritualistic location, and the spirits set loose when the Ark was opened took out all the bad guys. Indy was basically just a spectator.
