Indiana Jones

"It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage."

- Indiana Jones "Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?!"

- Indiana Jones

Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is the titular main protagonist of the film series of the same name. He is a mix of archaeologist and adventurer who seeks out rare and exotic finds from across the world while also battling to keep such artifacts falling into the hands of an assortment of villains who would use them for nefarious goals. He is most famous for his fedora and bullwhip.

He is portrayed by Harrison Ford, who also portrays Han Solo in Star Wars, Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and Blade Runner: 2049, and President James Marshall.

History
A native of Princeton, New Jersey, Indiana Jones was introduced in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936. The character is an adventurer reminiscent of the 1930s film serial treasure hunters and pulp action heroes, whose research is funded by Marshall College, a fictional college in Connecticut, where he is a professor of archaeology.

​Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
In this first adventure, Indy is pitted against the Nazis, travelling the world to prevent them from recovering the Ark of the Covenant. He is aided by Marion Ravenwood and Sallah. The Nazis are led by Jones's arch-rival, René Belloq, a Nazi-sympathizing French archaeologist, and Arnold Toht, a sinister Gestapo agent.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Set in 1935, Indy travels to India and attempts to free enslaved children and the three Sankara stones from the bloodthirsty Thuggee cult, led by the dark priest Mola Ram. He is aided by Short Round, a young boy, and is accompanied by singer Willie Scott.

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
Set in 1938, The Last Crusade returned to the formula of Raiders of the Lost Ark, reintroducing characters such as Sallah and Marcus Brody, a scene from Professor Jones's classroom (he now teaches at Barnett College), the globe trotting element of multiple locations, and the return of the Nazis, this time trying to find the Holy Grail. The film's introduction, set in 1912, provided some back story to the character, specifically the origin of his fear of snakes, his use of a bullwhip, the scar on his chin, and his hat; the film's epilogue also reveals that "Indiana" is not Jones's first name, but a nickname he took from the family dog.

The film was a buddy movie of sorts, teaming Jones with his father, Henry Jones Jr., often to comical effect. Although Lucas intended to make five Indiana Jones films, The Last Crusade was the last for over eighteen years, as he could not think of a good plot element to drive the next instalment.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
"Why don't you stick around, Junior?"

- Indiana, to his son Mutt. Set in 1957, 19 years after the third film, it pits an older and wiser Indiana Jones against Soviet agents bent on harnessing the power of a crystal skull associated with extraterrestrials discovered in South America by his former colleague Harold Oxley. Jones is aided in his adventure by his former lover, Marion Ravenwood, and her son — a young greaser named Henry "Mutt" Williams, later revealed to be Jones's biological son, Henry Jones III.

This film also reveals that Jones was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (a predecessor department to the Central Intelligence Agency) during World War II, attaining the rank of Colonel in the United States Army and running covert operations with MI6 agent George McHale on the Soviet Union.

There were rumors that Ford would not return for any future installments and LaBeouf would take over the franchise. However, Walt Disney Studios revealed that a fifth Indiana Jones would be released in 2021, with Ford returning as the titular character.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Indiana Jones also appeared in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a TV series which ran on ABC from 1992 to 1993 that revealed adventures that Jones had in his younger days. Here, it's revealed that his adventures led to his interaction with various historical figures and involvement in important events of the early 20th century, which all of them are not shown in the film series.

Jones' lifetime of adventures eventually took its toll on his body: he ended up being blinded in one eye, and was forced to walk with a cane by the time he was 90-years-old. By the early 1990s, he was living in the New York City area with his daughter and grandchildren.

Quotes
"JOCK! START THE ENGINES! GET IT UP! START THE ENGINES! START THE ENGINES, JOCK!"

- Indiana Jones to Jock as he's running from the indigenous Hovito people

"THERE'S A BIG SNAKE IN THE PLANE, JOCK!"

- Indiana Jones to Jock after he sees Reggie on his lap

"I HATE SNAKES, JOCK! I HATE 'EM!"

- Indiana Jones to Jock

Trivia

 * He has Ophidiophobia, a fear of snakes.