The following contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, now in theaters.
The Indiana Jones franchise has always been about swashbuckling adventures, deadly stakes and good triumphing over evil. But Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has served as something completely different with its aging hero going on one last adventure. Rather than face voodoo, the afterlife or extradimensional creatures, he will face time itself to save the distant past from an uncertain and violent future. Even still, Indy's greatest adventure was still ahead of him, and it was long overdue.
Indy spent his entire life fighting to protect people he often never met. From saving a village's enslaved children from a deadly witch doctor to literally saving the world from the might of Hitler's Third Reich, Indy has spent years as a hero in the shadows to many. Though his actions were nothing short of selfless, they were motivated by a desire to preserve a long-forgotten history of discovery and myth. Yet, through his many adventures, Indy rarely stopped to focus on his happiness and those he loved. But Dial of Destiny finally gave him the greatest treasure of all with a much-deserved shot at a happy ending.
Indiana Jones 5 Became Indy's Most Tragic Journey
With over a decade since the last Indiana Jones movie, a lot has happened to the fedora-wearing hero. Sadly, as Dial of Destiny proved, many of the major events since Indy marries Marion Ravenwood were more heartbreaking than anything else. For starters, Indy's son Mutt was revealed to have died in the Vietnam War. The loss broke Indy and ultimately drove a wedge between him and Marion. Since then, Indy has lived a solitary life where he never allowed himself to move on.
Dial of Destiny continued a trend of loss where Indy seemed to be the only one who cared as his goddaughter Helena Shaw failed to notice moments like the death of Indy's friend, Renaldo. While this was due to her focusing on her survival above all else, it showed that this adventure, at least for a short time, was a lonely one for Indy. With no one in his life that shared his exciting life, it added to how sad Indy has felt since the loss of his family. This was bolstered more by his desire to remain in the past once he and Helena traveled to the Siege of Syracuse. As a result, Dial of Destiny inadvertently became Indy's most tragic adventure.
Marion's Return Gave Indy What He's Always Needed
While Indy's adventure in Dial of Destiny put a spotlight on the many tragedies he experienced in the past decade, the movie didn't allow its hero to suffer much longer. With Indy recovering from a gunshot wound, he finally awoke to see that Marion had returned, thanks to Helena Shaw, to help nurse him to health. She arrived with the hope that Indy had finally returned and was ready to move on from Mutt's death. This became true as the movie ended with the two rekindling their romance, but the best part was the meaning of the movie's final shot when Indy grabbed his fedora from the window.
Indiana Jones was always an adventurer, and the wanderlust and desire for knowledge that fueled him will likely never die. However, it could take many forms, and by grabbing his fedora, it proved that his life with Marion would be his greatest treasure and adventure of all. Indy will never be out of the game, and he'll always be ready for a new challenge. But now, his greatest treasure will be by his side rather than in a museum. Indy spent his entire life searching for things no one could ever find, and while the world will always have its mysteries, Dial of Destiny proved that the one thing he will never have to search for again is happiness.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is in theaters now.