SPOILERS are ahead for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, now playing in theaters.
Across over 40 years of Indiana Jones movies, Harrison Ford’s legendary character isn’t exactly someone who seemed too interested in being pinned down by romance, or settling down, be it adventures around the globe and another woman by his side for just about every installment. However, one cannot discount the powerful chemistry between Indiana Jones and Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood across the franchise. They have a long and important history together that 2023 new movie release, Dial of Destiny, brings to a close.
In the spirit of the final Indiana Jones revisiting his relationship with Marion Ravenwood, it’s a great time to look back at a complete account of the two characters’ relationship. Here’s a timeline of their lives together across these films…
Indiana Jones And Marion Meet
When Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood first share the screen in Raiders of the Lost Ark, it’s clear it’s not the first time they’ve met and there’s some unresolved history there. First, let’s break that down. They initially met back in 1925, over a decade before the events of the first movie when Marion was 16 years old. Now, Marion is the daughter of another famed archaeologist and treasure-seeker named Abner who was a mentor to Indiana Jones. Once their paths crossed, Indy (who is apparently 10 years her senior) and Marion fell in love, but ultimately Indy left her broken-hearted as he went on to pursue his career in archaeology.
When they talk at Marion’s tavern “The Raven,” which she went on to run in Nepal during their time apart, she lashes out on Indy for leaving her when she was a “child” who was “in love” and calls him out for it being “wrong” at the time and him knowing it. Indy simply replied with “you knew what you were doing” and apologizes. The roots of Indy and Marion’s relationship definitely has some problematic qualities that George Lucas and the other writers and filmmakers have been criticized for over the years.
Indy And Marion’s Ark Adventure
That brings us to Indiana and Marion’s reunion during the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is set in the year 1936. At this point in time, Marion is the age Indiana Jones would have been when he met her ,and the archaeologist is in his late ‘30s. Indiana pays Marion a visit in order to obtain one of her father’s artifacts, a medallion referred to as the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra, which is vital to Indy’s pursuit of the Ark of the Covenant. Indy is welcomed by Marion with a slap in the face for how he treated her a decade prior before Nazi’s knock at The Raven’s door and Marion decides to be his “goddamn partner” on his latest adventure. As Karen Allen once shared, she fought against the character simply being a damsel in distress, and Marion is beloved for playing against that stereotype throughout Raiders.
Marion then travels to Cairo, Egypt with Indiana Jones where they go on a fantastical and dangerous adventure together and very much recover the Ark. At the end of the movie, they walk off together and it’s implied the pair rekindle their romance.
Marion Becomes Pregnant After Indy Walks Out
In the movies, we don’t learn more about Indiana and Marion’s relationship until the ever controversial Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There we learn that after Raiders, Marion spent time working as a journalist before opening a bar in New York City called The Raven’s Nest and additionally being a public relations officer for a museum at Marshall College. The pair were engaged to be married, but a week before the wedding, Indiana Jones left her without an explanation, unbeknownst to him that his wife-to-be was pregnant with their son, Mutt.
Marion And Indy’s Son Henry 'Mutt' Jones III Is Born
Henry “Mutt” Jones III was born in 1938 without a father in Indiana Jones. Three months after Marion gave birth to their child, she began to date a Royal Air Force pilot named Colin Williams, who she later married and became the stepfather to Mutt. Tragically, Colin, who Indiana Jones actually introduced her to, was later killed in World War II. John Hurt’s Harold ‘Ox’ Oxley, also an old friend of Indiana Jones, then becomes Mutt’s surrogate father, helping raise the boy played by Shia LaBeouf in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Indy Reunites With Marion And Meets Mutt
The plot of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull revolves around Russians capturing Oxley in the year 1957 and Marion asking a 20-year-old Mutt to find Indiana Jones to help get him back. Throughout much of the adventure, Indy is completely clueless to the fact that Mutt is his son until he reunites with Marion midway through and she lets him know of his identity. During the events of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy and Marion once again rekindle their fire and decide to get married at the end of the movie.
How Things End For Indiana Jones And Marion
That brings us to the events of Dial of Destiny, which takes place in the year 1969. We find Indiana Jones living alone in an apartment without Marion with divorce papers in play. As it turns out, the couple didn’t work out as they planned. There’s a deeply emotional mention of what becomes of Mutt Williams, who would've been in his 30s, but died tragically in the war. At the end of the movie, after Indy has been shot, time traveled and nearly died, Marion comes to his door with groceries to stock his fridge. The couple share an adorable moment that calls back to Raiders of the Lost Ark where Marion playfully kisses where Indy hurts.
The ending scene seems to imply that with Indiana Jones’ retirement fully here, his last adventure is getting yet another chance with Marion and growing old with her. Marion has always been the most important and electric relationship for the archeologist and it’s sweet to see the franchise end with the pair in each other’s arms. Who knew an Indiana Jones movie would ever make us well up in tears? Here's to the couple's romance hopefully sticking this time, they are too perfect for each other.
