Dial of Destiny Director Explains the Fate of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold has explained how he decided to wrap up the titular archaeologist’s final adventure.

The fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise sees Dr. Henry Jones Jr. embark on one last whip-cracking, relic-chasing escapade. Mangold told EW he was aware of the apprehension surrounding Indy’s last hurrah and wanted to deliver a suitable ending for the beloved character.

Proceed with caution! You’re about to enter major spoiler territory.

“I think everyone, particularly, because I made Logan and wrote it as well, there was a lot of anxiety that I was just going to turn into the icon executioner,” he joked.

Towards the end of the film, Indy finds himself transported back in time to the Siege of Syracuse in 213–212 BC. He decides he would like to stay in the past, to die in a period that has always fascinated him and that he has long taught about, but Mangold says Indy’s death was never on the cards.

“Honestly, I enjoy that people were so atwitter about it, because to me, there really is no attraction to just getting thousands of people in a theater and hitting them in a head with a hammer… Death is not an ending,” Mangold asserted. “The reason death worked in Logan is because of the beautiful irony of his death, which is that he lived such a painful life, that it was only in the last 30 seconds of his life that he actually got to experience love. And that to me was what was so moving about that ending.”

Mangold and his fellow co-writers John-Henry and Jez Butterworth wanted to offer Indy a chance at redemption and renewal with a final adventure that brings him back to present day with a newfound focus on the future instead of dwelling in the past.

“For Indiana Jones, it isn’t about him dying,” Mangold explained. “It had to be about him coming to terms with this period of his life and this period of the world. And in a way, coming to terms with whether Indiana Jones has relevance to ours.”

Ford also confirmed Indy’s demise was never seriously discussed because Mangold didn’t want to be the one to kill off the character. The actor supported the film’s narrative choices and was happy with how things ultimately played out in his last outing before hanging up his fedora for good.

“I think it’s a good choice to leave him in the condition we see him at the end of the film,” Ford reflected. “Most of his problems have been solved, dealt with. He’s back to the form that we like to see him in, I think. And I think it’s a wonderful last scene… I really like it.”

While Ford and Mangold won’t be back for another Indy movie, Kathleen Kennedy has admitted it’s “entirely possible” a Helena Shaw movie with Phoebe Waller-Bridge could happen… but not yet. “We’re not having any of those conversations right now,” she admitted. “We’re just focused on finishing this with Harrison.”

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hit theaters on June 30, and won the global weekend box office with ticket sales reaching $130 million. Plenty of movie-goers have been enjoying this final adventure, however, IGN’s review of the film gave it a 4/10, noting it “fails to recapture Spielberg’s magic”.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.