The highly anticipated Indiana Jones 5 introduces a host of new faces alongside Indy, but Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams also needs to return for the sequel. The fifth installment of the Indiana Jones film series and a standalone sequel to 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones 5 historically marks the first franchise entry not to be helmed by Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. Naturally, Harrison Ford returns as the titular Indiana Jones, while Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas, and Olivier Richters have all been cast in undisclosed roles.
Quagmired in development hell since March 2016, Indiana Jones 5 is now set for a June 30th, 2023 release date. Yet despite acting as a direct follow up to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones 5 has given no indication that any of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's characters are set to return. Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) is perhaps the most likely of these to return to action, marrying Jones in the previous Indiana Jones movie and re-establishing herself as a franchise stalwart.
However, it is Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams that critically needs to return for Indiana Jones 5. While Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was largely eviscerated by critics, the movie's worst moments had little to do with LaBeouf, who was a great addition to the franchise. Currently, there is nobody better to pass the torch to than the character that Spielberg himself set up and envisioned despite LaBeouf and Spielberg's creative differences over the years. As a result, here's why Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams needs to return for Indiana Jones 5.
Why Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull's Reviews Are Unfair To Mutt's Character
Although by no means a commercial flop upon release in 2008, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull polarized many critics, who nevertheless reached a unanimous decision that the fourth Indiana Jones movie was the worst in the franchise. This consensus largely derives from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's MacGuffin moments that require a huge suspension of belief from audiences - going way beyond the religious and spiritual fantasy elements of prior Indiana Jones installments. Among the worst of these offenders is the scene in which Indy survives a nuclear blast in a fridge, with disappointed Indiana Jones fans coining the term "nuking the fridge" to denote the point when the franchise crosses into the absurd. This reservoir of ill-feeling is then cemented by an almost Deus Ex Machina style ending, in which Indy and company discover the alien "archaeologists" and their flying saucers, which open a portal to another dimension - stretching Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's narrative credibility to breaking point.
Yet, for all of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's storyline faults, none of the film's issues originate from the character of Mutt Williams. Mutt's concept was born from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, with George Lucas modeling Mutt's character on Marlon Brando. Per Atomic Ants From Space, Lucas described Mutt as needing "to be what Indiana Jones's father thought of him... the curse returns in the form of his own son... he's everything a father can't stand." This characterization amounts to one of the best aspects of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, with LaBeouf and Ford's on-screen bickering-turned-camaraderie adding genuine weight to their burgeoning father-son relationship. LaBeouf also takes to Mutt's character with gusto, marked best by his savage bouts against Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett).
Why Mutt Williams Needs To Return For Indiana Jones 5
There are several pressing reasons why Mutt Williams needs to return for Indiana Jones 5. Not least of these is Harrison Ford's age, with the Star Wars legend confirming Indiana Jones 5 will be his last outing as the rough-and-tumble archaeologist as he turns 80 in 2022. Lucas and company have been very vocal about this not being the end of the road for the Indiana Jones franchise, however, confirming a new Indy-style character will most likely be established in Indiana Jones 5. Based on the current Indiana Jones canon, Mutt Williams is the only character who fits the bill here, especially since Mutt was essentially groomed to take over the Indiana Jones mantle by Spielberg and Lucas in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Moreover, Mutt needs to return to avoid blighting Indiana Jones' character, with most other outcomes not placing Indy in the most favorable of lights. Following Indy reuniting with his estranged son and training him in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it would make little sense for his character to abandon his son once again - especially given his marriage to Mutt's mother, Marion Ravenwood. While both Marion and Mutt do not necessarily need to be the main characters of Indiana Jones 5, writing them out of the project completely leaves Indy with a legacy as an absentee father, diminishing his otherwise heroic persona.
How Likely Is Shia LaBeouf's Indiana Jones 5 Return?
With plot details kept tightly under wraps for Indiana Jones 5, the return of any number of legacy characters is technically possible. Lucasfilm and Disney have mentioned several star names in currently undisclosed roles, but this does not necessarily weaken the chances of LaBeouf's Mutt reappearing in Indiana Jones 5. The biggest stumbling block currently in the way of LaBeouf's Indiana Jones 5 return is his frosty relationship with the movie's producer Spielberg following LaBeouf's ill-advised comments on the reception of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. LaBeouf told the LA Times in 2010 that he had "dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished," souring his relationship with Spielberg, who had expected the Indiana Jones 4 cast to be a united front in the face of the film's criticism. In addition, former Indiana Jones 5 screenwriter David Koepp categorically told Entertainment Weekly in 2017 that "the Shia LaBeouf character is not in the film," although with Koepp stepping down from the project in 2019, this stance may well have changed, with filming only wrapping on Indiana Jones 5 on February 26th, 2022.
