Indiana Jones has had numerous romances in the Indiana Jones franchise, but they consistently either fail or face considerable difficulties. Indy's return to adventure in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a fond-farewell to Harrison Ford's iconic archeologist, but Indy's adventures also have another side to them. Romance is also a factor in his escapades.
Throughout the Indiana Jones franchise, Indy has had major romances with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw), and Dr. Elsa Schneider (Allison Doody). Indy's romances with Willie and Elsa both failed, while he would eventually go on to marry Marion in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. However, while each of Indy's major romances are unique, all three show some common characteristics that demonstrate why Indy's romances seldom last, and encounter great challenges when they do.
Why Indiana Jones & Willie Scott Didn't Work
When Indy meets Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it is clear from the outset that Willie is utterly ill-prepared for the adventurous lifestyle of Dr. Jones. Willie spends much of Temple of Doom as the movie's comic relief, shrieking at the sight of bugs and berating Indy for his pursuit of "fortune and glory." Though Indy and Willie seem to have a romantic future in their final kiss, the events of the movie show why the relationship had to be short-lived.
After surviving the battle with the Thugee Cult, Willie is emphatic about never embarking on a perilous adventure like that again. With danger and archeological pursuit being Indy's lifestyle and profession, it was always unlikely that he would abandon either for a romantic partner unwilling to accept him for who he is. In the end, chance throws Indy and Willie together into a brief romance in Temple of Doom, but because of how diametrically opposed they are as people, it simply never had a chance of lasting.
Indiana Jones & Elsa Was Another Bad Match
Indy's romance with Dr. Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has its own sets of problems, not the least of which being that Elsa is a Nazi. Though Indy does not know this initially, Elsa stealing the grail diary of his father Henry Jones (Sean Connery) and siding with the Nazi's quest for the Grail is far too great a betrayal for Indy to forgive. Additionally, Indy's romance with Elsa has some unexpectedly awkward baggage when he learns that Henry has had his own dalliance with Elsa, which ends no better than Indy's (though Henry feels it was "rather wonderful" for the time it lasted.)
With Elsa's Nazi sympathies driving a wedge between herself and Indy, the ending of The Last Crusade also shows how differently they perceive the quest for the Holy Grail. Ignoring the Grail Knight's warning that the Grail must not cross the temple's seal, Elsa's attempt to steal the Holy Grail ends up costing Elsa her life. As Henry puts it, Elsa simply "thought she'd found a prize," and with Indy being able to turn away from the temptation to steal the Grail himself, it ultimately is further evidence that his romance with Elsa was doomed from the start.
Marion Was Indiana Jones' Best Romance (But Still Had Problems)
The only long-term romance Indiana Jones has ever experienced has been with Marion Ravenwood, but even still, it was hardly one without its own issues. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy and Marion are already not on good , Marion punching Indy in the face and proclaiming that she has "learned to hate" him in the last 10 years. Despite this, Indy and Marion are forced to forces on Indiana Jones' quest for the Ark of the Covenant, and the experience seemingly helps them work out their problems. Still, it doesn't last (as demonstrated by Indy's romance with Elsa two years later in The Last Crusade), but fate brings Indy and Marion together again in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
21 years after their last adventure together, Indy and Marion find themselves teaming-up again to beat the Russians to the lost city of Akator, but Marion also drops a bombshell by revealing that he is the father of her son Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). By the end of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy and Marion seem to have finally worked out their problems when they get married and Indy properly becomes Mutt's father. However, the apparent absence of Marion in Dial of Destiny (and confirmed absence of Mutt) hints that Indy might yet have had another falling out with his wife and son. In all, with Indiana Jones being a man of adventure and discovery, both show that Indy has a hard time maintaining any romantic relationship for an extended period.
