Rachel Weisz — leading the cast as the brave Rick O'Connell and brilliant Evy Carnahan, respectively — romp through the desert chasing after mummies, curses, and gold. The first movie spun off into a series that was fueled by fun adventures and many questionable decisions. Without them, the fun could never have been had in the first place.
Evy was a fan favorite for her bookish nature and undeniable charm. Not to mention, she was a nerdy heroine who saved the day multiple times without compromising her femininity or value. Despite all this, she was often the character responsible for some of the worst choices in the series. Here are the 10 worst things she did.
Destroys The Library
When viewers first meet Evy, she's categorizing books in the Museum of Antiquities' library. Being the lovable klutz she is, she can't stay upright on the ladder she's using to shelve said books. The result is a spectacular scene of catastrophe as every single bookshelf in the library collapses in a domino effect.
It's certainly the worst foot her character could start on; the curator considers it worse than the 10 plagues of Egypt and the destruction of Syria. Still, it does give the audience a perfect glimpse at this adorable bookworm. And possibly a look at all the mistakes she'll make soon enough.
Nearly Breaks Rick's Knuckles
In a humorous sequence that sees Rick and Evy bickering like an old married couple, Evy almost crushes Rick's hands. As they argue about staying or going, Rick is packing up Evy's suitcase while she (stubbornly and simultaneously) unpacks it. As she tries to close it — her mind made up — Rick's hands are in the way.
You where this is going; she shuts the lid on his knuckles as he screams in pain. Like with every other blow that comes his way, Rick shakes it off and moves on. The duo has undeniable chemistry, part of what makes the series so enjoyable to watch again and again. But this is one of the worst things Evy does that viewers will start to pick up on after those rewatches.
Writing Romance Novels (Out Of Character)
By the time the third movie rolls around, Evy looks a little different. Well, a lot different when you consider she was played by a different actress entirely: Maria Bello. But the character had changed too. After serving in espionage during the World Wars, Evy and Rick retire to a quieter life.
Almost too quiet. Evy actually becomes a novelist, writing about her past escapades under the guise of romance-adventure books. That's pretty out of character for the Evy fans came to know and love, who should have been running a museum instead of penning paperbacks.
Her Sword-Fighting Practice
That's far from the end of cringe-y Evy moments in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. While warding off writer's block, Evy begins sword-fighting by herself in her office. Turns out, writing books based on past adventures stalls quickly without new ones.
Many moments seemed unlike Evy during this movie, but watching her fighting all alone was one of the worst moments to witness. While Bello tried her best, the movie was unable to capture the magic of Evy in her entirety.
Smothering Alex
In the third movie, the cheery O'Connells aren't exactly where viewers left them. Alex is all grown up and living a separate life from his parents, who have apparently shifted from doting parents to failed parents. Evy is accused of smothering Alex through the years, which is a pretty terrible thing for her to do.
The worst part? She wasn't even like that in the previous installments. Rick and Evy seemed to have been raising a well-adjusted, intelligent, and independent kid in The Mummy Returns. The conflict was created for the third one when it didn't need to have existed.
Awkwardly Talking To Alex About Dating
Speaking of Evy and Alex, their mother-son relationship hits one more rocky road in the third movie. Evy decides to talk openly with Alex about his romantic life, which is one of the worst things that happened in the series, period.
Lin is Alex's love interest in Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, though they constantly denied their attraction to one another. Evy inserts herself into their business by bringing their chemistry up. Unfortunately, it was a terrible decision that backfired when Alex assures her he has plenty of experience with women. This is what fast-forward was made for.
Disturbed The Scorpion King Bracelet
In The Mummy Returns, Evy doesn't do many things wrong — except for making one major mistake in one of the film's opening scenes. When Evy stumbles on the chest containing the Scorpion King's bracelet, she disregards all logic and disturbs it while Rick cautions her against this.
Even Rick has to gently remind her he was the voice of reason for once, in a true plot twist. Of course, the bracelet comes with a warning and consequence: Whoever disturbs it will drink from the Nile, it says. It didn't sound too bad, but Evy's meddling results in a flooded archaeological site.
Let An Important Affair Slip
The central plot of The Mummy Returns revolves around Evy's past life as Nefertiri, daughter of the Pharaoh, who fans will was murdered by Imhotep in the first flick because of his affair with Anck-Su-Namun. In the sequel, Nefertiri realizes the two are making eyes at one another but doesn't say anything until it's too late.
Okay, so it was technically Evy's past life, but a lot of headaches would have been avoided if she'd called out the affair in the first place. There would have been no affair, which would have meant no murder and no mummy to be accidentally brought back from the dead.
Reads From The Book
For being the series' smartest character, Evy sure does make some stupid decisions. One of the worst is the time she wakes up the titular mummy by reading from the Book of the Dead, an action made worse by the fact that she stole it in the first place.
Evy shrugs off any consequences, believing no harm can come from reading a book. Naturally, she was very wrong, as Imhotep awakens immediately. To be fair, there'd be no series without this one, but even that fact can't make up for all the mayhem this created along the way. But it's a lesson to all: Sometimes, harm can come from reading a book.
Calls Out Her Own Recasting
If one thing is possibly worse than bringing back the dead, it's bringing attention to bad writing. Rachel Weisz — much to the misfortune of Mummy fans — did not return for the series' final outing. As mentioned earlier, Maria Bello played a very different Evy.
While reading one of her romance novels, Evy is asked if she is anything like the protagonist in her books. In a very tongue-in-cheek response, Bello's Evy points out that she's an entirely different person. It's not only the worst thing Evy did, but it's the worst moment in all three movies.
