How Indiana Jones 5 addresses absence of Shia LaBeouf's Mutt
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made some decisions that divided fans, but one stood out the most – and we're not talking about hiding in a fridge.
Shia LaBeouf was introduced in the fourth movie as the greaser son of Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood. Some fans feared it was setting up LaBeouf taking over the Indy mantle, although LaBeouf himself wasn't too keen on the movie either.
During Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's long journey to the big screen, it was confirmed that LaBeouf wouldn't reprise his role as Mutt. However, writer/director James Mangold did reveal in December 2022 that we'll "find out what happened" to him.
Well, the movie is out now and we know what happened to Mutt, so let's delve into it. Major spoilers ahead if you haven't seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny yet.
What happened to Mutt?
So they weren't lying to us, Shia LaBeouf doesn't make a surprise appearance as Mutt in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. What's more, the movie reveals that Mutt couldn't make a comeback as he's dead.
We don't see Mutt's death play out as it has happened before the events of the movie start. We're told that Indy is in the middle of a divorce with Marion as of June 1969 and he "recently lost his son".
It's the death of Mutt and how Indy couldn't live with it that led to his separation from Marion. We don't understand why Indy took the death so personally until a bit later in the movie when he explains that Mutt enlisted in the army to annoy his father.
When asked what Indy would change if he could rewrite history (as the titular Dial of Destiny could let him do), he replies: "I'd tell him he was gonna die."
We don't get any other information about how Mutt died, although the timeline suggests it was during the Vietnam War.
The events of the movie appear to allow Indy to come to terms with Mutt's death, with the finale proving that you can't change the past so it's not something to continue to blame yourself over. It's enough to bring Marion back into his life, and the pair reconcile in the movie's final scene.
Given that this is the final Indiana Jones movie, it's not like LaBeouf could have returned as Mutt in a future instalment anyway, so the filmmakers instead chose to use him to add an emotional layer to Indy's climactic adventure.
For more Indiana Jones 5 coverage, check out:
• Indiana Jones 5 review
• How long is Indiana Jones 5?
• Is Karen Allen's Marion in Indiana Jones 5?
• When will Indiana Jones 5 be on Disney+?
• Does Indiana Jones 5 have a credit scene?
• Why Indiana Jones 6 won't happen
• Indiana Jones 5 ending explained
• The 'true' story behind Indiana Jones 5
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is out now in cinemas.
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