Indiana Jones5 is less than a year away. The film that is said to be Harrison Ford's final outing as the famous adventurer is slated for release on June 30, 2023. Ford is joined by some new cast members (along with some familiar faces), as Boyd Holbrook and Mads Mikkelsen are two of the most recognizable new additions.
Not much is known about the plot of this fifth installment, but Ford and co. appeared at D23 Expo in Anaheim earlier in September 2022, and were noticeably confident about what they had been working on. Also at the event was the showing of the first footage for the new film, although this was not released to the public. This trailer of sorts could be the first clue as to Mads Mikkelsen’s role in Indiana Jones 5. Though not much is known yet, it looks like the Danish actor might be playing a villainous character.
Mikkelsen is no stranger to playing the villain in big franchises, as the actor made his first big splash in the English language opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Casino Royale. Despite playing a number of heroes and protagonists in his native Denmark, that film has made English-speaking audiences more familiar with him in a villain role. Mikkelsen's antagonist roles continued with three seasons of Hannibal, the cult series that was canceled, but Mikkelsen says he would still like to resurrect one day. In that show, he played the title character another adaption of the well-known cannibalistic serial killer.
More recently, Mads Mikkelsen played Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts movie, taking over from Johnny Depp. In this Wizarding World film, Mikkelsen was reminiscent of his Casino Royale villain, particularly with his threatening and wry smile and a uniqueness with one of eyes (his character in James Bond had a scar along his face).
Now, it seems like that pattern is continuing. The Nazis are back in Indiana Jones 5, and a few were shown in the footage released exclusively at D23 Expo. Interestingly, Mikkelsen was one of these Nazis as attendees of the event, and this panel in particular noted that he clearly wore a Third Reich uniform. It seems that Harrison Ford’s final appearance as Indy will see him face up against Nazis once again, returning to the roots of the franchise and the character in what seems to be a fitting way.
Other footage shown of Indy 5 included the title character riding a horse through the streets of New York City, as well as some de-aged sequences of the hero and Mikkelsen as well. Given that this new film appears to have some extended flashbacks, it seems likely that Mikkelsen will play a role in both the past and the present. His villain could be a part of the film’s usage of a popular post-World War II trope in movies and shows, in which former Nazis escaped and are shown to be living in hiding. This is, of course, based on what happened after the events of the Second World War; many Germans fled to Argentina in particular.
The specifics of this potential plot line are unclear, and this is speculation after all. However, there does seem to be some evidence to suggest this is where the story is going. More broadly, featuring a villain that Indy has potentially known for a number of years only raises the stakes of this last adventure, adding a more personal element to the threat. In a way, this is similar to director James Mangold’s last big franchise project, Logan. In that film, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine died at the end, thus marking it the final time the actor would play the mutant hero (for now, as the MCU’s multiverse only increases the chance of a surprise return). Before that, though, Logan was seen bonding with Professor X and meeting a young girl with similar powers to his, thus making him look inward at his own mortality. As fans will remember, this continued when a young Wolverine clone, also played by Jackman, came into the mix.
All of these elements provided a lower-stakes adventure with Wolverine, but one that was more personal in nature. This is clearly the route that Mangold prefers to go down, but the footage of Indiana Jones 5 shown at D23 Expo does seem to be grander in its scale than Logan. Mikkelsen appears to be a big part in that. Moreover, Indiana Jones films have always had real-world parallels to the modern day, and Mads Mikkelsen playing a post-WWII Nazi would do just that. Certain political groups today clearly resemble the German Nazi party of the mid 20th century, so having Mikkelsen play one in the 1960s/1970s when this film is set would provide this.
Interestingly enough, Mikkelsen has worked with Lucasfilm before on Star Wars in Rogue One, but played a hero (of sorts) in the film. He joins Harrison Ford in a select group of actors to be in both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but will switch sides in the latter. The specifics of Mads’ character, such as his name, motives, position in society, and how he comes into contact with Indy are all unclear, but it does appear certain he’ll be playing a villain.
Indiana Jones 5 arrives in theaters on June 30, 2023.