While Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny featured a stellar cast, Shia LaBeouf's important franchise character is nowhere to be found due to tragic reasons.
Shia LaBeouf made his debut in the Harrison Ford-led franchise as Mutt Williams in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In that film, it was revealed that Mutt was actually Indy and Marion Ravenwood's son.
Ahead of Indiana Jones 5's premiere, director James Mangold told Entertainment Weekly in December 2022 that LaBeouf's Mutt Williams would not appear in the movie, but he promised that fans will "find out what happened" to him.
Why Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt Didn’t Appear in Indiana Jones 5
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny finally unveiled Mutt Williams' tragic fate.
While on a boat to Sicily, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Helena Shaw asked Indy what historical event he would attend if the Antikythera mechanism indeed had the ability to travel through time.
Indy responded by saying that he would prevent his son (Mutt) from enlisting. If that happened, then he would've not died in the war. Doing this would've prevented his wife's collapse into despair, thus potentially saving their marriage.
Helena is moved by Indy's response, but she didn't know what to tell him as Indy walked off and reflected on what he said on the other side of the boat.
Why Shia LaBeouf's Absence Didn't Hurt Indiana Jones 5
It's worth noting that Shia LaBeouf's Mutt was not well received by the majority of fans and critics in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
It is unknown if the mixed reception was the reason why Mutt didn't return in Indiana Jones 5, but director James Mangold has a valid explanation.
During the movie's red carpet premiere earlier this month, James Mangold told Variety that there wasn't any room for LaBeouf's character in Indiana Jones 5, noting that he initially wanted to "capture [the] wonderful energy" between Indy and an "intrepid female character:"
“I think the point I had was that when I came on, I wanted to capture that wonderful energy between Indy and an intrepid female character. So that was my first goal, and there are only so many people you can edge into a picture.”
True enough, the interesting dynamic between Indy and Helena was one of the movie's strengths.
Indiana Jones 5 also established that Mutt's death took a toll on the titular protagonist. Despite that, his son's death allowed him to grieve in his own way.
As a result, Indy's reunion with his wife, Marion Ravenwood, at the movie's ending served as the pair finally freeing themselves of the guilt that they felt due to their son's death, thus allowing them to start over.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now playing in theaters worldwide.
