Harrison Ford’s iconic archaeologist made his debut in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Unfortunately, the last outing for Empire’s best movie hero came in 2008’s disappointing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A fifth Indiana Jones, starring Ford, was officially announced in 2016, but the project has been in development hell due to a number of script rewrites, release delays, and even changing of directors from the franchise’s longstanding director Steven Spielberg to Logan’s James Mangold. Now, with a July 29, 2022 release date scheduled, the film is finally moving forward, having recently cast Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen while also bringing back John Williams, who famously composed the legendary Indiana Jones score. Indiana Jones 5 has now picked up a familiar face from the MCU.


Thomas Kretschmann, who Marvel fans will remember as Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, one of the leaders of Hydra from Avengers: Age of Ultron, has been cast “in an undisclosed role” for the upcoming Indiana Jones, according to a report from The Wrap. Coincidentally, Ford stated last year that his next adventure as Indiana Jones would have to match Marvel to be successful, and now the film has cast an actor from the MCU.




Similar to Mikkelsen’s casting, there are no details regarding Kretschmann’s role in the film, and considering his previous roles, particularly in the MCU, fans might assume Kretschmann will play a villainous character. Perhaps an ally to Mikkelsen’s character (assuming he is playing a villain). Currently, Mangold has only hinted Indiana Jones 5 is set in the 1960s. However, as the film edges closer to an anticipated summer production start, more story details are likely going to come out. It will be interesting to see what approach Mangold will take to what will almost certainly be Ford’s last outing as Indiana Jones, but with Spielberg still producing, it’s possible fans will not see Indy die. Time will tell, but fortunately, things are finally being whipped into shape for Indiana Jones 5.