How does Indiana Jones 5 end? As the chase for this movie’s MacGuffin — the titular Dial of Destiny — begins to narrow, everything is set in motion for the film’s intoxicating final act. Warning, spoilers ahead!
Does Indiana Jones die in this new movie? Do we get any more cameos? Does Phoebe Waller-Bridge break the fourth wall, Fleabag-style, before becoming the new Indiana Jones?
All these questions and more will be answered in our Indiana Jones 5 ending explained guide, so grab your whips, hats, and plot-convenient historical artifacts before uncovering the secrets of
How does Indiana Jones 5 end?
As Doctor Voller acquires both halves of the Dial, he’s able to use it to travel inside a specific ‘fissure’ of time in order to kill Hitler. Not in a ‘Hitler is bad’ kind of way, though — more in a ‘Hitler made the Nazis lose’ kind of way.
Yup, that’s right, the writers somehow managed to make the idea of killing Hitler seem hardcore Nazi, with Voller wanting to change the course of history in order to ensure the Nazis won WWII. What a fruit loop.
After shooting Indy in the chest, he even takes him along for the ride as he uses the coordinates of the Dial of Destiny to fly his plane into a fissure in time and back before the end of WWII.
However, while the Dial’s time-traveling qualities (it’s all maths) are legit, Indy points out that Voller made the fatal error of not accounting for continental drift, meaning his desired coordinates are slightly off. So, while the plane does travel back in time, it isn’t at the point Voller wants it to be.
Simultaneous to this, Helena and Teddy have been tailing Voller and Indy. Despite not knowing how to swim half an hour ago, thirteen-year-old Teddy is able to work out how to fly a whole plane, while Helena manages to sneak into Voller’s plane undetected. So, Helena, Teddy, and an unconscious pilot in the passenger seat of Teddy’s stolen plane end up going through the fissure, too.
In case you were wondering, the time period they end up gatecrashing is the Siege of Syracuse — a real-life event where the Roman Republic stormed the Hellenistic city back in 213-212 BC. As Indy continues to bleed out, he marvels at the historical event, while Helena also decides to make herself known.
With his plan having gone drastically wrong, Voller ends up crying like a little girl until his plane ultimately crashes and burns, leaving him dead as a doornail with his face all burnt off. Archimedes takes Voller’s watch, and resolves to bury it alongside instructions on how to find the missing fragments of the Dial in order to prove to the finder that the item’s time-traveling qualities are legit.
And yeah, you heard right, Archimedes is about — the same guy who invented the Dial of Destiny in the first place. Helena and Indy end up meeting the man in question, and as Indy continues to bleed out, he insists on staying alongside Archimedes in Syracuse — which, in case he forgot, is literally in the middle of the siege.
At one point, it looks like Indy will die peacefully in Ancient Rome. But does Indiana Jones die? Of course not. Instead, Helena punches him in the head. She flies back to the future (literally) through the fissure in the plane along with Teddy and the unfortunate kidnapped pilot, who is now conscious and, unsurprisingly, terrified.
But now we’re back to the future. Helena is nursing Indy back to health in his apartment, but she isn’t alone. His estranged wife, Marion proceeds to show up with groceries, and the pair have a tearful reconciliation. I guess the divorce is off now.
But who’s the new Indiana Jones? Will Indy pass the mantle down to Helena? Apparently not, as the final shot depicts Indy grabbing his iconic hat off the washing line outside. There’s only one Indiana Jones.
And… that’s kind of it. There’s no Indiana Jones 5 post-credit scene, no Marvel-like cameo from any other Indiana Jones cast member, and no indication that we might get any more Indiana Jones movies. Instead, it feels like a definitive ending for one of the best movie franchises out there.
But you can find out more about our specific thoughts on the film by checking out our Indiana Jones 5 review.