Cold War Conflicts
The 1950s and 1960s Indiana Jones stories trade the Nazis for Soviet villains.
The Cold War shapes the later Indiana Jones stories. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is set in 1957, when "World War II had just ended and the Cold War had begun", and pits Jones against Soviet KGB agents led by Irina Spalko who search for a telepathic crystal skull. Lucas and Spielberg acknowledged that the 1950s setting could not ignore the Cold War, and the Soviets were more plausible villains.
Quick Facts
- Primary antagonist faction
- Soviet Union (KGB)
- Notable artifact sought
- The Crystal Skull of Akator
Lore & Background
Spalko intends to use the skulls, which she says are alien in origin, to project Soviet propaganda into the minds of Americans. Writer David Koepp said Jones's partner Mac, who claims to be a double agent, represents the confusion of the Cold War. The video game Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, set in 1947, also uses Russians as antagonists: the Soviet physicist Gennadi Volodnikov seeks a weapon more powerful than the nuclear bomb to give the Soviets a decisive advantage in the Cold War. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny moves the story into a 1960s present strongly influenced by the Cold War, nuclear power and space travel.
Reader's Guide
The Infernal Machine's designer Hal Barwood considered the Nazis overused as villains in the series, which is why the game is set in the Cold War era.
More in Production & Legacy
Elsewhere in Indiana Jones
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