Who Is Indiana Jones' Son & What's His Fate In Dial Of Destiny?
Indiana Jones is finally back on the big screen. But this time, he's unearthing the fate of the franchise's most maligned character. In "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," the titular character (played once more by Harrison Ford) reveals during a hypothetical conversation about time travel that if he could go back and change one thing, he would stop his son from enlisting in the Vietnam War. That son is none other than Henry Jones III (Shia LaBeouf), also known as "Mutt Williams," who is one of the worst-received "legacy" characters in blockbuster history.
Played by a then-in-demand Shia LeBeouf in the polarizing "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the character was meant to serve as a potential "next Indiana Jones" for a new generation. Ultimately, the character was met with unanimous criticism — though that likely isn't the only reason they chose to kill him offscreen before the events of the new film.
As Indy painfully recounts, Mutt died in the Vietnam War after enlisting to infuriate his father. While this is used to explain why the adventurer has isolated himself from his ex-wife, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), it was likely written as a way of dealing with Mutt's absence without having to bring back LeBeouf.
Disney and Lucasfilm likely wanted to avoid bringing Shia LaBeouf back for the revival
There are two reasons why the actor would not be brought back for another "Indiana Jones" film. In an infamous interview with the LA Times in 2010, LaBeouf spoke at length about feeling like he "dropped the ball" with his character.
While the interview started out as a well-meaning — if misguided — attempt to take accountability for his role, he crossed the line by implying that director Steven Spielberg was to blame and that Ford agreed with his negative perception of the film. LaBeouf theorized that he'd likely get a heated call from Spielberg later — instead, it was Ford that picked up the phone. In an interview with Today in 2011, Ford said that LaBeouf made "an a**" out of himself by not supporting his fellow artists and called him "a f***ing idiot."
However, what likely played a larger role in LaBeouf's absence are his recent legal troubles, including one which will see him face a lawsuit from former romantic partner FKA Twigs over alleged emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. As of writing, the case is set to go to trial in December 2023. Director James Mangold stated that there wasn't enough time to include Mutt in the story. Given the distance between not using a character and writing them out of existence, it seems plausible that other factors were at play.