Mads Mikkelsen is something of a renaissance man. He artfully navigates every role he’s in and makes it look easy. From turns in dark Danish comedies to playing the devil himself in Hannibal, Mikkelsen can do it all. And, of course, Mads Mikkelsen has played a part in basically every major franchise out there. The MCU? Mads Mikkelsen has starred in it. Star Wars? Mads Mikkelsen has starred in it. Harry Potter? James Bond? Need I say it? So it only makes sense Mads Mikkelsen will now take the world of Indiana Jones by storm. In Indiana Jones 5, Mikkelsen will play the villain. And it sounds like Mikkelsen’s villain will tie into the “mistakes of the past.”
And by that, we mean Indiana Jones will take on fighting Nazis once again.
That’s right, Indiana Jones 5 will see Indy face off against his most hated foe. Empire shares that the movie “finds our hero in 1969, living against the backdrop of the space race – but the American effort to beat the Russians to the moon brings with it some uncomfortable truths for Indy.”
Jez Butterworth, Indiana Jones 5‘s co-writer, offers, “The simple fact is that the moon-landing program was run by a bunch of ex-Nazis. How ‘ex’ they are is the question. And it gets up Indy’s nose…” And one of those Nazis will be none other than Mads Mikkelsen’s Voller.
Mikkelsen’s Indiana Jones 5 villain takes some inspiration from “real-life Nazi-turned-NASA-engineer Wernher von Braun.” In history, von Braun sought to distance himself from his history working for Hitler, according to Britannica. But we will have to wait and see where Mads Mikkelsen’s character falls in his allegiances in Indiana Jones 5.
Mikkelsen, speaking from the perspective of Voller, shares, “He’s a man who would like to correct some of the mistakes of the past. There is something that could make the world a much better place to live in. He would love to get his hands on it. Indiana Jones wants to get his hands on it as well. And so, we have a story.” Empire shares that the narrative will even involve the Apollo 11 ticker tape parade in New York, an occasion that honored the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission.
According to the publication, the moment will star Klaber, Voller’s lackey. And we feel confident he won’t get up to any good. Boyd Holbrook, who plays Klaber in Indiana Jones 5, tells us, “I’m a lapdog to Mads and a crazy one at that.” No good villain can exist without a henchman, after all.
It certainly sounds like a good story. And Mads Mikkelsen is known for bringing depth to his villains, which he will no doubt do in Indiana Jones 5. But with the topic of Nazis being such a salient one in our modern world, we hope the movie does not forget these are not villains of the past. Even though compelling foes are important, this one should be handled with extreme care.
