Indiana Jones And [SPOILER]'s Heartwarming Franchise Callback, Explained

Contains spoilers for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"

For a conclusion as epic as the final chapter of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," it was clear Dr. Jones' last great adventure would be one filled with callbacks. Mention of a voodoo ritual here, returning fear of snakes there. It's all part and parcel of another rip-roaring ride with everyone's favorite archaeologist. 

Funny little winks aside, though, director James Mangold saves the best hat tip for last when we get a reunion between Indy and a love he'd thought he'd lost, and thankfully gets yet another chance at. Well, there's no time like the present, eh, Indy?

After returning from a trip over two thousand years in the past, Indy wakes from his near-fatal gunshot wound back in his apartment with no idea of how he got there. Turns out, after a swift hit to the face from his darling goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), they, along with Teddy (Ethann Isidore) and a German pilot we never see again, escaped ancient Syracuse, and Indy survived his injuries thanks to the miracle of modern medicine. 

There's still one surprise left for the old time traveler, though, when after minutes from waking up, he comes face to face with his estranged wife, Marion (Karen Allen). When the two are left to hash it out, it isn't long before they kiss and make up, exactly how they did 42 years earlier. For franchise fans, it'll no doubt get you in the feels here and here and here.

Proving that they still have chemistry even after all these years, Marion and Indy's moment is the perfect send-off the franchise needed, taking things full circle and showing that even through grief, these two tearaways were meant for each other. Having both mourned the loss of their son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) in different ways, Marion reveals she still hurts from what's happened and the fact they've been distant from one another. Indy asks her where it doesn't hurt, and he plants a kiss everywhere she points. It's a heartfelt role reversal from a moment that's not just a staple in the franchise but within cinema history, from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

During the first adventure of Indiana Jones, Marion is tending to Indy's wounds. After she asks him where it doesn't hurt, they finally show affection for each other, with Marion kissing Indy before he drifts off. It's easily one of their best moments together, so seeing it replicated here hits just right, rounding things off with a loving reunion and an almost heartfelt goodbye to the great adventurer. 

He got the happy ending he deserved, and it's one that finally sees him tending to emotional injuries rather than the physical ones we've seen him take after so many years.

While the closing moments of "The Dial of Destiny" are a great little nod to Indy's origins, it effectively ties everything in a charming whip-based bow, with our worn-down hero getting the resolution he needs. 

For most of Indy's last great adventure, there's an added bit of regret to the standard stubbornness we've always come to anticipate from our beloved explorer. This isn't just a story about a hero past his prime, but the regret of past mistakes he fears he can never resolve. He even goes so far as to accept at one point that, quite literally, staying in the past is the best course of action as opposed to a present that he believes has no place for him.

Of course, that's not the case. While he's helpless to repair the loss of his son, Mutt, who died after joining the army against his father's wishes, he can still fix some things. "The Dial of Destiny" gives Indy the chance to be a hero in a different way and return to being the loving husband to Marion that she's needed, even if he didn't have it in him to be so before. The world will always need Indiana Jones, but Marion needs him more, and that's the most important thing. She's his goddamn partner, after all.