7. Marcus Brody – Indiana Jones
Generally speaking, the first three Indiana Jones movies are pretty much airtight. There’s very little not to love about Indy’s globetrotting adventures and roguish charm. He also has a handful of brilliant sidekicks to support him as he hunts ancient treasure. Though Sallah might secretly be the franchise’s unsung hero, it’s his fellow sidekick Marcus Brody that underwent an unexpected transformation.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Brody is one of Indy’s closest friends and a trusted scholar. He provides advice and insight into the Ark of the Covenant, giving Jones some much-needed support before he embarks on his quest. It’s a minor role, but it sets up his reappearance in the 1989 sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
When Brody pops back up, he’s suddenly being played for laughs. Gone is the competent scholar, and in his place stands an idiotic buffoon who never should have left his desk. Without warning, no one wants Brody’s advice, they’re all just lamenting how much of a liability he is. As great as the Last Crusade might be, it still did Marcus Brody dirty, and we can’t ever truly forgive that.