Indiana Jones Star Karen Allen 'Disappointed' Marion Only Had a Small Role in Dial of Destiny

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Indiana Jones star Karen Allen has shared her disappointment at having Marion's role in Dial of Destiny reduced to a cameo, considering her character had much more involvement in the adventure in the original script.

Since Marion and Indy got married at the end of 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, fans may have anticipated a larger role for Allen in Dial of Destiny. But instead, we find the pair separated and in the process of getting a divorce after the grief from their son's death (killed in action in Vietnam) consumed them.

Allen told The Hollywood Reporter that certain story decisions dictated the size of her role in Dial of Destiny, such as her fractured relationship with Indy, which prevented her from becoming embroiled in his escapades.

"I think they had some problems to solve with the story in terms of Shia LaBeouf not coming back, and they chose to create this story that Mutt had been killed in the war and that it put a wedge between Marion and Indy," Allen explained. "I mean, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read it. But I was really happy that they came back together in the end."

Marion turns up at the end of the movie, walking into Indy's apartment carrying the groceries. Indy can't believe his estranged wife has returned, and what plays out next between them is a callback to a memorable scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but instead of physical wounds, this time, it's emotional wounds they're dealing with.

While Allen appreciated the poignancy of the intimate moment between the pair, she couldn't help but feel frustrated that she only had a small amount of screentime in Dial of Destiny, especially since it wasn't always the case.

"When Steven [Spielberg] was still gonna direct the film, I didn't have the opportunity to read any of those scripts, although I know that Marion was much more involved in the story at that juncture," Allen revealed. "I knew James [Mangold] had hired new writers and that there was going to be a whole new approach with a new director and new writers, but I was really going into the unknown.

"The next thing I knew, I was reading a script that told [Dial of Destiny's] story, and of course, I was disappointed," she added. "I had thought that I would be majorly a part of the film, and that was just not the direction they decided to go."

Director James Mangold previously spoke about the apprehension surrounding Indy's last hurrah and how he wanted to deliver a suitable ending for the beloved character. He ultimately decided to bring the franchise's titular hero back to the present day with a newfound focus on the future instead of dwelling in the past.

Harrison Ford supported the movie's narrative choices and was happy with how things played out in his last outing before hanging up his fedora. "Most of his problems have been solved, dealt with. He's back to the form that we like to see him in, I think," he told EW. "And I think it's a wonderful last scene... I really like it."

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hit theaters on June 30 and won the global weekend box office with ticket sales reaching $130 million. Plenty of movie-goers have been enjoying this final adventure; however, IGN's review of the film gave it a 4/10, noting it "fails to recapture Spielberg's magic".

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.