‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Reveals the Fate of Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt

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

Once upon a time, it looked like Shia LaBeouf was primed to take over the Indiana Jones franchise. And yet, not only is he completely absent from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but his character has been killed off.

A year after his big screen breakout in Transformers, the former child star joined Steven Spielberg (a producer on Transformers) and Harrison Ford's iconic franchise as Mutt Williams, a young motorcycle-riding adventurer. Early in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Williams is revealed to be the son of Indiana Jones (Ford) and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). While Jones was previously unaware of Williams's existence, the fourth Indy installment ends with the duo becoming close.

But the reception to Williams and Crystal Skull was mixed to poor, and not just with audiences. "I prepped for a year and a half, and then the movie comes out, and it's your fault — that sh-- hurt bad," LaBeouf said in 2010. "I don't like the movies that I made with Spielberg. The only movie I liked that we made together was Transformers 1." He has also said that "I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished." Ford called his onscreen son a "f—-ing idiot" for his disparaging comments.

So, between LaBeouf's statements and his numerous controversies/legal issues in recent years, it shouldn't be a surprise that he wasn't brought back for the fifth and final Indy film, Indiana Jones and the Dial Destiny, the first not to be helmed by Spielberg. "I wanted to capture that wonderful energy between Indy and an intrepid female character," director James Mangold told Variety when asked about LaBeouf's absence. "So that was my first goal, and there's only so many people you can edge into a picture."

Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge took on the assignment of the intrepid female character, playing Indy's goddaughter, Helena Shaw. The duo is in pursuit of the Antikythera, a time travel device, and naturally, Helena asks Indy how he would use it, assuming it works. This prompts him to somberly admit that he'd try to convince Mutt (whose name is never directly mentioned) not to enlist in the military. Indy says he would tell his son that he will die in the war and that the overwhelming grief will lead to Indy and Marion's divorce.

Fortunately, Indy and Marion reunite in the final moments of Dial of Destiny, and, in turn, the franchise, poised to ride off into the sunset together.