Adolf Hitler (Indiana Jones)

"The guy is like a hypnotist — a madman who can make a whole country nuts."

- Indiana Jones on Hitler "The Ark belongs in the Reich. Something of such antiquity belongs in Germany."

- Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler (also known as the "Führer") was the leader of Nazi Germany and the major antagonist of the Indiana Jones series, being mentioned in the first instalment, Raiders of the Lost Ark and making a cameo in the third instalment, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He is described by Colonel Musgrove as being "obsessed with the occult," hence his interest in acquiring the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail.

Hitler has a small appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where he was portrayed by Michael Sheard (who also played Admiral Ozzel in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) and also appeared in various Indiana Jones comics and novels.

Biography
For four years, Corporal Adolf Hitler was courier during World War I. Hitler gained recognition through the publication of his autobiographical work Mein Kampf, which also expounded on his views of National Socialist ideology and Aryan racial superiority. His views attracted many other Germans who had felt betrayed by the weakening of Germany in the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1929, the Wayua leader Maleiwa sought to entice Hitler into an alliance over the power of the alicorn, planning to later betray him in place of his own ambitions of global supremacy. Maleiwa, however, was stopped by Indiana Jones, before a meeting could take place.

The 1930s saw the National Socialist party gain political power, and Hitler became chancellor of Germany. He worked to remove many of the democratic institutions in Germany, proclaiming himself "Führer", and sought to rebuild the German industrial and military base, and began programs to harass and eliminate those who he felt were contaminating German society: Jews, Gypsies, communists, homosexuals and political dissidents.

His interest in the occult and in archaeological artifacts prompted Nazi research and recovery expeditions into artifacts to either support his views of Aryan racial superiority or to be used as weapons against Nazi enemies.

Hitler met with archaeologist René Belloq in 1936 to hire his services in acquiring the lost Ark of the Covenant. After Indiana Jones thwarted Hitler's plans on numerous occasions, including his desire to claim the Ark, the Führer personally assigned Hans Degen to assassinate Jones but the attempt ended in failure. In 1938, Hitler was presiding over a book-burning rally in Berlin outside the Institute of Aryan Culture. As he was being escorted from the forum, he came face to face with a man in a Nazi officer's uniform who held a book in his hands. Not knowing the man was a disguised Indiana Jones or that the book was the Grail diary his agents needed to find the Holy Grail, Hitler took the book, motioned one of his aides for a pen, signed the book, and returned it to the startled 'officer' before continuing on his way.

Seeking to expand Germany, he first used diplomatic means to gain territories in building a greater German state, then invaded Poland in 1939, initiating World War II. In 1945, Hitler appeared in Professor Jones' vision where he claimed ownership for the Spear of Destiny. Later that year, with the defeat of Germany likely, and Berlin near invasion, he committed suicide.

Trivia

 * This version of Hitler may have been referenced in the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger when Johan Schimdt, rebelling openly against his former master, mocked that "The Führer searches for trinkets in the desert" while preparing his Tesseract-based weapons.
 * Since Belloq and Walter Donovan answered to him, Hitler is obviously the Big Bad of the entire series.