Gennadi Volodnikov is the secondary antagonist of the 1999 action adventure video game Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, the second original Indiana Jones video game.
He is a Russian communist scientist who, by the time of the Cold War, is assigned by the Soviet Union to find the legendary Tower of Babel for Joseph Stalin. During the search, Volodnikov comes across the American capitalist archaeologist Indiana Jones, whom he sends his men after to prevent CIA director Simon Turner from getting possession of the Babylonian technology first.
He was voiced by Victor Raider-Wexler in his first villainous role.
History[]
Past[]
Gennadi Volodnikov was a Russian scientist who served the Soviet Union. Sometime after World War II presumably, Volodnikov became a high-ranking communist member of the Leningrad Physics Institute, quickly rising through the ranks and becoming known for his studies on manifolds in hyperspace, no matter how quirky his theories were in spite of the Socialist Theory dismissing existence of any supernatural powers.
By the time of the Cold War, Volodnikov had obsessed himself with the possibility of the legendary Tower of Babel actually existing and counting with advanced Babylonian technology the Soviets could use as nuclear fission against the United States of America, so Joseph Stalin sent him undercover to search for it, though his activities soon attracted the CIA director Simon Turner's attention.
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine[]
In 1947, Gennadi Volodnikov is first seen by a spying Indiana Jones, whose old flame Sophia Hapgood alerted of Volodnikov's progresses, while on a Soviet excavation at the ruins of Babylon. There, as one of his men decoded a message about him, Volodnikov assures his aide that he is seeking for Marduk, a Babylonian creature worshipped by Babylonians as a god who resided in the Aetherium, with its communication only being able through the Inferal Machine. As Volodnikov leaves his headquarters, Indy interferes in his excavation and kills some of his soldiers before retrieving a golden statouette of Marduk that Volodnikov's men had retrieved for Turner.
After that, Volodnikov and his men go offscreen to the Palawan island at the Phillipines, exploring its volcanic and ancient structures, but as soon he got word that one of the Infernal Machine's parts may be located in Teotihuacan, Mexico, Volodnikov leaves some heavy equipment at Palawan and departs, leading Indy and Sophia to kill his men there and follow him to Central America.
Volodnikov is next seen inside the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico, instructing his Spetsnaz forces to capture Jones and not fail him like his previous men, leaving the room before Indy appears and kills all the soldiers. However, once he finds his way out of the adjacent Olmec Valley and survives both Volodnikov's men and a giant snake, Indy gets caught in a booby trap of Volodnikov's, who manages to outsmart him and captures him accompanied by one of his men.
Volodnikov proceeds to take Indy prisoner aboard his V.I. Pudovkin ship, but Jones manages to escape from his cell, so Volodnikov orders his crew to retake Jones alive if possible but dead if necessary. He then explains to his captain about where they must go to find the Infernal Machine so they can use the Babylonian technology to rule the world, even sharing his theories that the Nubian king Nub came from Babylon, unaware that he is being spied by Jones, who escapes shortly thereafter with a speedboat.
Volodnikov sends his men to Meroë, Sudan to seek King Nub's Tomb, but Indy arrives first and explores the tomb, finding another part of the Infernal Machine and killing Volodnikov's men when they attack him. As Indy explores King Solomon's Mines, Volodnikov and his men go after him, with Volodnikov reiterating the same orders as aboard his ship. A shootout soon ensues once the Soviets find Jones, following him into Nub's Tomb. While exploring the tomb, Volodnikov finds a bronze gear, but escapes with it upon being found by Jones, forcing him to give him the gear and running away. Shortly afterwards, Indy finds the last part of the Infernal Machine, so Volodnikov sends his men after him and eventually catches Jones up just as he prepares to give the four parts to Turner and Hapgood, whom Indy gives the parts despite Volodnikov's warnings that he can't trust them, though after the CIA agents leave, Volodnikov assures Indy that he can have the satisfaction that their traitorous employers will die by the Infernal Machine unleashing Marduk, much to Indy's horror.
Following the Infernal Machine's self-destruction and the deaths of Turner and Marduk, Volodnikov checks on Indy and Sophia after they escape alive from the Infernal Machine's remains, asking them what they saw and finding comfort in knowing that the Babylonians were wrong about God living in the Aetherium, acknowledging that the Socialist Theory didn't allow Soviets to believe in supernatural powers. He then helps Indy and Sophia by pulling them up from the rubble and departs with them in direction to the sunset, now as friends.
Trivia[]
- It's unknown why, at least in-universe, Indiana Jones didn't think on contacting Gennadi Volodnikov for help when he was later targeted by Irina Spalko during the events of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
- It's possible that Volodnikov was most likey executed by Joseph Stalin as punishment for failing him since Joseph Stalin doesn't take failure likely well.
- Gennadi Volodnikov is easily one of the very few and rare Indiana Jones villains who doesn't die but instead redeems and befriends Indiana Jones at the end of an adventure.
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