--- title: "Bad Guy in New “Indiana Jones” Movie Is Nazi Who Works at NASA" description: "The next Indiana Jones film, set in 1969, features Indy fighting NASA Nazis. The sad truth? A few of these guys actually existed." date: "2022-11-21" modified: "2022-11-21" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bad-guy-indiana-jones-nazi-nasa" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "indiana jones" - "NASA" - "nazis" - "the digest" --- # Bad Guy in New “Indiana Jones” Movie Is Nazi Who Works at NASA ![The next Indiana Jones film, set in 1969, features Indy fighting NASA Nazis. The sad truth? A few of these guys actually existed.]() *\Image: Murray Close / Futurism\* ## NASA Nazis? Like it or not, the fifth installation of the iconic "Indiana Jones" series is on its way, with the now octogenarian Harrison Ford himself reprising his role as the series' fedora-wearing, whip-wielding protagonist. Though the movie's full title is still under wraps, its creators revealed a few details about the plot in a new [*Empire* exclusive]() — and let's just say that NASA might face some complicated questions as a result. "The simple fact is that the Moon-landing program was run by a bunch of ex-Nazis," the film's co-writer Jez Butterworth told *Empire*. "How 'ex' they are is the question. And it gets up Indy's nose…" That's right. The film is set in 1969, at the crux of the 20th Century space race. Indy apparently finds himself in a battle against a fictitious NASA leader dubbed Voller, a maybe-not-so-ex Nazi. And while that might sound a little out there, the premise *is* based on a very real NASA engineer: Wernher von Braun, a pioneering rocket scientist who played crucial roles in the Apollo missions — and, yes, was a former Nazi. ## Troubling Past Von Braun's NASA legacy is a troubling one, to say the least. (He also very weirdly predicted [back in 1953]() that a man named Elon would take humanity to Mars and dub himself "Martian emperor," but we digress.) Per [*PBS*](), the German ex-pat joined the Nazi party in 1937, and by 1943 was a major in the German military and a leader on the team behind the V2 rocket. The American military, wanting to get their hands on V2 technology, hired von Braun — who had surrendered to US forces in the Alps — in 1945. In 1969, after several decades in service to NASA, the engineer would be questioned by a German court for crimes against humanity; prisoner slave labor was used in the construction of the V2 rocket. While some of von Braun's defenders will argue that the aerospace engineer was more or less a victim to the Nazi regime, two truths of his tarnished legacy remain clear: he was more than willing to accept human suffering for the sake of his own ambitions, and US and NASA officials knew — and obscured — his relationship to the Nazi party. We're certainly wondering how the new "Indiana Jones" will grapple with those realities. If anything? It's yet [another reminder]() of [NASA's penchant]() for putting their own ambitions [absolutely first](). **READ MORE:** *[Indiana Jones 5 Will Pit Indy Against Nazis Again, In 1969 – Exclusive]()* \[*Empire*\] **More on NASA:** *[Lawsuit Accuses NASA of Widespread Racial Discrimination]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()