While Indiana Jones isn't the first pulp adventurer looking for fortune and glory, he is arguably the most popular character to do a little tomb raiding. Since Dr. Jones made his debut in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, he has gone on to become an incredibly influential character in different media.
As such, there have been other creations who are certainly reminiscent of Indy. And there are strong arguments for both Tomb Raider's Lara Croft and Uncharted's Nathan Drake being his worthy successor. While neither adventurer is Indiana Jones, they are both similar to him in their own ways.
10 NATHAN DRAKE: His Mother Was An Archaeologist
Both Nathan Drake and Lara Croft come from families of archaeologists. And both of them lost those families at a very young age. But Nathan never really knew his mother, learning about her post-humously on an early adventure.
Nathan's search for treasure around the world has often been about discovering his own past as much as anything else. There's a deeply personal connection to the story that reflects Indiana Jones quite thoroughly.
9 LARA CROFT: She Could Have Easily Been A Professor Herself
Being called a Tomb Raider makes it sound like Lara Croft is nothing more than a common thief. To be fair, Croft is a thief but she's an incredibly exceptional one. That perception hides the truth of her educational background.
Different eras of the Tomb Raider games have changed exactly which schools she went to but her advanced education remains the same. Like Indiana Jones, Lara Croft is incredibly well educated. Had she continued down that road, she also might have ended up a professor.
8 NATHAN DRAKE: He's Running Away From Family
As much as Nathan Drake was inspired by his late mother, he also spent a lot of time trying to leave his family behind. His father was a terrible person who left him and his brother in the care of the state after his wife's death.
In response, Nathan and his brother Sam changed their last name to Drake. Indiana's father was a much better parent though their relationship was incredibly strained. His name was actually Henry Jones, Jr. though he went by Indiana to maintain separation from his dad.
7 LARA CROFT: Born To Be A Tomb Raider
Nathan Drake's future as a treasure hunter likely would have come as a surprise to his parents. His mother probably would have rather that he become a legitimate archaeologist, but there's way more money in stealing stuff and selling it.
In Lara Croft's case, there was never any question that she was going to grow up and be similar to her father. Like Indiana Jones, she ended up in the same world as dear old dad, whether either of them intended to or not.
6 NATHAN DRAKE: He Is Plagued By His Own Reputation
If there's one thing that Lara Croft, Nathan Drake, and Indiana Jones have in common, it's that they have reputations around the world. Honestly, it would be hard to have adventures as grand, and often destructive, as their's without the general public noticing.
Like Indiana Jones, Nathan Drake's reputation tends to precede him in many situations. People in his line of work have expectations that can hinder his operations at times. They have both achieved a detrimental level of infamy.
5 LARA CROFT: She Craves Adventure
For Nathan Drake, the job is mostly about the money. He certainly enjoys the thrill of the hunt but ultimately he's in the game to get paid. For Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, the situation is a bit different.
They both enjoy searching for artifacts and they definitely enjoy getting paid. At the same time, they are in the game for the rush that comes with adventuring. Jones and Croft each have a bit of a wild side, one that drives them to enjoy the adventure more than anything else.
4 NATHAN DRAKE: History Keeps Catching Up With Him
Ever since running away from an orphanage with this brother at a young age, Nathan Drake has rarely stopped moving. In recent years, he settled down with his wife and had a child. That doesn't stop history from looking for him.
It always seems like something or someone from Drake's past is always popping up. That includes his brother, who Nathan thought was dead for years. That also seems to be an issue for Dr. Jones since he keeps running into French archaeologists who just don't like him.
3 LARA CROFT: Her Father Was A Renowned Archaeologist
While Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones certainly share a deeply personal motivation for what they do thanks to family, it's hard to ignore Lara Croft's own lineage. Her father was a world-renowned archaeologist, one that inspired her, as well.
Both Jones and Croft were products of their environment. Each of them grew up around a prolific archaeologist who shaped how they viewed the world. And in some iterations of Croft's history, she also grew up without a mother.
2 NATHAN DRAKE: He Has Strong Allies
Lara Croft isn't a loner in the traditional sense but she does tend to operate on her own in a lot of situations. That's certainly different from both Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones who each have a circle of friends that work with them.
In the case of Nathan Drake, those names include his brother Sam, his mentor Sully, and even his best frenemy, Chloe Frazer. Indiana Jones has a comparable group with members such as Marcus Brody, Marion Ravenwood, and Sallah.
1 LARA CROFT: She Fights The Supernatural
If there's one big thing that Indiana Jones and Lara Croft have in common and wish they didn't, it's the supernatural. Almost all of their respective adventures take them in that direction, even if they don't want them to.
Supernatural elements and tombs seem to go hand in hand when it comes to the Tomb Raider games. Lara Croft consistently has to fight her way through supernatural elements in order to get the answers she seeks.