The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Indiana Jones feature films, the cast and crew frequently questioned creator George Lucas about the Indiana Jones character's life growing up. During the concept stages of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Lucas and director Steven Spielberg decided to reveal some of this backstory in the film's opening scenes. For these scenes, Lucas chose River Phoenix to portray the character, as Harrison Ford believed that Phoenix most resembled Ford as a young man (Phoenix had appeared as Ford's son in "The Mosquito Coast"). This decision to reveal an adventure of a young Indiana led Lucas and crew to the idea
Indiana Jones (comics) for 34 issues until March 1986. The series had Marcus Brody and Marion Ravenwood in regular supporting roles, and Sallah, Katanga, and Short Round also appeared. A three-issue adaptation of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and a four-issue adaptation of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" were also published. The series is notable for having tried to develop its own continuity, adding up original content and characters to pre-existing Indiana Jones mythology, with villains such as rival archeologist Ian McIver and Ali Ben Ayoob, a levantine tycoon employing Ishmaelite assassins as agents. UGO Networks called Marvel's series "clunky"