Gennadi Volodnikov
From Indiana Jones Wiki
| CHARACTER | |
| Gennadi Volodnikov | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality |  Soviet
|
|
Profession(s) |
Physicist |
Dr. Gennadi Volodnikov was a Russian physicist and adversary of Indiana Jones who was secretly commissioned by the Soviet government to oversee the excavation of the ruins of Babylon, in search for the legendary Infernal Machine, which the Soviets believed could be harnessed into a superweapon.
[edit] Biography
Unlike the mainstream Soviets and their beliefs, Gennadi Volodnikov, a prominent Russian physicist, believed in the existence of supernatural powers. He planned to locate the elusive Infernal Machine, activate it, and use it to communicate with the Babylonian deity, Marduk. With the help of such unearthly forces, Volodnikov and his benefactors hoped, the Soviet Union could win a decisive victory in the Cold War. Volodnikov's work was considered so confidential by the Soviet government that entire divisions of the Red Army were dispatched to Babylon to protect Volodnikov and maintain the secrecy of his research. The soldiers also followed him as he pursued Indiana Jones across the world.
Indiana Jones, an archaeologist hired by the CIA, was already infiltrating the ruins at Babylon and found out about the location of the first of the four lost Machine parts, in Kazakhstan. Volodnikov eventually found out as well, but Jones was already one step ahead of him.
Volodnikov and his assigned Russian soldiers followed Jones first to the Philippines (specifically Palawan) and finally captured him in Teotihuacan, Mexico, where Jones had just found the third Machine part. However, Jones escaped from his holding cell onboard the V. I. Pudovkin and reclaimed the Machine parts, fleeing the ship aboard a lifeboat.
In Anglo-Egyptain Sudan, Volodnikov again hunted Jones, while searching for Nub's part of the Machine, the final of the four missing pieces. There, inside Nub's Tomb, Volodnikov tried to impede Jones' mission, not realizing that his Red Army bodyguards, keeping watch behind him, had been quickly dispatched by Jones' revolver. Soon, Volodnikov found himself trapped and confronted by Jones at gunpoint. Given the chance to kill Volodnikov, Jones instead let the him live when Volodnikov used a bronze gear that was vital to Jones' progress as a bargaining chip. Volodnikov fled the room and Jones, trying to exit himself, was instead besieged by a sniper from above. Jones again fought his way through yet another group of Soviet soldiers, escaping once more and even collecting the final Machine part.
Upon his exit from the tomb, Jones reunited with CIA agent Sophia Hapgood and her boss, Simon Turner. However, a lone and unprotected Volodnikov cornered them, knowing he had been defeated, and demanded one last time that they give up their mission and that they give him the parts, claiming that the American federal agents were not scientifically inclined enough to know how to properly handle them. Regardless of the warning, Jones decided to trust the his fellow Americans more and gave the agents the Machine parts. They immediately departed while Volodnikov spoke to Jones, saying that their betrayal would cost them their lives since they underestimated the powers that they currently wielded. For the first time, Volodnikov and Jones had a true conversation from one man of science to another. Afterwards, Volodnikov stopped his soldiers from further pursuing Jones, apparently abandoning his desire to see the Infernal Machine in action, though he did fly to Babylon to wait for the results of Jones' discoveries inside the Machine.
Jones entered the Machine soon after Turner and Hapgood. After the Machine self-destructed and caused a collapse, Jones and Hapgood narrowly escaped and were surprised to find Voldonikov giving them a helping hand out of the ruins. After a change of heart, Volodnikov had evidently decided that it was ethically wrong to use otherwordly powers to help his country.
Jones unexpectedly ended his unusual relationship with Volodnikov on good terms.
[edit] Behind the scenes
Volodnikov was one of the very few villains of an Indiana Jones adventure to survive (ultimately befriending Jones) and his role as main villain was instead taken by the non-human antagonist, Marduk.
