He punches Nazis. He hates snakes. He was named after the family dog. And he’s just been voted the greatest movie hero of all time by Empire readers. In our recent poll, Indiana Jones came out on top as the ultimate cinematic hero – one drawn from the traditions of the serials that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg grew up on, and pitched headfirst into a string of rollocking blockbusters filled with daring escapes, an unerring sense of good and evil, and a true love of archaeology. Celebrated in the new Heroes Issue of Empire, on sale Thursday 11 June, we look back at all the things that make Indy the all-time greatest – his charisma, his costume, his intelligence and bravery, and the flaws that make him believably human.
Elsewhere, the full list of the top 50 movie heroes includes the likes of the Alien saga’s Ellen Ripley, Casablanca’s Rick Blaine, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther, The Matrix’s Trinity, The Terminator’s Sarah Connor, Back To The Future’s Marty McFly, The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen, Beverly Hills Cop’s Axel Foley, Moana and many more.
To celebrate the list, we spoke to the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Keanu Reeves, Michael J. Fox, Carrie-Anne Moss, Sean Astin, Bruce Campbell and more in brand new interviews breaking down their most heroic roles. “I’m so glad she continues to resonate for people,” Sigourney Weaver says of Ripley, who placed very highly in the ranking. “I admire her too. She gets things done.” Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves took time to reflect on the heroic qualities of his big-hearted, big-bodycount hitman John Wick. “When I think of the character, I think of his will, his fortitude, and his honour,” he says. “Is he someone that could be a role model for the kids? Maybe with a little curating.” And the one and only Michael J. Fox was thrilled that Marty McFly made the list. “It’s funny — I never thought of Marty in terms of being heroic. He’s more Robin than Batman,” he says. “But it’s a real treat. It was a huge gift I was given in my career.”
Find out the full list of the 50 greatest movie heroes and read the full interviews and more in the Heroes Issue of Empire – on newsstands from Thursday 11 June, and available to pre-order online with free UK postage here.