Ke Huy Quan

By bringing Ke Huy Quan back in Indiana Jones 5, Lucasfilm would have a unique opportunity to redeem a beloved character.

Short Round is therefore a fortunate anomaly in the sense that he gets lots of lines and has a legitimate impact on the narrative in Temple Of Doom. Disney also has made strides to diversify, as seen in their recent [Star Wars](https://collider.com/tag/star-wars/) and [Marvel](https://collider.com/tag/marvel/) content, so one could imagine that their upcoming Indiana Jones movies will follow suit. [Harrison Ford reprising the lead](https://collider.com/indiana-jones-5-image-harrison-ford/), it currently seems like the cast is predominantly made up of newcomers to the franchise. In the Jones franchise, there is even a trope of people-of-color occupying non-speaking roles and serving as obstacles that the hero must overcome (or sometime intrude upon) to loot them of their treasures. He explains that he caught Short Round trying to pick-pocket him in Shanghai and that Short Round's family died in the Japanese bombing of the city, leaving him orphaned at a young age. Also, the fact that he's never even mentioned in any of the other Jones movies — Like many blockbusters to come out before the modern era, the original Indiana Jones movies — and even 2008's Expanded Indiana Jones lore such as the Temple of Doom novelization further explains that Short Round's real name is Wan Li, that his parents worked in a steel mill, and that he learned English in a Christian mission before encountering Dr. In Temple of Doom, the only real background that Indy gives about his relationship with Short Round comes in a scene where the two play cards over a campfire. Rather than hide from Short Round, the franchise has the unique opportunity to bring him back and reintroduce the character not just as an adult, but as a figure that is celebratory, sophisticated, and redeemed. He is comical, rash, and deeply subservient to the American Jones, perpetuating some of the film's outdated orientalism and white-savior themes. Before Quan's most recent revival, starring in the hit indie film [Everything Everywhere All At Once](https://collider.com/tag/everything-everywhere-all-at-once/), he was best known for his youth roles in classic '80s movies like [The Goonies](https://collider.com/tag/the-goonies/) and [Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom](https://collider.com/tag/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom/).