Mean Mongolian

"...don't call me Junior!"

The title of this article is a nickname. This article is about a canonical subject that lacks a proper name, and is known only by its nickname or callsign. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page or explanation in the article itself.

CHARACTER
Mean Mongolian
Gender	Male
Death	1936 The Raven, Patan, Nepal
Nationality	Mongolian
Allegiance(s)	Arnold Ernst Toht

"I not like him anyway!"

―The Mean Mongolian on Otto

A Mean Mongolian resided in Patan, Nepal in 1936, working as a guide and goon-for-hire for travelers. That year, he served as one of Nazi Gestapo intelligence agents Major Arnold Ernst Toht and Otto’s henchmen alongside two others as the two Germans were visiting Patan to retrieve the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra from Marion Ravenwood at her bar, The Raven, for their mission to unearth the Ark of the Covenant at the Well of the Souls at Tanis outside Cairo, Egypt. However, as they were torturing Marion, American archaeologist Indiana Jones showed up and a gunfight ensued, with the Mongolian being killed during the brawl.

Biography

Major Arnold Ernst Toht, Agent Otto, the Mongolian and the Nepalese goon arriving at the bar.

Sometime ago, this Mongolian man was part of a band of Mongolian thieves. However, the Mongolian was somehow abandoned as a leftover.

In 1936, the travelling Nazi Gestapo intelligence agent Major Arnold Ernst Toht and his partner Otto hired the Mongolian, another goon of Nepalese origin and a larger man to help them in their mission to find the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra which they would retrieve from American Marion Ravenwood at her bar The Raven. As with his fellows, Toht secured the Mongolian's loyalty by paying him with a handful of cash.

The goons subtly surrounding Marion Ravenwood.

The five men arrived outside the bar shortly after it had closed following a drinking contest between Marion and an Australian climber, won by the former, but the men could not yet enter the building as American archaeologist Indiana Jones, an old friend of Ravenwood, was visiting the bar that night. After Jones had left, the Mongolian, the Nepalese man and the two Germans entered the bar, leaving the larger goon outside in case they needed backup. Toht spoke to the bar owner as Otto stood by the fire, the Nepalese man stood in front of the bar and the Mongolian subtly followed Marion behind the bar.

The Mongolian and the Nepalese thug restraining Marion.

As Toht walked over to the fire whilst engaged in a passive-aggressive argument with Ravenwood, the Mongolian was fully behind Marion by the bar. When Toht gave the order, he grabbed Marion, picking her right up off the floor, and, with the aid of the Nepalese man, dragged her, screaming to the centre of the room, where Toht slowly approached her with a flaming metal rod, a sight which made both men restraining the American smile. However, just as the rod was put right up to her face, Jones appeared and swung his bullwhip to grab the rod and fling it away, drawing a revolver and pointing it at the men.

The Mongolian stunned.

The two thugs looked at each other as Toht was threatened, but moments afterwards Otto emerged from behind the fireplace and fired his machine gun at Jones. The archaeologist ducked behind cover, whilst the Mongolian hopped behind the bar, the Nepalese man took cover beneath a table, Otto remained behind the fireplace and Toht drew a pistol and went behind a pillar. The Mongolian produced a bag and drew a revolver from it for himself, before tossing a machine gun to his associate. As a gunfight ensued, Jones managed to shoot the fire, sending flaming logs tumbling into the Nepalese goon. Burning, the man stood up screaming, only to be shot in the face by Jones, killing him.

The Mongolian about to shoot Indiana Jones.

Afterwards, Jones was beginning to gain the upper hand when the bigger man entered the bar and accosted him. Distracted by his comrade’s arrival, the Mongolian provided Marion with enough time to slam a burning log over his head, knocking him unconscious. Several minutes later, as the Mongolian came to his senses, Jones had just knocked a chair over the bigger man’s back, killing him, Toht had fled the scene after burning his hand with the heated headpiece and Otto had been shot. The only surviving henchman aimed his pistol at Jones, unaware that Marion was pointing her own gun on him. The Mongolian's life was ended with one shot to the back, which Jones had briefly thought was the goon killing him, but the blood emanating from the Mongolian's mouth proved him it had been the other way around. As Jones and Ravenwood fled from the scene, the Mongolian's body was left behind to be consumed by the flames of the burning Raven.

Personality and traits

The Mean Mongolian was known for being a large man who enjoyed using his strength to bully others.

Behind the scenes

The Mean Mongolian was portrayed by Sonny Caldinez in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In Lawrence Kasdan's third draft of the film's script, the Mongolian was to be knocked out by Marion Ravenwood with an axe. He would later recover, and subsequently be shot by Ravenwood. Although this was cut from the final film, with the axe being replaced by a burning log, Campbell Black's novelization shows a similar scene in which Marion hits him in the head with an axe handle and knocks the Mongolian out.

With the bigger thug absent from Marvel Comics' comic book adaptation, the Mongolian fulfills his role from the film, fighting Jones then co-operating with him to shoot Otto. Unlike the film, the Mongolian has a bit of dialogue with Indy and Marion. When the pair resume fighting each other, Marion knocks the Mongolian out with a log and he is abandoned in the burning bar. In the film's Read-Along Adventure adaptation, Marion knocks out the Mongolian with a torch rather than shooting him.

The mean Mongolian is absent from LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and its sequel, but the Sherpa Gunner character seems to be based on him, Otto the bigger sherpa and the Nepalese goon, wielding Otto’s weapon, fulfilling the giant sherpa’s role and taking the appearance of the Nepalese man in the first game and the Mongolian in the second.

Appearances

• Raiders of the Lost Ark novel (First appearance)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Raiders of the Lost Ark comic
• Raiders of the Lost Ark Read-Along Adventure

Sources

• Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook
•  Toht's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)