Sophia Hapgood

CHARACTER
Sophia Hapgood
Gender	Female
Nationality	American
Profession(s)	Archaeologist Intelligence Agent OSS CIA Professor Psychic
Allegiance(s)	Nur-Ab-Sal Indiana Jones CIA

"You know, Marcus, the coldest year of my life was the one I spent in Iceland with Sophia."

―Indiana Jones

Sophia Hapgood was an American archaeologist who became a renowned New York City psychic when her academic career stalled through a combination of male chauvinism within the profession and under the gradual influence of Nur-Ab-Sal, an Atlantean spirit imbued within a medallion she recovered during the 1929 Jastro Expedition.

Ten years later, Hapgood partnered with Indiana Jones to unravel the mysteries of the lost city of Atlantis and prevent the Third Reich from harnessing its power, an expedition that allowed Jones to free her from Nur-Ab-Sal's influence. Afterwards, during World War II, Hapgood was tapped to join the OSS and remained an agent when it was reorganized into the CIA as their investigator into "unusual activity" behind the Iron Curtain for the Cold War.

In 1947, Hapgood teamed up with Jones once again so they could uncover Soviet interest surrounding the Tower of Babel, which Doctor Gennadi Volodnikov wanted to use to contact Marduk from the Aetherium, but Hapgood didn't tell Jones about the true intentions of her superior Simon Turner, who got her possessed by Marduk and led Jones to save her once again after foiling Turner's plans. Together, they befriended Volodnikov and parted ways seemingly for good.

Biography

Early life

"They're punishing me for being a career girl! It's not "prop-ah" in Philadelphia, you know!"

―Sophia Hapgood, about her parents.

Sophia Hapgood was born into a wealthy family from New England, but her rebellious nature made her somewhat of a black sheep. She then pursued archeological studies.

Archaeologist

Her first encounter with the American archaeologist Indiana Jones was in 1929 as his assistant on the Jastro Expedition in Iceland. There, the pair unearthed many unusual artifacts. The two became friends and worked closely for an extended period, at one point even sharing the same blanket, but maintained a professional relationship. He even told her about his time riding with Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. Jones was disappointed when he learned that Hapgood had pocketed many of the pieces for herself; some she sold on the international antiquities market.

Hapgood in 1939.

Hapgood was reunited with Jones in October 1938, when she asked for his help in securing the Covenant of Buddha, referenced in an ancient scroll she had uncovered in Nepal. The search led them to Afghanistan—where Hapgood was briefly kidnapped by bandits—then to the lost city of Chanri-Ha, and finally to the location of the Covenant scrolls: a remote Buddhist temple on the Yangtze River. Indy and Sophie fought off a company of Japanese raiders, but the sacred scrolls were destroyed in the process.

Psychic

Disappointed, Hapgood refocused herself on psychic pursuits, turning her attention to a strange necklace/medallion she had kept from the Jastro Expedition years earlier. She became convinced the piece had once belonged to the Atlantean king Nur-Ab-Sal. Claiming that Nur-Ab-Sal spoke to her through the object, she gave seminars on Atlantis in her apartment on Park Avenue, and became quite popular among the socialites of New York City. A newspaper reported her as being a "bonepicker turned mystic".

In 1939, an extremely skeptical Indiana Jones interrupted a social gathering to warn Sophie of an urgent Nazi interest in all things Atlantean. After a run in with the SS Colonel Klaus Kerner, Hapgood joined Jones in his race against the Germans. In the process, Hapgood fell increasingly more under the influence of her medallion, as if the artifact wanted to return to Atlantis and restore Nur-Ab-Sal to power. Indy helped free her from the medallion's grasp and after the case, they became more closely romantically involved—albeit briefly.

She went on to publish a paper on Atlantis which granted her full professorship with tenure.

Government agent

"I've been around long enough to believe in almost anything--even nuts like you."

―Indiana Jones to Sophia in Palawan

Sophia Hapgood as a CIA agent.

During World War II, Sophia landed a job with the Office of Strategic Services formed by President Harry Truman and remained when it was reorganized as the Central Intelligence Agency where her skills were focused on "unusual activity" behind the Iron Curtain. Her agency was concerned about the actions of Gennadi Volodnikov around the Euphrates, who uncovered the ruins of Etemenanki of ancient Babylon. Their spies had provided a piece of 2600-years old prehistoric machinery, way ahead of its time.

She left Washington DC and caught up with Indiana Jones on expedition in the Canyonlands of the American southwest in 1947 to request his help. She arrived at a plateau by helicopter and Jones made his way there to see who had come to visit. Sophia then explained the political background of her mission and produced photos of Volodnikov and the ruins the Soviets uncovered, seeking a possibly deadly force, and gave him the machine piece. Indy agreed to assist and they flew to the Middle East.

She showed up at various times during Indy's search for the four missing pieces of the Infernal Machine, a Babylonian device said to be able to open a portal between reality and the Aetherium. Hapgood followed the Soviets to their secret base at the Palawan Temple where she saw Jones while Volodnikov tried to find his was past the Lava Guardian to Azerim's Part of the Machine. There she was captured by the Soviets and put into a cell until Indy rescued her; in turn, she opened a way to the exit, and activated a mechanical door allowing Indy to continue inside.

With the pair taking turns saving each other from various impossible situations, their romance was rekindled somewhat. In the end, Sophia was double-crossed by her boss Simon Turner and sent into the Aetherium where she was possessed by the Sumerian god Marduk, their combined entity taking the form of a bizarre, harpy-like creature. Indy was able to break the spell, however, and the two embraced before escaping from the collapsing Aetherium.

After the adventure, the pair parted ways, seemingly forever.

Behind the scenes

Sophia Hapgood is the heroine and the player's sidekick in the LucasArts video game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. She accompanies Indy on most of his travels if the player chooses the Team Path, until their arrival at Atlantis where the game's story becomes the same as the other two paths (Wits Path and Fists Path). Sophia Hapgood's last name is an homage to historian Charles Hapgood, author of The Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings.

In the game, Sophia often provides Indy (the player) with hints whenever he talks to her. In certain circumstances, the player also has control of Sophia. Cooperation between Sophia and Indy is critical to solving certain puzzles. For example, some characters insist on talking to Sophia, and Indy is able to take advantage of the distraction.

The game suggests that Indy hadn't encountered Sophia after the Jastro Expedition. However, Sophia reappears in the comic Indiana Jones: Thunder in the Orient set only a year before the game.

The game also implies that after finding Nur-Ab-Sal's necklace, Sophia had been possessed by his spirit. This drives her fixation with Atlantis, using any means for the spirit to return to the lost city, such as keeping Atlantean artifacts for 'herself',

If Sophia is not separated from Nur-Ab-Sal, but the player has completed the game without her when Ubermann attempts to use the god machine, Nur-Ab-Sal in Sophia's body pushes Ubermann aside to use the technology himself. However, just like the others, Nur-Ab-Sal/Sophia's transformation into a god is unstable and the Atlantean King possessed Hapgood explodes, accidentally knocking Ubermann into a lava pit during his death throes. The ending scene has Indiana Jones lament being unable to save Sophia.

In one of the unused backgrounds in the game, there is an additional room next to Sophia's office. The room had furniture that was similar to the furniture in Monte Carlo, where Madame Sophia provides 'seance' in her hotel bedroom.

Portrayal

• Sophia Hapgood was developed by Hal Barwood, one of the writers of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. However, William Messner-Loebs, the Dark Horse Comics author of the game's comic book adaptation (which was released a year prior), claims credit for creating the character having based her on a friend of his who made a living as a psychic. After writing Sophia into his script with all the insider information he was provided, Messner-Loebs showed the work to his friend, who was dismayed that the comic could reveal to people how cold reading works, leading him to "curse" Messner-Loebs until he cooled off. Barwood modeled Sophia's appearance on LucasArts' Associate Director of Development Lucy Bradshaw.
• Jane Jacobs provided the voice of Sophia in the 1993 CD-ROM re-release of Fate of Atlantis. (The original 1992 release had no voices.) Jacobs was already a fan of the Indiana Jones films so she loved working on the game when the offer came from LucasArts, though she didn't recall the audition process in 2015 when asked by Indymag. To prepare for the role, which she recorded in a small Los Angeles studio instead of Skywalker Ranch, Jacobs was given basics character descriptions and a sense of the plot with little to no interactions with her fellow voice actors, which was the usual process for voice-overs in video games back then.
• Tasia Valenza provided Sophia's voice in Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine.
• An uncredited model was shot as Sophia for the The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones.

Appearances

• Indiana Jones: Thunder in the Orient
• Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis comic (First appearance)
• Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
• Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis: The Action Game
• Indiana Jones and the Pyramid of the Sorcerer (Mentioned only)
• Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine

Sources

• "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis: An Interview with Hal Barwood" - The Adventurer 3
• The World of Indiana Jones
• Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
• Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine adventure guide/instruction booklet
• Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
• The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
• "No Time for Love?" – Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 5
•  Indiana Jones Masterpieces trading cards (Card: Video Games: Fate of Atlantis)
•  Indiana Jones Masterpieces trading cards (Card: Video Games: The Infernal Machine)
•  Indiana Jones Masterpieces trading cards (Card: Thunder in the Orient)
•  Indiana Jones Masterpieces trading cards (Card: At War with an Army)
•  Indiana Jones Masterpieces trading cards (Card: The Covenant of Buddha)
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings: Prima Official Game Guide
• Grail Diary (prop replica)
•  Lucasfilm Games Rewind: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)