Super Debatable: Is Indiana Jones a Better Hero Than Han Solo?

Our show Super Debatable sees IGN’s very own Akeem Lawanson and Joshua Yehl debate a heated topic in geek culture. With Harrison Ford donning the hat and whip once more in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we’re dusting off a prized relic in the world of nerd debate: Who’s the better Harrison Ford hero, Indiana Jones or Han Solo? 

Check out Akeem and Joshua’s opening statements to the debate or dive right into the video to watch them present and defend their arguments, then vote in the poll to let us know which hero you’d choose And be sure to chime in with your thoughts on the topic in the comments.

Akeem Lawanson’s Opening Statement in Favor of Han Solo

While it might be hard to believe based on each character’s history, Han Solo is a better hero than Indiana Jones, without a question. Sure, Han may have started off as a smuggler, but he soon became much more than that. A decorated hero and leader bringing down the Galactic Empire. He definitely earned his hero status. 

But what defines a hero? By definition, it’s someone who is admired for their courage, praised by the public for their achievements, and who exhibits noble qualities. Han Solo was praised by the public for his achievements when he received the Medal of Bravery after the destruction of the Death Stare. 

As for Indy, the US government gladly took the Ark off his hands, gave him a sizable amount of money, and told him to just skedaddle. No fanfare, no parade, no crowd of people, no nothing. Why was that? Some might have you believe everything that Indy has endured, the countless lives he’s saved, the potentially earth-shattering artifacts he’s recovered, should be enough to consider him a hero. And it is. But compared to Han Solo taking part in wars that had lasting implications on the galaxy, how can a guy who’s afraid of snakes with a son named Mutt hold a candle to that?

That Medal of Bravery Han received represents undeniable courage and heroism. It’s something awarded by the Alliance to restore the Republic, and it’s a physical embodiment of what it means to be a hero. The only medals Indiana Jones has ever received are the ones he’s pilfered off the corpses of fallen soldiers and mummified princes. Let’s not lie to ourselves here. Indiana Jones is a thief. Anyone with common sense would rather an archeology professor seek out and retrieve these dangerous relics over Nazis or Soviet KGB agents, but this man is shirking his responsibilities at Marshall College in order to stick his fedora where it doesn’t belong. 

You may consider a smuggler with a blaster pistol and a tomb-raiding thief with a whip similar in status, but they’re different. While both might be considered heroes in their own right, only one has done just enough to put him one small step and one giant leap ahead of the other man. Han Solo. Mr. Jones should stick to the actions that’ll make him a real hero, and that’s helping mold the minds of his students at Marshall College, if he can put the whip down long enough to pick up the damn chalk and teach.

Joshua Yehl’s Opening Statement in Favor of Indiana Jones

If we are asking who is the better hero, Indiana Jones or Han Solo? Well, you don’t need a degree in archeology to uncover the answer. Indy is way better than Han on all accounts.

Indie is the lead hero of five movies, whereas Han Solo is a supporting anti-hero in four movies that aren’t even about him. The one movie that is about him was the first Star Wars movie to ever bomb at the box office. 

Indy clearly has the better heroic track record. He’s foiled Nazis, he’s kept mystic weapons of mass destruction out of the wrong hands, and he selflessly risked his life to save innocent children. Han doesn’t even compare. He’s a cold-blooded murderer who shoots first and never asks questions. He’s too busy being a conman and, worst of all, a coward. He ran away before the Death Star run. He spent all of Empire running away, yet he still got caught. And after Leia saved him in Return of the Jedi, and started a family with him, he ran away from her, too.

This is all to say Indy is an all-time great action hero, and Han is a scaredy-cat. Han even had one chance to redeem himself in Force Awakens, and he blew it by cementing his son’s fall to the dark side and getting himself killed. Turns out the only thing he’s worse at than being a hero is being a father. 

Ultimately, the better hero is the one you would choose to come rescue you if you were in trouble, and Indy is the right choice every time. Indie is smart — whip smart, you might say — and he’s literally a doctor. Han didn’t even make it out of the Imperial Academy where you can fail Marksman Class and still graduate. When Indy has to fight a master swordsman, his mind goes right to the most efficient solution. He shoots him dead. He’s not out here trying to grandstand. He’s trying to get a job done. The only person Han shoots is Greedo, who is just a bounty hunter doing his job and enjoying happy hour at the Cantina. Real heroic, Han.

This goes without saying, but I need to end strong here, Han’s whole look is a vest. We all know that vests are just wannabe jackets that leave your arms cold. They don’t offer protection or warmth. They have no function. There is no point to wearing a vest. It is the garment of the imbecile.

A fedora, on the other hand, is a leather crown befitting a champion of the people that makes you look dashing and mysterious. Plus, it actually has a practical use, to keep rain and sun out of your eyes. Let me tell you, I sure could use a fedora right now because Indy is such a shiny example of a hero that my eyes are starting to hurt. 

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