Steven Spielberg may be the father of the blockbuster behind the camera, but when it comes to being in front of the camera, few can define the essence of franchise films quite like Harrison Ford; indeed, with a career that’s managed to check off Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and now the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ford is one of pop culture’s most treasured anchors.
But perhaps more impressive than the wide diversity of the actor’s franchise blockbusters is the length of time with which he’s been involved in them; in a span of five years starting back in 1977, he helped spearhead the beginnings of three of the most iconic genre fiction mythos’ in cinematic history, all of which he wound up returning to as early as 2015, and as late as a week ago.
But between Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Blade Runner 2049, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which of Ford’s returns is the most beloved? The folks of r/StarWars were happy to duke this one out, and the subreddit’s name isn’t as ominous as you’d think.
Between Han Solo, Rick Deckard, and Indiana Jones, the trophy seemed to go to the Blade Runner protagonist, which is appropriate considering the character allowed Ford to stretch his dramatic chops much further than his pulpier icons allowed.
As for the runner-up, the thread decided to shout out Ford’s work in the 2023 Apple TV Plus series Shrinking, which totally counts given that it’s an “old man Harrison Ford” performance. A second season is apparently in the works, too, so now would be the best time to plug into this one if you’re a Ford completionist and want to see him portray a senior therapist.
At the end of the day, whether he’s flying the Millennium Falcon, delivering haymakers to Nazis, dreaming of electric sheep, or chewing out Jason Segal, there’s rarely ever been a time where Harrison Ford hasn’t delivered the greatest cinematic goods there is to offer, and we thank him deeply for his silver screen service.
