The Indiana Jones franchise has spanned movies, a prequel TV show, comics, novels, and video games. One of the latest entries in the franchise, the video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, wasreleased just in 2024 and accumulated quite the following. Indiana Jones has been a staple in adventure and action media for decades. Throughout all these media entries, Indiana Jones has faced off against several iconic villains, including Antonin Dovchenko, Colonel Dietrich, and Elsa Schneider.
However, one Indiana Jones villain might even top the likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark’s René Belloq. None other than The Great Circle’s Emmerich Voss, a cunning and ruthless archaeologist involved with the Third Reich Special Antiquities Collection. There have been plenty of great Indy villains in the past, but Voss has been given ample time to shine as one of the best.
Emmerich Voss Is The Perfect Great Circle Villain
A Villain You Love To Hate Means The Job Is Done Well
Players meet Emmerich Voss in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and quickly learn how calculating and ruthless he is. On top of that, he is unsettling and incredibly irritating, with his incessant needling, slimy smile, and tendency to manipulate those around him for sport. He’s got everything of a great Indy villain down pat—playing psychological games and doing his best to make all those around him uncomfortable.
It’s clear from the beginning that Voss doesn’t just want to control; he wants to humiliate, annoy, and provoke, all while wearing a grin that signals he’s enjoying every moment of it. He enjoys mocking his enemies and exploiting their insecurities; his arrogance and cruelty are displayed throughout the game. He’s not just a threat to Jones physically, but mentally as well.
Voice actor Marios Gavrilis voices Voss in both English and German.
Voss’ psychological manipulation makes him a villain that you love to hate. With his smug grin and arrogant demeanor, he’s definitely a character you can’t help but want to see defeated in the most satisfying and humiliating way possible. All of this makes him the perfect Great Circle villain, a character who embodies everything that makes a truly detestable antagonist.
Voss Builds On What Made Past Indiana Jones Villains Great
Voss Builds On Past Villains Like Belloq To Become The Ultimate Antagonist
Indiana Jones has been around since 1981, with his first appearance being in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Alongside each appearance of the adventurous protagonist comes the appearance of a menacing antagonist. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the villain is the notorious and iconic René Emile Belloq, who challenges Indy’s wit and determination and serves as a dark reminder of his own ambitions. Belloq’s cunning and ruthlessness make him a formidable adversary who will stop at nothing to claim the legendary artifacts Indy seeks.
Since then, Indy has faced several other adversaries in movies, books, and action-adventure video games, with some quickly becoming fan-favorite villains. With those villains in the past, the creators of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle were able to mold and shape Voss around the best elements of those earlier antagonists, taking from them what made them great villains.
The creative team behind Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has called Voss “one of their favorite villains.”
Voss, of course, shares many similarities with the infamous Belloq—both are cunning, manipulative, and highly ambitious. However, two things set him apart: first, his palpable desire for some camaraderie with Indy, which contrasts with his sneering assertions of superiority; and second, while Voss is just as capable of being an actual threat when necessary, his often humorous and mockingly lighthearted demeanor adds a dynamic tension that keeps players on edge and often guessing when his playful taunts will turn to dangerous intentions.
The Great Circle Gives Voss Opportunities To Shine
Voss Has Several Memorable Moments Throughout The Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has around 15 hours of main story gameplay. Side quests bump that up to 25 hours, and completing the entire thing takes around 38 hours for the average player. That gives Voss ample time to shine as one of the greatest Indy villains of all time. As much as he’s hated, his scenes in The Great Circle are iconic nonetheless.
Players first meet Voss after he lands in a huge blimp. Indy spies on Voss through a pair of binoculars as he exits the blimps and shakes hands with another man. Indy explains who Voss is: a German archeologist and leader of the Führer’s occult research program. From there, players can assume Voss is up to something sinister, especially with how Indiana refers to him.
Voss has several great scenes throughout the Great Circle, including when he taunts Officer Gantz just before Indy and Gina, who had been spying on him through cracks in the ceiling above, falls from above and breaks up the encounter. This scene is pivotal in building the intense dynamics between Indiana and Voss, the two already at odds. Players learn it isn’t the first time Indiana has met Voss, and it is a scene that truly cements the animosity between them. Voss continues to taunt, and players are given a glimpse into just how manipulative he can be.
Later in the game, when Indy finds Locus, Voss again appears to taunt Indy, this time brandishing a gun and disarming Jones. His continued taunts and smug grin fuel this scene until Gina eventually shows up with a gun of her own. She attempts to shoot at Voss, only to learn the gun is empty, and Voss has his men apprehend Gina. Voss, with his mocking laughter and snide taunts, makes this scene tense but epic.
All of Voss’ scenes in Indiana Jones and the Great Circlehave been nothing short of epic. His time in the game allows him to solidify his place as one of Indy’s greatest foes, up there with the likes of Colonel Dietrich and René Emile Belloq, with his cunning and manipulative tactics making him a memorable asset to the Indiana Jonesfranchise.
