Summary

• Harrison Ford's retirement from his iconic film characters is driven by his desire to maintain his independence and integrity as an actor.
• The endings for Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Rick Deckard in their respective franchises are all different, with Star Wars being the only one where Ford's character definitively dies.
• Blade Runner 2049 stands out as Harrison Ford's best character exit, as it is a great film that honors the character's legacy and provides a poignant and fitting conclusion.

Harrison Ford’s legendary career has seen him star in some of cinema’s most iconic movie franchises — Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner — and his exits from these film series strike wildly different tones. The recent release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny saw Harrison Ford bid farewell to the role of Indiana Jones after five films. The retirement of the character sees the third time in the last 8 years that Ford has made his final appearance in a role that made him a household name. In 2017, Ford said farewell to Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049, and 2015’s The Force Awakens saw Ford’s Han Solo (tentatively) exit the Star Wars franchise.

Despite his exit from his most iconic movie roles, Harrison Ford has made it clear that he has no plans to step away from acting. In a recent interview, the star said, “I don’t do well when I don’t have work” (via CinemaBlend). Indeed, Ford has continued to make his mark in new roles, including his lead part in the hit Apple TV Plus series Shrinking. However, it’s still the end of an era to see Ford end his involvement with the characters he's become synonymous with. Therefore, it's worth examining Ford’s reasons for exiting his three biggest film franchises and taking a close look at how these departures differ.

Why Harrison Ford Has Retired His Three Biggest Movie Characters

There is no unified reason why Harrison Ford made the decision to retire all three of his most famous movie characters. However, if Ford’s hilariously honest interview attitude can reveal anything about the man, it’s that he takes his independence and his integrity as an actor seriously. While some stars unquestioningly reprise roles without much need for convincing, Ford only returns to a film if given a good enough reason. For all three of his biggest characters, the filmmakers involved persuaded Ford to return one final time.

In the case of Blade Runner 2049, Ford’s tearful Dial of Destiny press tour demonstrates a consistent and sincere enthusiasm for the Indiana Jones character, but the star cites the need to “sit down and rest a little bit” (via People).

How Indiana Jones, Han Solo & Rick Deckard's Endings Are All Very Different

Harrison Ford’s three biggest characters have all seen wildly different in-fiction endings. The only series in which Ford’s character definitively meets his end is Star Wars. Ford had been pitching for Han Solo’s death as early as Return of the Jedi, but writer-producer George Lucas didn’t go for it. Ultimately, Han tragically died at the hands of his son, Kylo Ren, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 32 years later. The actor was reluctant to reverse the finality of the death by returning as a force ghost in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but he eventually came around after J.J. Abrams sent him the script (via Vanity Fair).

Harrison Ford’s characters see somewhat brighter conclusions in Indiana Jones and Blade Runner. Both endings involve his character being reunited with loved ones after years of estrangement. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ends with Indy reconciling with his longtime love interest, Marion; while the film offers nothing definitive, it’s the closest the character has come to seeming finished with adventuring. Blade Runner 2049 ends with Rick Deckard reuniting with his daughter after having spent decades alone. It’s similar in content to the Indiana Jones ending, but it evokes a very different feeling with its bittersweet, poetic tone punctuated by the sacrifice of Blade Runner 2049’s protagonist, K.

Why Blade Runner 2049 Is Harrison Ford's Best Major Character Exit

All three Harrison Ford major role exits work hard to honor their character’s legacy. However, only one is couched within a truly great film that measures up to the original masterpiece. While the legacy of the character exits in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and the Star Wars sequel trilogy are tarnished by the uneasy quality of the films in which they appear, Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best movies of the 2010s. Ford’s comments about his interest in the incorporation of Rick Deckard into the Blade Runner 2049 story far outpace his enthusiasm about the scripts for his final Indiana Jones and Star Wars projects.

Rick Deckard's melancholy yet hopeful ending in Blade Runner 2049 feels in harmony with the lonely, noir-esque world of the Blade Runner films, which have seen the character submit himself to a lifetime of loneliness in service of the ones he loves. Deckard finally getting the chance to reunite with his estranged daughter doesn’t feel like fan service, nor a moment that is perpetrated for shock value. Rather, Blade Runner 2049 sees the Harrison Ford character exit the series with the same powerful, resonant note on which he entered it.