1937: The light of her flickering torch reflected off the gilded
bodies tucked away in the alcoves of the temple walls, leaving no doubt
in Marion Ravenwood's mind that this was indeed the resting place of
the Ikons of Ikammanen. According to legend (and a first-hand account
from Indy), the Ikons were living golden statues that protected the
inhabitants this uncharted island, or became invincible avengers to
right a wrongful death. Knowing that Jones had failed to recover any of
the Ikons during his brief visit not long ago, Marion had journeyed to
the temple on her own in order to find some of that "fortune and glory"
on her own, and now here it was right in front of her. Lost in her
thoughts, Marion fails to notice that her unwanted presence has been
detected until a smooth stone object collides with the back of her head,
and suddenly, the world goes dark.
The
combination of extreme heat and the echos of strange voices stirs
Marion from her slumber, awakening to find herself bound to a heavy
chain dangling over a vat of boiling liquid gold. She looks down to the
safety of the ground below, seeing a native chief dressed in an
elaborate feather attire chant in an unfamiliar tongue as several guards
stand close by. Marion squirms in the air, trying to break the rope
bindings at her wrists and ankles. "Bastards! Let me out of here!" Her
cries of anger resonate up the cylinder stone tower, but it falls on
ears which do not understand nor care for their meaning. Panic sets in
as a sudden jolt marks the beginning of the chain's decent. With each
passing second, her body creeps closer and closer past the steaming
clouds to the bubbling pit below, still writhing around to escape to no
avail. The natives seem unfazed by the shriek of terror Marion lets out
as her boots sink into yellow pool, it's extreme temperature setting her
clothing ablaze before even coming into contact with the liquid
itself.
The chief continues
reciting the ancient chant long after Marion has disappeared into the
depths of the vat, leaving the spectators to watch in awe as his words
turn the liquid from a bubbling gold to a shade of sparking hot white.
Suddenly, the incantation ends with a fiery explosion from the core of
the pit, which sends a few of the frightened onlookers back to the
safety of the village outside. As the glowing substance turns back to
it's original shade of yellow, those who were brave enough to stay
inside began to raise the chain at the chief's command. At first, the
object which hung on the end of the chain resembled nothing more than a
large chunk of gold mined directly from the Earth, but as globs began to
drip off back into the pool underneath, the shape of a woman began to
reveal itself.
Pulled over to the
sturdy floor around the circular pit, the guards cut loose the bindings
holding the gilded figure to the chain, careful not to let any of the
warm runny substance touch them. They quickly back away as heavy eyelids
lifted to reveal cold yellow marbles underneath, which matched the
color of her glistening golden skin. The woman's stoic face and
attentive posture told the chief that the ritual was a success, and
another Ikon had been born. Gone were the memories and attachments to
the world beyond the island, rendering Marion's mind to nothing but a
blank slate awaiting to be molded by her masters. She listened
attentively to the chief's orders, that now her purpose was to protect
the very Ikons she had once tried to steal for eternity. The language
which was foreign to her just a few moments prior was now as familiar as
her native English once had been. She nodded, understanding her task as
the chief and his cohorts left the temple, seemingly
satisfied with the results of the transformation. Now with nothing but
the crackle of burning torches in the air, the sleeping Ikons were free
to dream in peace, unaware of the new caretaker and the latest to join
their ranks...
After Raiders of The Lost Ark was released in 1981, Marvel Comics had the honor of being one of the first companies to get to expand upon the new franchise with the comic The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones. The first 2/3rds of the series took place in the months after Raiders had ended, with Indy and Marion Ravenwood going after some treasure hidden deep in a jungle temple or whatnot. Close to the end of the series, Marion was written out for reasons unknown. This image and story builds upon her departure, and brings her to the birth place of "The Ikons of Ikammanen", the first treasure which Indy had (unsuccessfully) attempted to recover in issues one and two of The Further Adventures.
(Above): "Ikon Marion" in her original resolution before being shrunk down to fit in the background. The original image of Karen Allen's head had some grain to it, so a glitter effect was given to her body to match.
Marion Ravenwood: Guardian of Ikammanen on DeviantArt
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