Matthias Jäger, also known as The Monster of Minsk, was the main antagonist of Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix, the cancelled standalone sequel to LucasArts' critically acclaimed Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis computer game. Jäger is described as an insane German scientist hidden in Bolivia who, following the end of World War II, decides to find the Philosopher's Stone to bring back Adolf Hitler and reassemble the Nazi Party to restore Germany's "former glory".
Biography[]
Matthias Jäger once served the Nazis during World War II as scientist and alchemist. Over time, Jäger became known for conducting reanimation experiments that earned the nickname of "The Monster of Minsk". During his career at the Nazis' service, Jäger also came to imprison the family of Nadia Kirov on a concentration camp, where they all died.
In 1947, two years after World War II's conclusion, hiding in Bolivia, Jäger is searching for the Philosopher's Stone, which is said to have the power to bring back the dead. With that in mind, Jäger intends to bring back Adolf Hitler so they can reassemble the Nazi army and restore Germany's "former glory". While searching for the stone, Jäger crosses paths with Indiana Jones and Nadia Kirov, who join forces to stop Jäger and his allies.
At the game's climax, after capturing Jones and brainwashing Kirov, Jäger succeeds at resurrecting Hitler in Bolivia with the Philosopher's Stone. However, rather than thanking Jäger, Hitler becomes furious upon discovering that the doctor brought him back with no military with which he can reclaim his power. As such, Hitler kills Jäger with a single blow before the Philosopher's Stone disintegrates Hitler with its amazing power, bringing the Nazi threat to an end once and for all.
Unfortunately, despite being fifteen months in production, development on Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix was abruptly stopped when the European Computer Trade Show informed LucasArts that depictions of post-WWII revivals of Nazis were illegal in Germany, so they would not be able to sell the game there, as Nazism played a key role in the story. As LucasArts wasn't going to be able to recuperate from any potential loss from not selling the game in Germany's markets, Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix was cancelled. While LucasArts searched other possibilities to make a graphic adventure to follow up Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, these plans were eventually cancelled as well and it wasn't until 1999 with the release of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine that another Indiana Jones video game would be released.
Trivia[]
- Although Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix was ultimately cancelled, its plot later served as the basis from a comic book adaptation published by Dark Horse Comics, who thanked LucasArts in the book's credits. In contrast to Matthias Jäger's original intended role, the comic version of Jäger is disfigured to the point he resembles Adolf Hitler and fails to bring back Hitler, being him instead the one destroyed by the powers of the Philosopher's Stone.