Marion was born in 1909, the daughter of the famous archaelogist and treasure-hunter Abner Ravenwood. As a girl, Marion was never particularly interested in her father's work—until 1925, when a dashing Indiana Jones offered to help his former mentor track down the Ark of the Covenant. Indy romanced Marion, and the ensuing romance destroyed Indy's relationship with Abner, and the fallout may have contributed to the latter's dismissal from the University of Chicago.