6. The Indiana Jones Franchise
The Indiana Jones franchise is, of course, extremely popular, and famous for some pretty outlandish moments along the way; who can forget the melting faces, the ripped out hearts, and the...nuked fridges? Nobody ever assumes that Indy is rooted in anything except absurd movie magic, except for the fact that, on a base level, Indiana Jones
is based on a man. That man's name is Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews was an archaeologist who became celebrated as a hunter of dinosaur fossils, such that, while he didn't end up face to face with the Ark of the Covenant, he did balance his bone dusting skills with some gunplay against armed rivals. Also, much like Indy, he doesn't seem to be too fond of snakes, as one colleague noted that, when once faced with a 20-foot python, he simply shot it in the head and continued about his day. It's Indy if he ever was. Indy being based on a true story proves one thing; scientists really can be badass.