Indy didn't do anything to change the Nazis' plot to open the Ark, other than temporarily stall them, but he did probably save Marion's life. Had he not been present when the Nazis attacked her bar, she would probably have died a horrible death, though her incredible ability to consume alcohol without getting drunk might have dulled the pain somewhat. Is that a good or a bad thing? For Marion, possibly bad: she is a wreck, on the edge of ending her own life through massive liver trauma probably, haunted by a past possibly involving sexual abuse (or at best statutory rape at the hands of an older, unrepentant man) and robbed of her father, who was the anchor stopping her life from unravelling badly. She might not actively seek to die, but the return of Indy re-opens some serious wounds, as well as leaving her standing at the altar pregnant without any explanation for his abandonment. So, basically, saves Marion's life, but in doing so, ruins it for the second time. Indy's presence at the opening of the Ark does mean that the US get their hands on another major historical find that they get to store in their giant room full of secrets that are too dangerous, important and special for the world to have like the awful big boys who confiscate your ball because it's too good for you. So presumably, any terrorist looking to steal all of the world's artifacts need only discover the whereabouts of the giant, over-stuffed warehouse full of priceless historical goodies. Did The Big Bang Theory really ruin Raiders forever, as some have suggested, including the title of this very article? Were we under the impression that Indiana Jones was an infallible hero? Well, yes, frankly. Indy is flawed - he's a bad boyfriend, a bad human, a bad archeologist, and a bad father - but we love him because of Harrison Ford's rugged but accessible masculinity, and the fact that he has a neat hat and a bull-whip. We don't want our heroes destroyed anymore than we want our iconic villains undermines, and The Big bang Theory's revelation of this fact hidden in plain sight is pretty destructive for those who live on the mythology of their favourite characters. It's fine though, Chuck Lorre and Co clearly recognised that the Indy-bashing was going to create some waves in the fandom world, so they stuck Penny in some lingerie in order to balance out the nastiness.
Do you think Amy was right? Did Indiana Jones actually make any kind of impact on the events of Raiders? Are there other movie heroes who have little to no impact on the outcomes of their movie?