Lara Croft debuted in the 1996 video game Tomb Raider, developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. Starting on the Sega Saturn, this action-adventure title rapidly expanded to various platforms due to its captivating freedom of movement, striking graphics, and unforgettable lead character. The game soared to the top of the charts, spawning a vast franchise for Eidos. Since then, Lara Croft has graced numerous sequel games, been portrayed in multiple film adaptations, and even secured some Guinness World Records. Despite her widespread fame, there are still some intriguing details about Lara Croft that many players may not be aware of. Considering she’s been in existence for over three decades, it’s no surprise a few fascinating facts have slipped under the radar of her fanbase.
To start off, let’s clear up a misunderstanding you may have heard regarding Lara. Contrary to a common myth, her physical appearance was not an accident as suggested by some. The original creators clarified that this statement was made during an interview in jest and is not accurate. With this misconception put aside, here are three fascinating facts about Lara Croft that many Tomb Raider enthusiasts might not be aware of.
1) Lara Croft’s Surprising Origins
The main character of Tomb Raider underwent various changes before the team at Core Design decided on her ultimate appearance. According to the lead graphic artist Toby Gard, he designed five different looks during development. Initially, the character was conceived as a male archaeologist who used a whip and wore a distinctive hat.
The team noticed a resemblance to Indiana Jones in the initial design that was presented, so they requested a more unique concept. Part of their concern involved possible lawsuits, but the primary motivation was establishing a separate identity for the new series. After observing players’ preferences toward female characters in Virtua Fighter, Gard decided to explore a female lead character. He drew inspiration from Swedish pop artist Neneh Cherry and comic book character Tank Girl, eventually conceptualizing “Laura Cruz,” a tough South American woman with a braid as the new character.
Later on, Paul Douglas, one of the co-creators, opted to change her first name from its original to Lara, a shortened form of Larissa. Douglas explained that after looking through a book of baby names, he found out that Larissa means “citadel” in Greek, which seemed fitting for her personality. Additionally, scriptwriter Vicky Arnold decided to adopt the surname Croft during production, as a way to reflect her British heritage.
It’s interesting to note that the team adopted the Croft surname from a local phonebook in Derby. Later on, in a twist of fate, Derby chose to rename one of its streets as Lara Croft Way in 2010, following a public vote where an impressive 89% of residents supported the decision to name the street after the character, who was originally created in Derby itself.
2) Tomb Raider’s Combat is Based on a John Woo Classic
One distinctive feature of Lara Croft is that she often carries two pistols in her games, a trait influenced by John Woo’s renowned Hong Kong action movie, “Hard Boiled.” The movie’s unique blend of martial arts and firearms combat is the foundation for the “gun-fu” style that inspired Lara’s design.
In simpler terms, Croft’s combat in the early Tomb Raider games was quite agile and dynamic compared to many other games during the same period. There’s a clear influence of the film “Hard Boiled” in her gameplay style right from the start.
It’s worth noting that Woo’s classic wasn’t the sole influence for Croft’s fighting style, as Gard and his team also drew inspiration from parts of the original Aeon Flux shorts. This mix helped create a unique style for Lara that stood out on its own.
3) Lara Croft’s Short-Lived Animated Series Featured Several Big Names
Many viewers are familiar with the multiple film versions of Lara Croft, played by Angelina Jolie in two movies during the first decade of the 21st century and Alicia Vikander in the 2018 remake. However, unfortunately, a planned second movie for Vikander was scrapped.
Additionally, there’s the Netflix animated series titled “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft” and an upcoming project by Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Amazon stars Sophie Turner. Interestingly, she also released two music albums in France, though they didn’t do well commercially, yet it showcases the widespread popularity of Tomb Raider as a brand.
An animated series titled “Revisioned: Tomb Raider” debuted on GameTap in 2007, boasting contributions from some notable figures in the comic book and animation industries. Notably, Peter Chung, best known for creating and directing Aeon Flux, penned and designed three of its episodes. On the other hand, Cully Hammer, who has a history working on series like Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, and Detective Comics, designed two episodes that were scripted by veteran comic book writer Warren Ellis.
In addition to Ivan Reis, Jim Lee, and Christos N. Gage, other seasoned comic book creators lent their talents to the project. To sweeten the deal, Minnie Drive provided the voice for Lara Croft throughout all ten episodes. What makes it even better is that you can watch the entire series on YouTube.
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2025-08-31 00:16