We're only two films into the multi-film franchise that "Avatar" is becoming, but some characters are
almost certainly destined for greater things on the world of Pandora. Spoilers ahead.
One of the brightest highlights of the original "Avatar" was getting to know the Na'vi. The
greatest promise of the franchise's premise lay in the feline species and their charming
emotionality. That is one of several reasons why the introduction of the Metkayina Clan of
Na'vi means so much to both "Avatar: The Way of Water" and the franchise moving forward.
We knew from the existence and lore of the Toruk Makto in the first movie that there were other
Na'vi clans, but we never got to see them in detail. Being set almost entirely in Metkayina
territory, the second film finally allows us to see how other Na'vi live, and it is pretty
wildly different. In addition to their many differences in lifestyle, the Metkayina are
anatomically different from the forest-dwelling Na'vi. They are differently colored, possess more
efficient lungs, thicker, fin-like arms and legs, and even stronger, fin-like tails. It's
probable that the Na'vi clans likely split apart millions of years ago. Impressively,
even after all that time and evolution, the many Na'vi clans still live in relative peace.
If the insider look at the lives of the Metkayina Na'vi in "Avatar:
The Way of Water" opened the doors to a larger Pandora, then the introduction of the tulkuns
blew that door clean off. Pandora was special enough when it seemed to be simply an Earth-like
exomoon with its own sentient species, but now that another, entirely unrelated sentient
species exists in the form of the whale-like tulkuns, the world of Pandora means so much more.
For one thing, the tulkuns force a major change to modern hypotheses of
astrobiology — sentience is evidently more common than we ever imagined,
and clearly comes in many shapes and sizes. But for another, more narrative-related point,
the tulkuns are almost certainly going to play a huge role in future "Avatar" movies. Perhaps the
most central theme in "Avatar: The Way of Water" is the relationship between pacifism and morality.
Jake chooses to give up his fight and flee the RDA, and although that sounds noble in a sense,
it simply ends up bringing his war to a new clan. The tulkuns are symbolic stand-ins for Jake,
choosing to forgo all violence in their culture regardless of motivation, which ultimately results
in many of their deaths. As the rebellious, aggressive acts of Lo'ak and Payakan reveal,
sometimes violence — in the right context and for the right reasons — is actually the answer.
Among the four Sully children, "Avatar: The Way of Water" makes it clear that some are
destined for more than others. Aside from the obvious point to make, which is that
Neteyam's death most likely rules him out of any major roles in the franchise's future,
Kiri and Lo'ak are shown to possess unique gifts that make them important figures in
the coming conflicts. For Lo'ak that gift comes in the form of the spirit-bond he is
able to form with Payakan, the lone tulkun who was outcast for fighting back against the RDA.
Lo'ak was raised as an underdog, the second son who was always in the shadow of Neteyam,
making him more flawed, tragic, and sympathetic than his brother. Partially
because of that misfit childhood, Lo'ak is well-suited to understanding and bonding
with Payakan. The two meet as mutual misfits, and both are more prepared
than their collectively-minded peers to combat the RDA's increasing threat.
"And we will show the sky people that they cannot
take whatever they want. And that this is our land!"
Despite the Sully family's central place in the overall story of the "Avatar" movies,
much of what makes them so special is the partnerships and bonds they form with
others. That makes a figure like Lo'ak, who is likely to become one of the next great heroes,
almost impossible to mention without also recognizing his pal, Payakan.
Between Lo'ak and Payakan, it is the massive tulkun who has more to lose, more to gain,
and more RDA equipment to smash than Lo'ak, and his contribution to the war cannot be
overlooked. Payakan's story is tragic, one of an individualist who acted against his
society's laws only to save his friends and family. By bonding with Lo'ak and
helping the Sully family repel the RDA from the Metkayina's waters, Payakan proves himself a more
valuable asset than all of his fellow tulkuns combined, as well as a much more apparent hero.
In addition to their four children, Jake and Neytiri also care for the human child named
Spider. More than any other character in "Avatar: The Way of Water," Spider's
very existence is packed with meaning. In a way, he fits the trope of a child
of two worlds — a human raised on Pandora by the Na'vi, fluent in their language and
immersed in their culture — and is therefore virtually guaranteed to help bring about a
much-needed peace in the franchise's future. But Spider is also Colonel Quaritch's son.
Franchise architect James Cameron is a well-known environmentalist,
and that personal philosophy shines through in the "Avatar" films. That makes the most
likely and logical conclusion to the films a peace between humanity
and every living thing on Pandora and elsewhere. Assuming that to be true,
then no other character is as well-positioned to bring about that peace than Spider.
The Metkayina are ruled by a royal family, led by their patriarch, Tonowari. Of course,
as Jake and Neytiri make clear, Tonowari himself has a leader: his wife, Ronal. Not only is she the
power behind the throne, but she is also the clan's official tsahìk, or spiritual leader.
It's immediately apparent from the way that the Metkayina treat
Tonowari and Ronal that the pair are respected in their community,
and that their word is law. With Ronal as the head of such a formidable force, that makes her
potentially the greatest threat to the RDA and to humanity's presence on Pandora in general.
On the real-world side of things, Ronal's appearance in at least one
more "Avatar" is confirmed, and hinted at beyond that.
Believe it or not, death was not the end for Colonel Quaritch. Even though
the Marine died at the end of "Avatar," shot through the chest by two of Neytiri's arrows,
he lived on via a recombinant — his own Na'vi avatar. The irony in his new life as a Na'vi
is obvious, and becomes even more so when he bonds with his own banshee, a major rite of
passage for native Na'vi. Even reborn as a Na'vi, he spends "Avatar: The Way of Water"
seeking the same vengeance against Jake Sully he sought for most of the first movie. Even so,
his tough outer shell may end up a bit softened by the film's end, thanks mainly to the compassion of
Spider, as well as, possibly, his newfound connection with the Pandoran biosphere.
Quaritch was a meaningful character when he was a relatively simple human villain. If he ends
up a recombinant Na'vi who helps bring down the RDA from the inside, or fostering peace between
the RDA and Na'vi, he'll go down as one of the franchise's most meaningful characters ever.
"A recon GIrene in an Avatar body. That's a potent mix. Give me the goosebumps."
With Colonel Quaritch in the nascent stages of a potential character arc that may just end with
him siding with the Na'vi, a new top villain needs to arise to take his place. And even
if Quaritch remains arc-less and every bit the two-dimensional villain he first appeared to be,
a five-movie series will need more to sustain its conflict. That's where General Ardmore comes in,
the new big bad introduced in "Avatar: The Way of Water," and based on rank alone,
she has more to throw at the Na'vi and their allies than Quaritch ever could.
In terms of the Marine Corps hierarchy, Ardmore outranks Quaritch by a long shot. In other words,
if you thought Colonel Quaritch was bad in the first movie, you haven't seen anything yet.
There is something special about Jake and Neytiri's eldest daughter,
Kiri — starting with the fact that she's not their biological daughter. Kiri's biological
mother is the Na'vi avatar of Grace Augustine, and Kiri's father remains unknown. On top of her
unusual origins, she also possesses uniquely powerful empathic powers,
and they undoubtedly mean a lot to the next few Avatar films.
At one point, Kiri even reveals to her father that she can hear and feel Eywa herself,
and it seems more likely than not that she isn't just hallucinating. We've seen
her ability to speak with and control the life around her,
and we've seen the all-encompassing neural network shared by the Pandoran biosphere,
so the idea that she can speak with the planet itself, or even its deity, is not so far-fetched.
As surprising as it may be, "Avatar: The Way of Water" may have actually confirmed the existence
of the Na'vi chief deity, Eywa. The first movie explained the vast network of electro-chemical
connections shared by all living things on Pandora, which the Na'vi refer to as Eywa.
"I hear her heartbeat. She's so close."
With young Kiri able to hear and feel, and even control the living things around her,
she essentially proves that Eywa is real, and Eywa has at least a rudimentary mind of her own. While
we've seen alleged evidence of Eywa's personality before, most notably when she seemingly spurred
the forest creatures to aid the Na'vi in their battle at the end of the first movie,
we can now more or less confirm that Eywa is not just a name to be applied to unlikely acts of
fate. She's a real being with real feelings, and through Kiri, we may yet hear her speak.