5 Important Avatar Details to Remember Before Fire and Ash (Including a Character You’ve Never Seen)

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James Cameron’s Avatar came out sixteen years ago after a long development process. Cameron, known for films like The Terminator, True Lies, and Titanic, had put the project on hold for years, waiting for visual effects technology to advance enough to realize his vision. His patience paid off: Avatar became the highest-grossing film ever, received nine Academy Award nominations (winning three), and sparked a renewed interest in 3D movies.

It’s ironic that time has actually worked against Avatar. Long delays in making the sequels meant Avatar: The Way of Water didn’t come out until December 2022 – thirteen years after the first film. You might have forgotten some details about the world of Avatar, but with Avatar: Fire and Ash now in theaters, it’s a good time to refresh your memory before seeing the third movie.

5) The Ending of The Way of Water

James Cameron originally planned Avatar: Fire and Ash and Avatar: The Way of Water as a single film, but realized the story was too extensive. Because of this, the two movies are closely connected, particularly in how The Way of Water concludes the overall narrative.

Beyond the tragic death of Jake and Neytiri’s son, Neteyam, at the end of The Way of Water, it’s important to consider the broader story. The Sully family finds safety with the Metkayina, a Na’vi clan who live in the water, and learns about the Tulkun – large, whale-like creatures native to Pandora, including one called Payakan who has been ostracized. However, the humans on Pandora are also very interested in the Tulkun because they’ve discovered a substance called Amrita in the Tulkun’s brains. This substance can reverse the aging process in humans, making it incredibly valuable.

Avatar: The Way of Water concluded with both heartbreaking loss and a climactic battle, the result of a long-awaited showdown between the Sully family and their most formidable foe.

4) Everything About Miles Quaritch

Stephen Lang first played Colonel Miles Quaritch in the 2009 film Avatar. Quaritch is a tough military leader responsible for the safety of humans on the planet Pandora, but he deeply dislikes the Na’vi people. He strongly opposed the avatar program, which involved humans connecting with Na’vi bodies in an attempt to establish peace. Throughout the film, Quaritch clashed with Jake Sully, believing Sully was siding with the Na’vi and betraying humanity. Quaritch is killed during the climactic battle of the first movie.

Despite seemingly being defeated, Colonel Quaritch returns in Avatar: The Way of Water with a new Na’vi body created through a program called Project Phoenix, retaining all of his memories. He continues to hunt Jake Sully, but now faces a complication: his teenage human son, Spider, who was left behind on Pandora and has been raised by the Sully family. This only intensifies Quaritch’s animosity towards Jake and his family.

3) The Na’vi goddess, Eywa

Throughout the Avatar films, a central belief of the Na’vi people revolves around Eywa, known as the Great Mother. They believe Eywa links all Na’vi and every living thing on Pandora. Like many fictional gods, Eywa isn’t physically shown, but her presence is felt throughout the movies – for example, when spirit-like creatures called woodsprites appear around Neytiri before she decides whether to harm Jake Sully. However, the strongest evidence of Eywa’s existence comes with the character Kiri, played by Sigourney Weaver in Avatar: The Way of Water. As fans will remember, Weaver’s previous character, Dr. Grace Augustine, died at the Tree of Souls in the first Avatar film. The Way of Water explores this event further, revealing how it led to Kiri’s birth and her profound connection to Eywa.

2) Jake’s Standing on Pandora

In the film Avatar, Jake Sully is fully accepted by the Omatikaya Clan and eventually becomes a legendary figure throughout Pandora. After connecting with the powerful banshee Toruk, he earned the title Toruk Makto, a distinction very few Na’vi had achieved before his arrival. This status allowed Jake to unite various Na’vi clans to fight against the human invaders. This storyline continues in Avatar: The Way of Water, where Jake’s role as Toruk Makto initially led to his leadership of the Omatikaya Clan, but he later had to relinquish this position to protect his family from the relentless pursuit of Quaritch.

1) The Whole Reason Humans Are on Pandora to Begin With

The movie Avatar shows Earth as a severely polluted and unpleasant place, with powerful corporations extending their influence even into space. In Avatar: The Way of Water, we learn that the Resources Development Administration (RDA) is exploiting Pandora for a valuable mineral called Unobtanium, hoping to fix Earth’s energy problems and make a huge profit. Their ambitions have grown since the first film – now they’re also targeting the Tulkun for a substance called Amrita and planning to reshape Pandora entirely so humans can live there permanently. This means the situation is incredibly dangerous for everyone involved.

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2025-12-17 18:43