I Have an Avater 4 Theory That Makes Perfect Sense (And I’m Worried We’ll Never See It)

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When James Cameron’s Avatar became the highest-grossing movie ever in 2009, it paved the way for a major science fiction series. It took many years for Cameron to create a sequel, and the release dates for Avatar 2 and 3 were repeatedly delayed by 20th Century Fox, and later Disney after the companies merged. Despite these setbacks, plans were already in place for Avatars 4 and 5 as early as 2016. Now, in 2025, the third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has finally arrived.

For a while, it seemed certain we’d see more stories about the Sully family and the world of Pandora. However, director James Cameron started hinting at uncertainty before the release of Fire and Ash. He suggested he might write a book to conclude the series if the third film wasn’t successful or didn’t attract enough viewers, and even mentioned having other projects he’d like to pursue after Avatar. This is disappointing, as Avatar 4 clearly has a significant story to tell, and we might never get to see it. Be warned: the following contains spoilers for Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Avatar 4 Could Deal With Earth Responding to Fire and Ash

The conclusion of Avatar: Fire and Ash doesn’t leave many loose ends, but it does hint at future storylines. Although Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) appears to die, he suggests he’s difficult to kill, which opens the door for his return in future films. Similarly, Varang (Oona Chaplin) disappears quietly, leaving her as another potential threat for a fourth movie on Pandora. However, the most compelling conflict for the next film likely lies back on Earth.

A central element of Avatar: Fire and Ash is a significant change to Spider’s body, enabling him to breathe Pandora’s poisonous air and develop a neural connection that allows him to bond with the planet’s creatures and plants – even communicate with the ancestors, just like the Na’vi. The one major plot point from Avatar: The Way of Water that Fire and Ash doesn’t fully explore is the revelation that Earth is facing a crisis and the RDA is planning to completely reshape Pandora. The book does highlight that if humans discover Spider’s transformation, it will drastically alter their plans, and this happens after he is captured and the truth is revealed.

Spider manages to escape before anyone can discover how he transformed or copy his abilities. Considering the RDA continues to receive people from Earth – evidenced by the growth of their base from the first movie to the events in Fire and Ash – it’s likely they’ve already reported Spider’s existence to their superiors. Since Fire and Ash doesn’t show what happens next, I believe the story of Avatar 4 will focus on the RDA’s reaction to Spider and their attempts to understand or replicate his transformation.

James Cameron has confirmed that Avatar 4 will jump forward in time, but not before revisiting the younger Sully family. He previously stated the movie will skip ahead eight years, though the specific storyline remains a secret. Considering Jack Sully spent over five years in cryosleep traveling to Pandora in the first Avatar film, this eight-year gap between The Way of Water/Fire and Ash and Avatar 4 provides ample time for Earth to send more forces and resources to Pandora.

The producer of the Avatar films, Jon Landau, revealed before his passing that Avatar 4 and 5 will feature scenes set on Earth – a location never before shown in the movies. While the idea of more humans traveling to Pandora isn’t quite enough for a full story, James Cameron’s plans for the sequels have consistently been grand and imaginative. Hopefully, these ambitious ideas will come to fruition when Avatar is released in 2029.

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2025-12-23 18:14