The first two Avatar films left audiences with some very, very big questions about what was next. After the first film, it was how would a human being, Jack Sully, fit in, having been turned into a full-fledged Na’vi? After The Way of Water, we wondered if the Na’vi had finally defeated the humans for good. Now, with Avatar: Fire and Ash, writer-director James Cameron promises that one complete Avatar saga has come to a close, answering those questions and more. But, having seen it, we aren’t so sure that’s true.
Below, we’re going to hop on our banshees and dive deep into some lingering questions we have after Avatar: Fire and Ash. Some are pretty easily written off. Others, not so much. But all of them will deal with spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the film yet, come back when you do.
Is it possible to reverse engineer what happened to Spider?
The most significant event in Avatar: Fire and Ash is that Spider, the human child played by Jack Champion, becomes an “air breather.” He’s the first human to adapt to the otherwise toxic-to-humans air on Pandora, meaning he doesn’t need to wear a mask. It happens miraculously through the actions of Kiri, who has a unique connection to Pandora’s deity, Eywa, and instantly, the other humans see an opportunity. If they could figure out a way to reverse engineer the process, and humans didn’t have any physical restrictions on Pandora, they’d be unstoppable.
The film then makes it seem that whatever happened to Spider is too complex to figure out. Too much of a miracle to apply to others. And yet, we can safely assume the humans aren’t going to give up. It would be weird for Spider’s abilities to just end in this movie and not have a lasting impact, so we’d imagine he won’t be the last air breather. And, if he’s not, that could change everything.
Will we learn more about the ability to visit ancestors in Eywa?
Avatar: Fire and Ash starts and ends with characters tapping into Eywa to visit their dead friends and family. It’s the first time we very explicitly see that this is something you can do, and we have so many questions about it. Is there a limit to these eternal beings? Do they see everything? Do they remember things you tell them? Basically, the Na’vi have a sort of heaven-on-Earth situation here, and while we don’t think it needs to be explained or defined further, it is wildly fascinating.
Has humanity actually been defeated this time?
For the third straight movie, the Na’vi triumph over the Earthlings who are trying to take over Pandora. After the first movie, they left for about a decade. This movie picks up right after the last one, so this is all part of the same war. It seems as if the Na’vi’s victory this time is a bit more decisive than the last, thanks to characters such as Edie Falco’s general dying in this battle, but it’s not at all clear if humans are done with Pandora or not. In fact, we’d bet anything they aren’t.
Can we get some relationship updates?
After giving us a few seeds of romance in The Way of Water, Fire and Ash continues to evolve the relationships between a few key characters. First, there’s Loak and Tsireya, who seem destined to marry and start a family after their adventures, but it hasn’t yet happened. Then there’s Spider and Kiri, which seems to pose some other problems since Spider is still mostly human and Kiri is kind of a god. We see this pair kiss in this film, but by the end, we don’t know if either couple will live happily ever after.
What is Kiri’s ultimate purpose?
We knew Kiri was special and powerful after The Way of Water, but Fire and Ash takes that to the next level. We learn that she is literally the child of Eywa, making her part God, and the way she talks to Eywa and uses her to heal Spider shows great, great power. But why did Eywa do all this? What is she trying to instill in Kiri, and to what end? In religion, the gods don’t just have kids to have kids. Those kids have a purpose, and we still don’t know any of what Kiri’s purpose is.
Is Quaritch really dead?
He died in the first film. He almost died in the second film. And in this third film, we watch the Na’vi version of Miles Quaritch gracefully leap off a cliff, presumably to his death. But we don’t see him die. And the film makes a point to remind us how hard it is to kill him. We think Quaritch is still alive and just needs to figure out his next play.
What’s next for Varang?
The other villainous character in Fire and Ash, Varang, definitely doesn’t die in the film. She admits defeat and flies away, having lost many members of her clan along the way. So what’s next? The character is so awesome that we really hope we get to see more of her. And, if we do, will she be seeking revenge on the Sullys? Will she seek out Quaritch? Fingers crossed we eventually find out.
What, exactly, are Varang’s powers?
In the film, Varang explains how she was able to harness and control the power of fire. She also talks about her rejection of Eywa because of what happened to her family. Most of the miracles of nature on Pandora can be traced back to Eywa so, if Varang is anti-Eywa but still has this almost supernatural power, how is that possible? Do the Na’vi have some latent ability to control fire? Is there some other higher power at play? Does it even matter? We aren’t sure, but there’s definitely something there.
Who is the chairman?
It happens very quickly, but we learn that Giovanni Ribisi’s character, who has been heading up the human activities on Pandora, answers to someone else. His father. The chairman of the company. This person isn’t named, and we don’t see them, but the film makes such a point to mention this mysterious character we have to assume, if the story continues, they will play a larger role.
What’s in store for Pril?
Before Kate Winslet’s character, Ronal, dies, Neytiri helps her give birth to her child, who she names Pril. Later, we see Pril with her father and siblings, ready to grow up as happy, healthy Na’vi. And yet, you just get the sense that, unlike her brothers and sisters, there’s something grander in store for this character. Her birth in the middle of this battle, as her mother’s dying act, is just too rich to ignore.
Will Pandora at large embrace Spider?
Now that Spider can breathe the air, has his own kuru, and has been accepted by Eywa, it seems like he’s fully on board as a Na’vi. And yet, do we really think, in a franchise that has been built around themes of prejudice, that everyone will be okay with this? Most will be accepting, sure, but it took a long time for Neytiri to come around on him. Others will surely see him as the threat he could very well be.
Will we ever learn more about Amrita?
In Avatar: The Way of Water, a huge deal is made of Amrita, the substance found only in Tulkun, which is why the large creatures are hunted. Those hunts continue in Fire and Ash for the exact same reason, but Cameron largely forgets two things. One, that there is a substance that basically makes humans immortal, and he hasn’t explored it, and also that now, that substance is going to be much harder to acquire, thanks to the Tulkun changing their thoughts on aggression. If you combine those two things, we feel like the potential for ripe story and drama is endless.
How does the Tulkun change impact everything else?
Jumping off that previous question, if the Tulkun are now allowed to fight back and defend themselves, what happens next? Won’t that, in some way, change the dynamics and ecosystems of Pandora? Then, of course, there is the human angle, where Amrita will be harder to get. That epically important decision is one that not only helps the Na’vi triumph in this film but could have major ramifications later.
Will Avatar 4 and 5 happen?
Disney has both the 4th and 5th Avatar movies on its release schedule for December 2029 and 2031, respectively. Usually, that’s a guarantee these things will happen. Plus, both are written, and some scenes from four have even been shot. In recent weeks, though, James Cameron has been a little iffy on the subject of the final two films. We think they’ll happen, especially since Fire and Ash was another hit, but there isn’t a guarantee.
What are Avatar 4 and 5 going to be about?
Obviously, we don’t know, but we think the focus will shift more to the kids. For years, Cameron and his team have described the Avatar films as almost a Godfather-level family saga. There has certainly been some of that in the first three films, but the kids haven’t fully grown up or taken major responsibilities yet. Jake and Neytiri are getting older. Eventually, it’ll be time to pass everything on to the next generation.
Plus, the final film reportedly brings the story back to Earth, and we know from Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL, humans are no longer on Pandora centuries into the future. So, ultimately, the Sully kids are probably going to be responsible for liberating Pandora from its Earthly invaders.
What did we miss? What are you still thinking about after Avatar: Fire and Ash? Let us know below.
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