Avatar: The Way of Water is James Cameron’s latest cinematic masterpiece, following on from his 2009 epic Avatar. The sequel expands on the world of Pandora, offering not only new characters but also stunning landscapes such as coral reefs, oceans, exotic wildlife, and sea creatures. After defeating RDA forces in the first film, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) fully integrates with his Na’avi avatar and becomes the new leader of the Omatikaya people. Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), on the other hand, returns to seek vengeance by implanting his memories into a Na’vi’s avatar before dying.
While it wasn’t quite what fans had hoped for, the film did introduce a compelling character, Spider (Jack Champion), also known as Miles Socorro, who is Quaritch’s child and is too young to return home during Avatar’s conclusion. Soon after, he was taken in by Jake Sully’s family along with Grace’s daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and decided to live in Pandora as a human.
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Unbeknownst to the audience, Spider has dramatically improved their interest in Avatar: The Way of Water. As a result, he could play the role of a compassionate and suffering human who can’t face Pandora’s destruction or the one who will bring it in Avatar 3, startling spectators once more.
Spider Saving Quaritch Could Set a Tone For Avatar 3
20th Century Fox
Spider rescuing Colonel Quaritch, his biological father, at the end of Avatar: The Way of Water is one of the most controversial events in the film. Since then, viewers have despised the character for intervening, whether out of kindness or unexpected fatherly affection. This is, however, where Cameron and his team’s brilliance shines through. While it may appear to viewers that this was a dumb decision, screenwriters had everything planned out with several improvisations.
Killing a character is simple, but saving one places him indebted to Spider, and given Quaritch’s pride, this may feel like a humiliation for him. While bringing father and son closer together, it would push Quaritch to question why a human would ally with Na’vi in order to fight against his own species. This emotional connection with his original human self’s offspring may force Quaritch to reconsider his viewpoint, making him a fascinating character in future films.
During an interview with Variety, screenwriter Rick Jaffa explained the reasoning behind the film’s shocking conclusion.
Spider Could Play a Villain in Avatar 3
Avatar: The Way of Water
Spider had an essential role in Avatar: The Way of Water, representing a character who is similar to the audience, watching things from the sidelines. Despite being accepted into Jake Sully’s family, he is not one of the Omatikaya people. While some Na’vi recognize him as part of their own, others believe he is a remnant of an alien race who destroyed their homeland. Even though he grew up as one of them, a few of them, particularly the one he considers a family — Neytiri — will never accept him.
“The movie allows Spider to explore these ambivalent feelings he’s having, and, I mean, I think it’s fine that the audience is like, ‘Don’t rescue him! But the idea that Spider is compelled to rescue Quaritch is interesting from a character point of view. It’s this father-son theme that we dive so deeply into — no pun intended.”
When he first encounters his father, his loneliness surfaces, and he ultimately enjoys spending time with him. However, when Neytiri threatens to kill Spider in retaliation for the son she lost at the hands of Quaritch, he wonders if she will actually do it. He still returns to the Sullys at the end of the film because he believes in their code, but everything could change in the next chapter. In addition to saving Colone Quaritch’s life, he doesn’t alert Jake’s family about it, perhaps because he fears Neytiri will kill him if she finds out he rescued her son’s killer.
It has been speculated that, similar to the time skip between Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, a substantial time gap will exist between Avatar 3 and the previous film, demonstrating how Spider may become villainous through experiences. Although it appears to be wild speculation on our part, Champion teased that Avatar 3 will have a major plot twist and may take a drastic left turn from the current flow of the story to The Hollywood Reporter.
Given that the actor himself teased about it, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what he’s referring to, and Avatar 3 may replace him as an antagonist with Quaritch. Spider will likely continue to play a crucial role in the upcoming movie, which is set to be released on December 18, 2024, but to what extent is unknown, as Cameron has prepared a genuinely remarkable yet mysterious role for him.
I was very shocked by [Avatar 3]. It just takes a hard left turn, and that’s not a bad thing. You think you know where it’s going, but then a wrecking ball comes. So you’re completely like, ‘Oh wow, I never thought that would’ve happened.’ You also see more regions of Pandora, and you get introduced to more cultures. So I think it’s even better than Avatar 2. Collectively, they’ll each get better.
