The Subtle Ways Avatar 2 Set Up For A Third Movie

It’s taken years for the sequel to the epic sci-fi movie ‘Avatar’ to arrive, and thankfully, it doesn’t seem to disappoint. Already one of the most successful movies in cinematic history, it’s received a pretty warm response from audiences and critics alike. That’s good, given that James Cameron plans to release quite a few more sequels in the future.

What can we expect from the next films moving forward? Well, it seems that we might need to look to ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ for some answers. The events of this movie and its conclusion may well offer up some hints about what’s to come next for Jake Sully and the rest of the Na’vi.

The sequel hints at an all-out war to come in a future film

Plenty of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is about Miles Quaritch’s search for Jake Sully and the battle between them at the culmination of the movie. The conflict between them has developed throughout the first two movies, and an initial watch of the sequel suggests that an all-out war is coming. After all, isn’t that normally how such a clash is resolved in these big blockbusters movies? It’s certainly possible that the third movie or others in the future could see the ultimate battle between both sides. However, it’s possible that this is all a misdirection. There are subtle hints throughout the sequel that things may actually go in a completely different direction.

It’s possible that future films may see Quaritch get a redemption

While war might be possible, there’s also a chance that Quaritch may actually get a redemption arc instead. Although he’s been a primary antagonist in the first two movies, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ did show another side to the man. The development between him and his son, as well as the way that Spider helps him adjust to Na’vi life, seem to show that Quaritch has the potential to change. Just as Jake Sully learned to embrace the way of the Na’vi in the first film, Quaritch seems to be doing the same in the sequel. The only difference is that the antagonist appears to be blinded by his hatred for Sully, resulting in destruction wherever he goes. Could that stop him from ever getting redemption, or will he finally learn to ditch his vendetta?

Eywa might be responsible for a lasting change in Quaritch

The answer to everything could be in Eywa, the network that connects the Na’vi to their ancestors and makes them the way they are. It’s speculated that Quaritch may have connected with Eywa several times throughout the sequel, namely whenever he bonded with his Ikran. It’s possible that the more he does this, the more Eywa opens his eyes to Pandora and how incredible it truly is. This may be what leads him to ditch his humanity and the grudges that stem from that past and fully embrace life as a Na’vi. Given that we know Stephen Lang is apparently set to appear in future sequels, we know there’s so much more to explore with his character. It’s just a question of whether that’s as an antagonist or not.

Kiri may prove to be a messiah figure after Avatar: The Way of Water

There’s something else about the Eywa in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ that caught our attention, and that’s Kiri’s connection to it. Throughout the film, it was clear that the way Kiri connected with it was much stronger than anyone else. Although characters within the movie dismissed the strength of her link to Eywa, it’s clear from watching the film that there’s something special going on here. This may well be James Cameron’s way of building Kiri up to be a messiah figure in future films. The powers she showed in the final act of the sequel certainly suggest that this is possible. Perhaps she is the seed bearer indicated by the rumored title for the third movie.

The future films will likely see more focus on the children

Whatever happens with Kiri in the third movie and beyond, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ certainly suggests that the kids will play a pivotal role moving forward. The sequel introduced five notable children - Sully and Neytiri’s three kids, Kiri, and Spider. The latter two seemed to have the biggest impact, given what we’ve mentioned above. However, the emphasis on the next generation of Na’vi throughout the film suggests we could see them all have an effect on future stories. Although Neteyam - Sully and Neytiri’s eldest son - passed away in the sequel, his loss could be particularly influential on the next film, especially as his passing was at the hands of Quaritch. What might that push Sully, or even Neytiri, to do now?

There are several ways that the next ‘Avatar’ movie and its sequels could go. James Cameron has proven that we should sometimes expect the unexpected with him, so we won’t put our money on anything just yet. However, there’s no denying that the second film definitely gives some indications of where the series is heading in the future.