The new footage of Avatar: Fire and Ash, which premiered at CinemaCon 2025, reveals just how involved Colonel Quaritch is with the villainous Fire Na’vi. Avatar: Fire and Ash, also referred to as Avatar 3, will see the return of most of its main cast, led by Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, and recent Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña. Written and directed by James Cameron, Avatar: Fire and Ash will pick up after the end of Avatar: The Way of Water as Jake and Neytiri’s family grapple with the death of their son, Neteyam.
Colonel Miles Quaritch, who took the form of a Na’vi in 2022’s $2.3 billion megahit Avatar 2, will return with a vengeance in the upcoming Avatar sequel, even after being saved by his son, Spider. Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, has been the fiercest antagonist throughout the first two Avatar installments and should look to reign fury on the Na’vi people in the upcoming sequel based on the first trailer of Avatar: Fire and Ash at CinemaCon 2025. Avatar 3 will hit theaters on December 19, 2025.
Quaritch Working With The Fire Na’vi Makes Sense After Avatar: The Way Of Water
He May Not Like The Na’vi But He Hates Jake & His Family
Quairtch working with the villainous fire Na’vi in Avatar: Fire and Ash makes perfect sense. While he might not fully like the Na’vi, he absolutely hates the Sully’s, creating an “enemy of my enemy” situation. By supporting the Fire Na’vi, Quaritch will be siding against the Sully family, which is likely a key – if not the only – reason why he’s working with the Fire Na’vi at all. The CinemaCon 2025 Avatar 3 trailer shows Quaritch wearing red face paint, which is why he is expected to be joining the antagonistic Fire tribe.
Quaritch joining the Fire Na’vi means that he will have a fierce army behind him and the best chance at finally killing Jake and his family. It will be interesting to see how the Fire Na’vi and Quaritch come to terms and team up against Jake and whether it will make any difference. With speculation circling that Avatar 3 will be the last installment featuring Jake Sully, his character could finally be killed off by Quaritch with the help of the Fire Na’vi.
What Quaritch’s Alliance With The Fire Na’vi Means For Avatar 3’s Story
Avatar 3 Could Be The Most Emotionally Devastating Installment Yet
Early reactions to Cameron’s Avatar: Ash and Fire screenplay regarded the story as shocking and a dramatic turn of events. This could very well mean that Avatar 3 could be the darkest and most emotionally complex movie in the franchise yet. The fact that Spider rescuing his father didn’t force a change of heart within Quaritch is quite telling. His character should be going all out to finally take out Jake and as much as his family as possible. Hopefully, the Fire Na’vi will see the true evil within Quaritch and end their agreement in Avatar: Ash and Fire.
