Avatar: Fire & Ash will introduce an exciting new creature in the upcoming installment, and it has already outdone the Tulkuns from Avatar: The Way of Water. Released in 2022, Avatar’s sequel primarily focused on the water-based adventure of Jake Sully and his family, introducing a whole new area of Pandora full of interesting creatures like the Tulkun as they integrate themselves into the Metkayina clan. Following the astonishing $2.3 billion box office success of the long-awaited Avatar sequel, James Cameron’s Avatar franchise has many upcoming movies, including Avatar: Fire & Ash, which will be arriving on December 19, 2025.

Reportedly, the third Avatar movie will move away from the Metkayina people to focus on new Na’vi clans on Pandora, as the Sully family navigates the resurgence of the RDA and the loss of their son in Avatar: The Way of Water. A recent issue of Empire has teased fans with first-look images of the next instalment, revealing the first image of Avatar: Fire & Ash’s new clan leader and new flying creatures. The newly revealed wind creatures look to be even better than the Tulkuns introduced in Avatar’s sequel, demonstrating how much of Pandora is yet to be explored.

Avatar: Fire & Ash’s Wind Creatures Look Even More Epic Than The Tulkuns From The Way Of Water

The Tulkuns Had Very Earthly Designs In Comparison

Ranking among one the biggest Pandora creatures in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, the Tulkun are powerful whale-like creatures that form a bond with the Metkayina clan, and they can understand the Na’vi’s sign language. In Avatar: The Way Of Water, the Tulkun proved an important factor in the story, as Lo’ak’s bond with the outcast Payakan helped the clan defeat the RDA’s ships. However, while Tulkuns were an exciting addition to the sci-fi franchise’s lore, Avatar: Fire & Ash’s new wind creatures are much more impressive because they look distinctly unique, unlike Avatar: The Way of Water’s whale-inspired design.

Previously, Ikrans were important in Avatar, as the flying creatures enabled the Omaticaya to take the battle to the skies, yet the new wind creatures don’t look as ᴅᴇᴀᴅly. Their primary purpose seems to be prolonged air travel, meaning they may feature more heavily on-screen. In a recent interview with Empire, James Cameron explained that Avatar: Fire & Ash’s new Na’vi wind tribe are “Wind Traders” who fly giant Pandoran creatures. Therefore, it makes sense for the Na’vi tribe to have corralled such huge creatures to transport their wares, and it’s exciting to see what features they have in comparison.

Avatar: Fire & Ash’s Wind Creatures Continue The Franchise’s Elemental Theme

A New Element May Mean More Adapted Na’vi Traits

So far, Avatar’s movies seem to have an elemental theme; the first movie focused on a deforestation theme and Avatar 2 moved onto the ocean, highlighting James Cameron’s environmentalist messages. With both a fire and wind clan being introduced in Avatar: Fire & Ash, the franchise looks to be continuing this pattern, showcasing that the Na’vi are individuals who each have specific traits and features they have adapted, which tie them to their respective domains. Therefore, if the Wind Traders often ride these mystery wind creatures, it does call into question what features this new clan may have evolved.

Furthermore, with the third Avatar movie strengthening the elemental trend, it looks more likely that future Avatar sequels could confirm the Wuxing system theory. The theory suggests that the five planned Avatar films could be using a concept from Chinese philosophy that expands on the classical elemental phases. With both wood and water being covered in Avatar and Avatar: The Way Of Water, the third movie may focus on fire. Interestingly, wind doesn’t appear in the system, but the element’s connections to fire makes the Wind Traders and their mysterious creatures in Avatar: The Way of Water even more fascinating.