Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to introduce a new clan of Na’vi to James Cameron’s franchise, and new reports from the film seem to suggest that it may also be replacing its main character. Everything known about Fire and Ash suggests that the film will follow up on the events of Avatar: The Way of Water with Jake Sully and his family, but will also reveal a new, darker side of the Na’vi. This fresh skew now seems to be setting up for a new lead to take over the story in its subsequent installments.

Avatar is an enormous franchise with mᴀssive global appeal, and there are already several more Avatar sequels in development. Until now, Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully has been the focus of the series. However, after Fire and Ash, details of where the franchise will go and who might lead it are unclear. There has been some talk about the Na’vi coming to Earth in one of the sequels, and there are also rumors of several time jumps. With all of this in mind, details from Fire and Ash may be setting up a new lead and a dark fate for Jake Sully.

Neytiri’s Story Sounds Like The Heart Of Avatar 3

Comments About The New Film Suggest An Integral Role For Neytiri

Zoe Saldaña has played Neytiri since the first Avatar film, and her place in the story has only become increasingly important. While her character was relegated to a smaller role in The Way of Water, details concerning the new film suggest that she will have much more to do in Fire and Ash. With Neytiri’s emotional return already teased in new pH๏τos from the film, and some uncomfortable splits in the Sully family potentially looming ahead, Neytiri’s story looks set to be the heart of the next movie. Further supporting this notion is Cameron himself, who told Empire:

Zoe is incandescent in this film… With Emilia Pérez, she’s finally getting recognised (sic) as the top-tier actor we’ve always known she is. But in [Fire And Ash], that goes way beyond what you’ve seen before.

Cameron has spoken about the emotional core of Avatar 3 before, and his further comments about Saldaña’s performance support the idea that these elements will be tied together. Cameron stating that her performance in the new film “goes way beyond what you’ve seen before” suggests a significant focus on Neytiri’s character in Fire and Ash, and that there will be many opportunities to see her further developed. How that comes about in the upcoming sequel may suggest a larger path forward for the overall series.

Neytiri Becoming Avatar 3’s Main Character Makes Sense After The Way Of Water

Her Character Went Through A Lot In The Way Of Water That Still Needs Addressing

Neytiri was arguably the most important character in Avatar, and her role in The Way of Water, while still integral, was reduced to make room for introducing the larger Sully clan. However, events from that film saw Neytiri go through emotional hell. She was chased away from her people, where she lived in esteem alongside Jake, by Quaritch and the RDA. After fleeing, she soon found herself treated as lesser by the Metkayina, especially Ronal, due to the human blood her family carries. She then struggled even to fit in.

After all of this, the final battle in that film saw Quaritch killing Neteyam, her son. The terrifying pain with which she then threatened to cut Spider, who saw her as a surrogate mother, might be the clearest reflection of where Neytiri is mentally going into Fire and Ash. Saldaña spoke about this with Empire, saying, “That pain is seamlessly followed up on.” She is now more hurt and more rageful than she ever has been in the series, which could allow her to become an even richer and more complex character, even as she deals with her own internal conflicts.

Neytiri’s Importance In Avatar 3 Even Connects To The Franchise’s New Villain

Varang Has Also Experienced Great Pain From The Sky People

Neytiri’s relationship with humanity, whom she refers to as the sky people, is complex, and it appears that Varang, the new villain being introduced in Fire and Ash, will share some overlap with her tempered outlook. Everything known about Varang suggests that she and Neytiri might align in many different ideals. Neytiri’s opinion of the sky people in the franchise is not entirely hateful, but she certainly does not trust them. It remains to be seen if this may have been upset further by Neteyam’s recent death.

Varang’s goals to fight back against the sky people are unique in the franchise, which has seen the Na’vi generally embrace peace. Seeing how Varang uses warfare and brutality against the sky people is an interesting prospect, and understanding how Neytiri responds to that will be an important component of the new film. With Neytiri’s own hatred and rage still bubbling, it seems equally likely that she could act as a heroic counterpoint and stop Varang’s actions, as she might finally break and become a villain herself.

Avatar 3 Making Neytiri The Main Character Could Be Important For The Future

The Focus For Future Avatar Films Remains To Be Seen

If Jake is set to die in the franchise, as some Avatar theories have speculated, Neytiri might make sense to take over as the lead of the series. Her character is such a rich and compelling presence, and her relationship with Jake, as both human and as Na’vi, has examined so many complex emotional components. With great strain and sadness in Neytiri’s life, this could lead to a compelling evolution, with Neytiri being propped up in Fire and Ash to take on an even larger role in the subsequent sequels.

With that said, the Avatar series also appears poised to take place over a significant period. After the family expanded in The Way of Water, there has been some discussion about Lo’ak, the remaining son of Jake and Neytiri, taking over the main role, especially as he will be the narrator of Fire and Ash. With the family’s growth, however, and Cameron suggesting that each of the upcoming films may have a different narrator, the ensemble might grow its outlook beyond even Neytiri and Lo’ak, giving just as much focus to Tuk and Kiri.

Cameron has rarely let audiences down, and Avatar: Fire and Ash is certain to be a bombastic and emotional blockbuster when it is released later this year. With so much time and care put into the production of these films, there is hope that a resonant story will be told in the upcoming chapter. At the very least, discovering how the events of The Way of Water affected the bold and powerful Neytiri is such an exciting prospect for what might come in the next Avatar story.