James Cameron has confirmed that a new character from the Wind tribe in Avatar: Fire & Ash will be key for the next three sequels. There has been a plethora of news following the release of Avatar: Fire & Ash’s movie trailer, which reveals new story details about the latest installment, including a new ally in the Pandora world, the Wind Traders.
Via Empire, James Cameron has confirmed that the Wind clan may be more important, saying, “They’re going to be throughout the cycle of 3, 4 and 5” as the director is playing “a long game.” He adds, “[It was] the same thing with Kate’s character and Cliff Curtis’ characters [Ronal and Tonowari] in the last film.”
Cameron also details more about the Wind Traders, explaining how “they’re still 100% Na’vi but they’re not place-specific,” making them different from previous clans in Avatar. Interestingly, Cameron cites The Godfather as inspiration for its “epic, novelistic journey,” expressing the importance of “procedural detail” in world-building, with the director promising that, “You’re gonna wait for it, but it’s satisfying.”
Empire also dropped an exclusive look at a new character in Avatar: Fire & Ash, Peylak (David Thewlis), the sky captain of the Wind Traders. The character was previously unveiled in concept art in February 2025, but was notably absent from the recent trailer. That being said, both the Wind Traders and Peylak will have big roles in upcoming movies.
What This Means For The Avatar Franchise
Avatar: Fire & Ash Will Introduce New Key Characters
The Wind Traders are not the only tribe to be introduced in the upcoming movie, as Avatar: Fire & Ash will feature an Ash Clan led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). The introduction of these two tribes is interesting as it means the Avatar franchise is rather rapidly expanding. Furthermore, it seems some of these characters will be here in the long run.
Compared to Avatar’s original 2009 movie, which only briefly touched on the various Clans native to Pandora, in the lead-up to the battle against the Sky People, The Way of Water introduced a new world full of characters. Some of these characters will become key in future installments, like Ronal and Tonowari, as Cameron stated.
Avatar could be seeing a move away from the Sully family in future films, as these new characters make way for new stories in the franchise.
However, Avatar: Fire & Ash will go one step further than previous films by introducing two major Clans at once, which means there will be a larger number of new characters. As a result, Avatar could be moving away from the Sully family in future films, as these new characters make way for new stories in the franchise.
Our Take On The Wind Tribe’s Role In Avatar
Cameron’s Tease Has Us Questioning Their Significance
Cameron’s admission that the Wind Tribe has a much more significant role in future Avatar movies is rather intriguing. So far, audiences have seen a few tribes on Pandora, including the recent Metkayina Clan in Way Of Water. However, none seem as important as the new Wind Traders, who Cameron claims will stick around for at least three movies.
There will be speculation about what the Wind Traders’ role will be, especially with Cameron saying the wait will be “satisfying.” Interestingly, it does bring to question whether someone like Peylak could potentially take the reins on the franchise, as Avatar: Fire & Ash could be gearing up for a potential Jake Sully replacement in future Avatar films.
Sources: Empire
