Warning! This submit accommodates SPOILERS for Avatar: Fireplace & Ash
I am very comfortable Avatar: Fireplace & Ash proved me unsuitable about Neytiri. Performed by Zoe Saldaña, 2023’s The Method of Water left Neytiri in a really darkish place. Nevertheless, one twist in Fireplace & Ash completely debunked considered one of my largest theories in regards to the Sully Household matriarch.
Going into Avatar: Fireplace & Ash, I used to be anticipating Neytiri to cross some main strains that may massively fracture the fortress that’s the Sully Household. Instead, the movie delivers a really emotionally satisfying reversal for Neytiri, defying these expectations in one of the simplest ways potential.
After Method Of Water, I Was Assured I Knew The place Neytiri’s Story Was Going
The ending of Avatar: The Method of Water clearly put Spider at odds with Neytiri following the loss of life of her and Jake’s oldest son, Netayam, who’d been attempting to save lots of the human son of Miles Quaritch.
Because of this, I totally anticipated Neytiri’s indifference towards Spider to show into full-on hatred, with Spider persevering with to worry her (particularly after she threatened to kill him in entrance of Quaritch).
Initially, Avatar: Fireplace & Ash very a lot confirmed these expectations. Receiving extra of a highlight than she did in Method of Water, Neytiri’s resentment towards Spider certainly turns to full-on hatred. Likewise, tensions solely rise after Kiri makes use of the facility of Eywa to permit Spider to breathe Pandora’s air with out a masks, immediately making him massively beneficial to the RDA, who naturally need to reverse-engineer the method.
Within the face of this game-changing evolution, Neytiri suggests to her husband that they kill Spider earlier than he will be exploited, although the boy has very a lot been part of their household for years.
As such, I totally entertained the excessive probability that we might finally see Neytiri making an attempt to kill Spider, creating a significant rift between her and her household as a significant instance of how grief can result in intense hatred and darkness.
Whereas I Was Proper At First, I am Glad Fireplace & Ash Finally Proved Me Mistaken
What I used to be not anticipating was Jake agreeing with Neytiri in Fireplace & Ash, coming to consider that Spider needed to be killed lest he proceed to hazard the Na’vi and everybody they care about.
Because of this, it is Jake who practically kills Spider in Fireplace & Ash’s second act, and Neytiri initially permits Jake to do it. Then comes the twist. Not solely is Jake unable to undergo with the horrible act, however Neytiri lastly lets go of her intense hate, operating to cease her husband and at last embracing Spider.
Rejecting her ongoing darkish spiral, I used to be very glad to see this shift for Neytiri’s character, and to finally be confirmed unsuitable about simply how darkish she was going to turn into within the Avatar franchise. Jake and Neytiri refusing to kill Spider and totally selecting him as their son regardless of the inherent hazard is likely one of the most tense and emotionally-charged scenes in your complete film.
Whereas I used to be satisfied Neytiri’s story would turn into much more tragic, I am very comfortable that Fireplace & Ash gave us one thing much better: a full arc in regards to the complexities of grief, and the way the ensuing hatred can certainly be launched/overcome.
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fireplace & Ash is now enjoying in theaters.
- Launch Date
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December 19, 2025
- Runtime
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197 Minutes
- Writers
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Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, James Cameron, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno
- Producers
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Jon Landau, James Cameron, Brigitte Yorke, Jamie Landau, Maria Battle-Campbell