Im Worried About Avatar 3s Neytiri Story After The Way Of Waters Tragic Spider Moment

Although Neytiri’s anger toward Spider was contained in Avatar: The Way of Water, the upcoming Avatar 3 could turn this plot into a saga-ruining twist. The Avatar movies have had an admirably simple storyline, allowing director James Cameron’s immersive sci-fi series to spend more time establishing the elaborate world the filmmaker created for the franchise. 2009’s Avatar saw the human Marine Jake Sully defect from the RDA to join Pandora’s natives in their attempts to resist human colonization, while Avatar: The Way of Water followed this up with a story of Jake’s family joining another Na’vi clan to fight the RDA.

That said, Avatar 3’s story might complicate things since it’s pretty clear who the franchise’s heroes and villains are. While this might make it seem like the franchise’s storytelling is excessively simplistic, this approach to plotting secretly benefits the series. With a large number of upcoming Avatar movies on the way, there are plenty of opportunities to expand the universe of the franchise. However, Jake’s decision to leave humanity behind and side with the native Na’vi provides a basis for the rest of the series to build on. Unfortunately, Avatar: The Way of Water‘s ending may have already jeopardized this.

Avatar 3’s Spider Story Could Make Neytiri A Villain

Avatar: The Way of Water’s Ending Risked Ruining Neytiri’s Story

In Avatar: The Way of Water’s closing scenes, Neytiri threatened to kill Quaritch’s human son, Spider, if Quaritch didn’t let Kiri go. Though both Kiri and Spider survived, it was clear that Neytiri wasn’t afraid of killing the only human member of her family. Throughout Avatar: The Way of Water, Neytiri made it clear that Spider’s human origins led her to distrust him even though he did nothing to deserve this. This was a strange storytelling choice since the comparatively open-minded Neytiri was one of the only Na’vi to trust Jake back when he secretly did have evil intentions.

While Avatar 3’s updates promise a bigger Neytiri role in the sequel, this won’t necessarily be a good thing if the franchise’s heroine can’t get over her irrational hatred of Spider. If Neytiri discovers that Spider saved Quaritch’s life, she is likely to kick him out of the Sully clan. This would almost inevitably result in a hurt Spider switching allegiances and joining his father’s side of the fight, but this twist is a terrible idea. It is a betrayal of Neytiri, who, in Avatar, pointedly refused to judge Jake by his species over his personal character.

Avatar 3’s Screenwriters Promised Neytiri’s Spider Relationship Pays Off

Screenwriter Rick Jaffa Teased That The Subplot Leads Somewhere

When asked about why Neytiri is so hard on Spider, Avatar: The Way of Water co-screenwriter Rick Jaffa teased that this was “setting up where the story’s going.” This promise seemingly implies that Spider, and potentially Kiri, will be pitted against the older generation of Na’vi. Already, Avatar: The Way of Water saw Jake obstinately ignore Lo’ak’s attempts to explain Payakan, the outcast Tulkun’s plight, even though this would have helped the Metkayina defeat the Tulkun hunters and the RDA. Norm’s Avatar 3 return means that the sequel is likely to focus on Kiri, who has a pre-existing relationship with Spider.

If Kiri and Spider aren’t trusted by Neytiri and Jake, thanks to Neytiri’s newfound mistrust of humans, this will be a frustrating retread of Jake and Lo’ak’s conflict in Avatar: The Way of Water. Jake’s inability to listen to his children cost him dearly when Neteyam died during the sequel’s final battle, so Neytiri making the same mistake in Avatar 3 would be completely superfluous. Alongside the promise that Avatar 3 will feature Fire Na’vi, who illustrate a darker side of Pandora’s native population, this subplot seems destined to destroy the human/Na’vi coexistence in Jake and Neytiri’s family.

Avatar 3 Making Neytiri A Villain Contradicts The Franchise’s Message

The Fire Na’Vi Also Risk Ruining Avatar’s Overarching Story

The Avatar series is about the Na’vi resisting human invasion, while Jake’s role in the franchise has proven that the two species can exist side by side, provided the humans don’t invade, destroy, or colonize Pandora. However, Avatar 3‘s promised plot twists could ruin this thematic preoccupation because of Neytiri’s irrational hatred of Spider. While her distrust of humans is rooted in her experiences with the RDA, Neytiri hating Spider doesn’t ring true after she started a family with Jake years earlier.

Alongside the villainous Fire Na’vi, Neytiri’s intolerance could signal a shift toward portraying the Na’vi as being as villainous as humans. This would ruin the saga’s overarching story of inspirational resistance to colonial occupation by depicting one of the most heroic Na’vi as close-minded and dangerously judgmental. Neytiri’s problems with Spider were never rooted in a real problem with him, and the more Avatar 3 leans into them, the less defensible her actions will seem. Thus, Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending could see Avatar 3 ruin the franchise’s heroine.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Release Date

December 16, 2022

Studio(s)

20th Century

Writers

James Cameron , Josh Friedman , Rick Jaffa , Shane Salerno , Amanda Silver

Runtime

190 Minutes

Budget

$250 Million