Neytiri is ready to exact vengeance in the first photo of Avatar: Fire and Ash.
In the exclusive image shared by Empire, an enraged Neytiri pulls back on her bow as she readies to fire. Neytiri’s anger stems from the loss of her firstborn son, Neteyam, who died at the end of Avatar: The Way of Water. Star Zoe Saldaña described the harrowing moment as “absolute devastation” for Neytiri, who will struggle to cope with this grief in Fire and Ash.
“That pain is seamlessly followed up on,” Saldaña explained to Empire. “And because it doesn’t really have anywhere to go, and doesn’t go away, rage can also come from it. [The Sullys] are going to be tested as a family.”
Neytiri and her husband, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), must now regroup and look out for their remaining biological children — Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) — and their adopted kids: Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion). Yet Neteyam’s death will weigh heavily on Neytiri and affect the bond with her family.
“Not only would everything that’s happening compel her to question the bond she has with her husband, but also her bond with herself, her people, her land, and the way the Na’vi are,” Saldaña explained. “She’s going to question everything.”
Jake and their family are still at odds with the RDA, especially Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who was resurrected as a recombinant — a deceased soldier whose memories were implanted into a Na’vi avatar. However, Jake’s Metkayina clan will now face a Na’vi enemy: the Mangkwan clan, aka the Ash People. Their leader is Varang (Oona Chaplin), a “fearless leader” according to director James Cameron.
“Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She’s hardened by that,” Cameron said. “One thing we wanted to do in this film is not black-and-white simplistic. We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm.’”
Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.
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