Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Avatar: The Way of Water!
Summary
Avatar 3is still pretty far away, but I am already worried that it will repeat the most obvious twist fromAvatar: The Way of Water.Avatar: The Way of Watertold a fantastic story, with it expanding on the world of the 2009 original in more ways than I could ever imagine. However,one bit of the story didn’t work for me, with that being the film’s obvious twist.The upcomingAvatar 3looks like it could attempt to feature the same twist, and for the sake of the franchise, I really hope that it doesn’t.
I’ve been a huge fan of theAvatarfranchise ever since the original movie released in 2009, with the sequel being one of my most anticipated movies for13 years untilAvatar: The Way of Waterwas finally releasedin 2022. Luckily, the wait forAvatar 3won’t be nearly as long. I’ve been consuming every detail ofAvatar 3that has been released, and while details regarding the story of the upcoming threequel are still rare, I’m a little worried that it could steal one twist fromAvatar: The Way of Water. Unfortunately, it’s the sequel’s worst twist.
Where To Find James Cameron’s Secret Avatar Cameo
James Cameron is the mastermind behind the Avatar duology, but he also made an appearance in the film in a cameo you may not have noticed.
It Was Really Obvious That Neteyam Would Die In Avatar 2
Based On Franchise Trends
On top of that, Avatar: The Way of Water framed Neteyam as a story tool used to grow Lo’ak and Kiri rather than a character who needed to grow in his own right. This further reinforced the idea that he would be killed off, as all kinds of fantasy and sci-fi stories feature the trope of older mentors getting killed off in order to create a change in the main character.Franchises likeStar Wars,The Lord of the Rings, andHarry Potterfeature this common narrative trend, so it only made sense forAvatarto repeat this beat with Neteyam.
7 Clues To Jake Sully’s Replacement In Avatar 3 After The Way Of Water Setup
Although Jake Sully was the hero of Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water already hinted that Avatar 3 would replace the franchise’s protagonist.
Avatar 3’s Most Predictable Death Is Jake Sully
If The Film Does Kill A Character Off, It Will Be Him
Avatar 3having a major character death wouldn’t be surprising, and if the sequel does use this beat,I think the most predictable death would be Jake Sully. Jake Sully was the main character of the originalAvatar, and while he technically was still the protagonist ofAvatar: The Way of Water, he had to share the spotlight with Lo’ak. The franchise seems to be setting up a story in which Lo’ak becomes the main character ofAvatarin the three remaining sequels, meaning that something has to be done about Jake Sully.
Killing off Jake Sully would mean thatAvataris able to move away from its original movie protagonist and focus on the next generation of Na’vi heroes. There isn’t much more development for Jake Sully to go through, as he has already been fully accepted by the Na’vi and established a strong family by the end of the second film.Avatar’s future as a character-driven franchise seems to lie with Lo’ak and Kiri, and one of the easiest ways to grow these characters is to kill their father off.
I’m Worried About Avatar 3’s Neytiri Story After The Way Of Water’s Tragic Spider Moment
After Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending, it looks like Avatar 3 could further focus on Neytiri’s hatred of Spider, but this would be a terrible idea.
Jake Sully’s Death Can Still Work In Avatar 3 (Even If It’s Obvious)
It Just Has To Be Executed Well
Despitekilling off Jake Sully being an obvious moveforAvatar 3, it could still work. Something being predictable doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing, as an obvious story beat could simply mean that it makes sense for a story to go in a certain direction. An well-executed predictable story is always better than a poorly-executed unpredictable story, and the death of Jake Sully inAvatar 3could be the former.
The one obstacle thatAvatar 3has to overcome in killing off Jake Sully is Neteyam. If Jake Sully’s death is too similar to Neteyam’s, whether that be due to its story purpose or its thematic implications, thenAvatar 3could be seen as a lazy rehash ofAvatar: The Way of Water. However, it is entirely possible that the writers ofAvatar 3could figure out the proper way to kill Jake Sully off, setting up the rest of theAvatarfranchise.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Cast
Avatar: Fire and Ash is a 2025 science fiction film continuing the saga of Pandora. Jake Sully and Neytiri confront a formidable new enemy, the Ash People, led by Varang. Struggling with personal loss and external threats, they strive to protect their family and Pandora’s future.
