Avatar: The Way of Water is the rare film where we know, without a doubt, there will be at least one sequel. We know this because director James Cameron has already filmed Avatar part three, and it’ll be here in two years. So at the end of this movie, while the main story has almost certainly been completed, there are some lingering questions to answer in subsequent sequels. Here are our thoughts on them.
Arguably the biggest mystery in The Way of Water that’s mentioned but not addressed is Kiri’s father. We know her mother is Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver—or more specifically, Grace’s Na’vi Avatar, who the Na’vi tried to connect with Grace before her death, but to no avail.
Kiri was born post-mortem and so while the kids joke about who Grace did or did not have sex with, there’s a good chance that maybe didn’t happen. Maybe there’s not a traditional “father.” Maybe Kiri isn’t exactly a human or a Na’vi. Maybe her birth was something... more. This leads us to...
Throughout the film we learn about Kiri’s medical conditions (diagnosed as epilepsy) and that she can, at times, feel the heartbeat of Eywa, the deity figure on Pandora. Knowing this, and knowing that Grace saw Eywa before her death, we have a feeling that Kiri could possibly be the daughter of Eywa. A Jesus Christ-like figure who has a much grander part to play in the tales of these films. That would also give a bit more context to her seemingly magical powers with the creatures of Pandora.
Another huge revelation in The Way of Water is that not only are the humans back on Pandora, but they’re also more ambitious this time around. Last time, they just wanted unobtanium (which oddly isn’t mentioned at all in this film). Now, with Earth quickly deteriorating, they want to move all of humanity there and take it over. Since that does not happen in The Way of Water, we’d imagine it’s a big storyline in the upcoming films.
But, how do they plan to do that? We know killing Jake Sully is a big step, and the fact their arrival begins with them laser-blasting huge sections of the planet suggests they might aim to just commit mass genocide. But you have to think there is some other plan, right? Maybe they could co-exist with the Na’vi? Are they going to live on the surface, which is unbreathable for humans, or just indoors? Many questions to be answered in the coming films.
Arguably the most heartbreaking scene in a film filled with heartbreaking scenes is the capture and poaching of one of the Tulkun, the whale-like creatures who have a symbiotic relationship with the Metkayina. We also find out that the poachers don’t even harvest the full creature, they just suck out a substance called Amrita which is said to stop the human aging process. As a result, it’s the most valuable resource on all of Pandora with a single vial being worth around $80 million. (Which, in the future, is that even a lot anymore? We’re meant to think it is though.)
If you’re James Cameron, you don’t mention a substance that grants humans eternal life for no reason. It’s certainly going to come back and play a huge role moving ahead. But is that to keep characters like Edie Falco’s General Frances Ardmore alive? Someone else on Earth? We don’t know.
A huge moment in The Way of Water is when Na’vi Quaritch reveals his true feelings for his human son, Spider. Spider reciprocates by taking his father’s body out of the water and saving his life. Spider then goes back to the Sullys and Quaritch goes back to—we don’t know where—but you have to think that he’s now a changed man. James Cameron did say Quaritch was the villain of all the rest of the films, but can he still be a villain knowing that he’s loved and has the capacity to love?
One of the most powerful moments in the film is when Neytiri threatens to kill Quaritch’s son, Spider, in order to save her daughter, Kiri. You’d like to think she’s bluffing because she’s been raising Spider for years, but that look in her eye makes it unclear. She might just kill him. Thankfully, it doesn’t come to that, and Quaritch lets Kiri go, but there is obvious tension between Spider and the Sullys later. You don’t just have your stepmom actually maybe try to kill you and go about your life.
Though the first Avatar briefly mentioned a few other clans of Na’vi and sections of Pandora, you got the sense the Omaticaya, the tree people, were the main Na’vi on Pandora. Now we know that’s not true. There’s also a water tribe, the Metkayina, which was so far away, they didn’t get involved the last time. With three more films left to go, what other tribes and landscapes will we explore on Pandora? People who live in the air? That can fly? What about the underground? The surrounding planets? We have no idea, but can’t wait to find out.
By the end of The Way of Water, and especially with the death of his brother Neteyam, it’s pretty clear that Lo’ak, middle son of Jake and Neytiri, has a huge role to play in the future of this franchise. He was the first of his family to befriend a Tulkun and has proven himself to be brave and worthy. He’s also got a little thing with the Metkayina daughter, Tsireya. That’s only going to become more crucial, as is his kinship with his sister Kiri, who might just be Jesus, as well as his father and mother. By the end of all of this, we’d imagine he’s going to either be the one in charge, or the one who ruins it all. But which and how? We don’t know.
If the Sully kids just listened to their parents and stayed put for once, everything would have been a whole lot easier. Which, of course, is the answer to this question. There’s no movie if the kids just listened to their parents and didn’t get in trouble a billion times. But it does get frustrating when, four or five times, Jake is like “Stay here,” they don’t, and then something goes horribly wrong. So it’s a bit of a screenwriting cheat that also gives the characters a huge flaw.
Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now.