A new trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash has come, and it completely lifts the veil of secrecy surrounding James Cameron’s sequel. Disney and 20th Century launched the film’s marketing campaign a few months ago with a teaser that showcased beautiful imagery without revealing too much about the story.
With the movie’s release now less than three months away, a proper Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer has arrived to help make the narrative clearer for audiences. For some, it may reveal too much, as the 2-minute and 35-second trailer is loaded with new footage, moments, and details.
With so many new clips shown, there is a lot to dive into with the Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer. There are surprise plot developments, big returning characters, and more featured throughout that may not be immediately caught, and are worth unpacking.
The Origin Of The Ash People
The trailer kicks off with an extended focus on Varang (Oona Chaplin), the leader of the Ash People, also known as the Mangkwan Clan. This allows the film to establish her backstory and the origin of the film’s new villainous group of Na’vi.
Varang tells the story of a fire coming from the mountains that burned their forest. They cried out to Eywa for help, but the Pandora deity did not come. This story is told as we see glimpses of a volcano on the planet and the burnt remains of the clan’s home, where they still reside.
This origin story is pivotal to Avatar: Fire and Ash, as it establishes why Varang and her people hate the rest of the Na’vi and what they stand for. They have no belief in Eywa, and that feeling of abandonment from their god has already been set up as a key point of contrast between them and the film’s other main clans.
A Summit With The Tulkun
There’s an intriguing moment a bit later in the trailer as Neytiri, Jake, Tonowari, and Ronal are shown meeting with a selection of Tulkun. They are surrounded by nine of the whales as they emerge from the water with their snouts to the sky.
The trailer doesn’t provide any context for this scene, much less clarify exactly which Tulkun are here, but the one positioned directly in front of the four Na’vi looks like it could be the leader of the species/clan. The four rings that it wears around its face is unique among the other Tulkun, indicating some level of significance.
This scene may be a meeting between the leaders of an alliance before a war breaks out. Neytiri, Jake, and the leaders of the Metkayina Clan may have called this summit with the Tulkun to ask for their help in the fight against the RDA and the Ash People and break the Tulkun Way for the betterment of Pandora.
Spider Becomes More Than Human Through Eywa
Arguably the biggest moment in the Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer comes at the 1:21 mark. Spider is shown lying down, either unconscious or dead, as Eywa begins to connect to him through the glowing blue threads connected to the Neural Network. This process looks identical to what Grace experienced in the original Avatar when she was dying and connected to the deity.
It is confirmed throughout the trailer that Spider undergoes a massive transformation through this connection to Eywa. He’s the first human who can breathe on Pandora without a mask, something that befuddles everyone from Varang to Jake. Spider is no longer just a human born and raised on Pandora. He’s now essentially part Na’vi.
It’s not yet clear to what extent Spider is now connected to Eywa or every way that she changed him so he can still live on the planet. But this marks a radical shift for the character and the franchise’s mythology that should prove to be incredibly important in future installments.
Neytiri Is Painted With The Ash People’s Colors
It’s been clear throughout the film’s marketing campaign that Neytiri will play a major role, possibly even becoming the main character, and her arc becomes a bit more fascinating now thanks to her appearance at the 1:33 mark. During a conversation with Jake, she is shown with her face painted red and black, a direct match with the Ash People’s colors.
It is common for the Na’vi to wear different face paint at times, but this is the only time we’ve seen Neytiri utilize these colors across the franchise. That’s notable considering the movie has made it evident that red and black are the colors associated with the Ash People. Varang is always in red and black, and Quaritch even sports the colors for what looks like the grand finale.
So, why is she wearing their colors at this moment? That’s one of the big questions from the trailer. Is she meant to try and infiltrate the clan at some point? We know she fights along with Jake and in opposition to Varang by the end, but maybe the path to that fight is more rocky than expected.
Neytiri shifting sides to align with the Ash People during Avatar: Fire and Ash would be a huge shock. Maybe that’s exactly what Cameron has planned, ripping the Sully family apart at some point. Or, perhaps this could even be a moment from the film’s conclusion where she surprisingly replaces Varang as the clan’s leader.
Spider Bonds With An Ilu
Continuing with the major revelations for Spider, the trailer confirms that the biological changes he undergoes through Eywa goes well beyond just being able to breathe without a mask. It is confirmed that he has a neural queue, the appendage most species of Pandora have.
Spider is shown using his queue to bond with an Ilu, one of the water-based creatures located in the Eastern sea. Kiri is there with him to help make the process as smooth as possible. This is likely the first time that Spider will ever bond with a creature, but the fact that he has this ability at all allows for more connections going forward.
Varang & Quaritch Bond (& May Get Romantic)
Spider isn’t the only one using his queue in the trailer, as his father, Quaritch, also has a surprising moment with his. The footage shows that Varang bonds with him at one point as their tendrils connect, which is a very important detail to reveal at this stage.
The Avatar movies have made a point to emphasize the meaning of two Na’vi connecting in this way, known as tsaheylu. Beyond the ability to connect mentally and share memories and emotions, there is also a direct connection between this process and mating for the Na’vi, which was shown with Jake and Neytiri in the first film.
The tsaheylu between Varang and Quaritch will not only likely help them as allies during the impending war, but it may also spark a romance between them. After they are shown having this bond for the first time, there’s a moment between them that looks a bit intimate. They could become a new corrupt power couple on Pandora.
Kiri’s Powers Continue To Grow
Kiri is among the franchise’s more compelling characters, but she’s also still quite mysterious after The Way of Water. The full extent of her backstory, special connection to Eywa, and her abilities all remain things that Fire and Ash need to address.
Even though Kiri isn’t in the new trailer all that much, there are a few glimpses of her powers continuing to grow. She calls upon “The Warrior Mother” at one point in an unknown purple environment. A later shot of her bioluminescent dots glowing underwater as she strains to do something may suggest her testing her abilities further.
Toruk Returns After Way Of Water Absence
One of the biggest moments in the trailer comes with the return of the toruk, otherwise known as the great leonopteryx. The giant flying creature is the king of the skies on Pandora, and anyone who can bond with one becomes known as the Toruk Makto, as Jake did in the 2009 film.
Many were disappointed that Jake’s toruk did not return in The Way of Water, but that absence is now redeemed with a return in Fire and Ash. Jake is shown reuniting with the powerful ally in a shadowy cave before flying with it through the skies once more to take down RDA ships.
This should prove to be one of the more exciting moments in the film, as it is already a major takeaway from fans of the franchise. The Toruk Makto lives and will be back for one more ride, at least.
Neytiri Is Shot By An Arrow While Fighting Varang
An easy-to-miss detail in the footage comes near the end as Neytiri is shown fighting Varang in the skies. They are battling on their banshees and shooting arrows back and forth, and it’s easy to overlook that Neytiri has already been shot at this point. There is an arrow sticking out from her back that has also pierced through her chest.
Neytiri is obviously not hurt enough to stop fighting, but there is blood spreading across her chest and side from the wound. The arrow is close to where the Na’vi heart should be located if their biology resembles humans in this way, which could make this a fatal injury for her.
It’s unclear if Varang is the one who hits Neytiri with this shot, or if it came from an earlier moment in the battle. Perhaps this injury is what leads to her being in a hospital bed as shown in the teaser trailer.
Spider Threatens To Kill Quaritch – But Will He?
The importance of Spider in the third Avatar movie continues until the near end of the trailer. He’s shown wielding a weapon and threatening to kill someone out of frame. Based on the setting and previous footage, it appears that Spider is protecting Jake from his father, leading to that threat.
If Spider is left in a spot to kill Quaritch, his decision could be what the movie is really building towards. The boy already chose the Sullys over Quaritch in The Way of Water’s ending, and he could now be put in a spot to decide who lives and dies between his biological and figurative father.