Avatar: Fire and Ash pushes the franchise's long-running rivalry between Jake Sully and Colonel Miles Quaritch into unexpected territory. When audiences first met Sully and Quaritch in James Cameron's original Avatar, they were both defined by military hierarchy, orders, and brute force. Jake (Sam Worthington) and Quaritch (Stephen Lang) embody two sides of a simple conflict: the soldier versus the militarized invader.
Jake's time among the Na'vi fundamentally altered his ideologies and loyalties, leading him to reject the human military mission and ultimately turn against Quaritch. Following the death of his human body, Quaritch inhabits a Na'vi avatar body in Avatar: The Way of Water, and, in Fire and Ash, Quaritch slowly begins to see Pandora from the very perspective he seeks to destroy.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for Avatar: Fire and Ash, Worthington and Lang reflected on how Pandora has reshaped their characters, transforming what began as a straightforward military conflict into a far more complex and evolving relationship.
When asked about how they think their characters have changed from the first film, Worthington explained that once Jake and Quaritch are in their Na'vi bodies, they inevitably lose part of their original human military mindset. Read their full comments below:
Sam Worthington: I think when they drive the Na'vi body, they become more human. They lose a lot of that [military mindset].
We were laughing because, in the first movie, the colonel tells Jake, "Be careful on Pandora, don't go too far into the woods." In this one, it's reversed. I'm kind of telling him, "This is what you've got to see and learn about Pandora, don't go too far into the woods." Which, clearly, he does! It's cool that the relationship keeps evolving, and it isn't just bad guy chasing good guy.
Stephen Lang: But they do maintain that hierarchy. We still address each other as Colonel and Corporal. What I like about that is that it's almost like they're striving to hold onto something they remember, because it's very scary to do something new.
I can't speak for Jake, although I think in the first film it was extremely frightening and off-putting to become someone new. And Quaritch is even more entrenched in the military; they define who he is. It's very, very difficult for him to let go.
Sam Worthington: It is a shifting relationship. Halfway through the movie, there's a great standoff, and I think the energy is shifting between them. It's definitely leaning the other way now.
Stephen Lang: That's so true. There's an equality that's happened organically.
With Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake and Quaritch's relationship appears to become one of the franchise's most emotionally layered storylines yet. The film delves into how prolonged exposure to Pandora forces both men to confront who they are becoming. As Quaritch connects with Oona Chaplin's Varang, the leader of the Na'vi Ash People, his perspectives on the Na'vi and his connection to his avatar and Pandora begin to change.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is projected to open to around $350 million globally. However, the film faces the challenge of living up to its predecessors' $2 billion box office numbers. Avatar: Fire and Ash has garnered weaker reviews this time around, with the film currently standing at a 69% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 203 reviews.
Even with its lowest Rotten Tomatoes score and divisive critical response yet, Avatar: Fire and Ash continues James Cameron's commitment to long-form character evolution, using Jake and Quaritch to explore identity, power, and transformation over time.
