Returning Avatar star Stephen Lang comments on the electric relationship between Quaritch and the new villain in Avatar: Fire and Ash, Oona Chaplin's Varang. Lang previously portrayed Colonel Miles Quaritch, the series' antagonist villain so far, who has viciously pursued Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family, in James Cameron's Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
Following his "death" in the original Avatar (his human body being killed), Quaritch also inhabits a Na'vi avatar body. In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) mourn their son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) while contending with the new threat of the Na'vi Ash People, led by Varang, who allies with Quaritch and has something of a romantic relationship with him.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for Avatar: Fire and Ash, Lang talked about how he thinks this connection between the two villains makes them better as characters:
"So, that's a pleasure," Lang continued. "It's a pleasure to play because I don't get to play it all that often." He also shared a story of filming a unique scene: "This made me think, we recently shot an experimental scene where Varang was teaching me to deal with the fire. […] How long can you keep your hand in the fire? Not all that long, as it turns out."
Also in an interview with ScreenRant, Chaplin expressed her excitement about this opportunity and coming to understand her character: "I'm just so grateful and overwhelmed and just really happy. I'm also very happy about the life that I've lived since I filmed it, because I feel like when I'm approaching it now, I'm able to speak from her vantage point. I can understand her better somehow."
Avatar: Fire and Ash is projected to open to around $350 million globally, but it is burdened with having to live up to two $2 billion predecessors, and has garnered weaker reviews this time around. But even if the story isn't as wholly original as the first two movies, with Todd Gilchrist calling it "repetitive," Avatar: Fire and Ash has some interesting villain dynamics to keep people engaged.
