After 16 Years, the Avatar Franchise’s Biggest Villain Finally Completes a Surprising Storyline

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When Spider is on the brink of death after running out of oxygen, Kiri saves him by changing him at a molecular level so he can breathe Pandora’s air. When the Resources Development Administration, aka RDA, gets its hands on him, it treats him like a test subject rather than a person, which makes him feel even worse than he already does. The only friend that Spider has on the other side of the aisle is Miles Quaritch, who is undergoing his own kind of transformation as he finally realizes what his home away from home is really all about.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Allows Quaritch to Embrace His True Nature

Quaritch is no friend to the Na’vi in the first Avatar. He supports Jake Sully gaining their trust because he has to, as it’s the only way to get their guard down. But in reality, he would rather wipe them all off the face of the planet than ever sit down and have a meal with them. So, when Quaritch catches wind that Jake is defecting, the gloves come off. The military launches an all-out attack on the Na’vi and loses in spectacular fashion, with Quaritch dying in the conflict. However, that’s not the end of his story because he prepares for just about every scenario. In Avatar: The Way of Water, he returns in a Na’vi body and goes after Jake again, wanting to finish what he started. Once again, he comes up empty-handed, but the conflict against the Metkayina Clan opens his eyes to the truth.

When Fire and Ash kicks off, Quaritch convinces the RDA to let him go after Jake again. The Ash People get to him first, though, and Quaritch decides to make a deal with them. He gives them weapons in exchange for their help hunting down the Sully family and Spider. It doesn’t take long for Quaritch to see the fruits of his labor, and he also gets a sweetener in the form of Varang, the leader of the Ash People, who takes a liking to him. The two of them ruffle some feathers at the RDA, but it’s clear that Quaritch isn’t as worried about his standing with the higher-ups as he is getting what he wants. This drastic shift is going to change the game going into Avatar 4.

Quaritch Could Become More Friend Than Foe in the Final Two Avatar Movies

The final fight between the Na’vi and Sky People in Fire and Ash is intense, to say the least. Each side keeps grabbing back the momentum until Kiri finally speaks to Eywa and gets her help, turning the tide of the battle in the Na’vi’s favor for good. Quaritch couldn’t care less about all the humans dying around him, though, as his focus is getting Spider, his son. He and Jake duke it out over the fate of the boy, but have to stop when Spider nearly falls off a floating rock. During the pause in the fighting, Jake is preparing to offer Quaritch a choice, but his family finally arrives, throwing the conversation out of whack. Rather than stick around and hear Jake out, Quaritch jumps off the rock, living to fight another day.

With all of his bridges burned at the RDA, the only place Quaritch can go is the Ash People’s village. He’s sure to continue embracing their culture and his spot at the top of their hierarchy, as it makes him feel important. And when the Sky People inevitably come back, there’s no doubt he will side with his new clan over them. Whether that means teaming up with Jake again remains to be seen, but he might not have a choice if he wants to keep the party going on Pandora.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is in theaters now.

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