I’ve Never Been Happier To Be Wrong About Neytiri In Avatar: Fire & Ash
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Avatar: Fire & Ash I’m very happy Avatar: Fire & Ash proved me wrong about Neytiri. Played by Zoe Saldaña, 2023’s The Way of Water left Neytiri in a very dark place. However, one twist in Fire & Ash perfectly debunked one of my biggest theories about the Sully Family matriarch. Going into Avatar: Fire & Ash, I was expecting Neytiri to cross some major lines that would massively fracture the fortress that is the Sully Family. Instead, the film delivers a very emotionally satisfying reversal for Neytiri, defying those expectations in the best way possible.
After Way Of Water, I Was Confident I Knew Where Neytiri’s Story Was Going
Neytiri with a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash
The ending of Avatar: The Way of Water clearly put Spider at odds with Neytiri following the death of her and Jake’s oldest son, Netayam, who’d been trying to save the human son of Miles Quaritch. As a result, I fully expected Neytiri’s indifference toward Spider to turn into full-on hatred, with Spider continuing to fear her (especially after she threatened to kill him in front of Quaritch). Initially, Avatar: Fire & Ash very much confirmed those expectations. Receiving more of a spotlight than she did in Way of Water, Neytiri’s resentment toward Spider indeed turns to full-on hatred. Likewise, tensions only rise after Kiri uses the power of Eywa to allow Spider to breathe Pandora’s air without a mask, instantly making him massively valuable to the RDA, who naturally want to reverse-engineer the process. In the face of this game-changing evolution, Neytiri suggests to her husband that they kill Spider before he can be exploited, even though the boy has very much been a part of their family for years. As such, I fully entertained the high likelihood that we would eventually see Neytiri attempting to kill Spider, creating a major rift between her and her family as a major example of how grief can lead to intense hatred and darkness.
While I Was Right At First, I’m Glad Fire & Ash Ultimately Proved Me Wrong
Neytiri with dirt all over her face in Avatar Fire and Ash
What I was not expecting was Jake agreeing with Neytiri in Fire & Ash, coming to believe that Spider had to be killed lest he continue to endanger the Na’vi and everyone they care about. As a result, it’s Jake who nearly kills Spider in Fire & Ash’s second act, and Neytiri initially allows Jake to do it. Then comes the twist. Not only is Jake unable to go through with the horrible act, but Neytiri finally lets go of her intense hate, running to stop her husband and finally embracing Spider.
Rejecting her ongoing dark spiral, I was very glad to see this shift for Neytiri’s character, and to ultimately be proven wrong about just how dark she was going to become in the Avatar franchise. Jake and Neytiri refusing to kill Spider and fully choosing him as their son despite the inherent danger is one of the most tense and emotionally-charged scenes in the entire movie. While I was convinced Neytiri’s story would become even more tragic, I’m very happy that Fire & Ash gave us something far better: a full arc about the complexities of grief, and how the resulting hatred can indeed be released/overcome. James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire & Ash is now playing in theaters.
Release Date
December 19, 2025
Runtime
197 Minutes
已发布: 2025-12-23 01:00:00
来源: screenrant.com
