Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña) are back on Pandora in the third Avatar movie, Fire & Ash.
But before their family encounters a new threat in the form of an aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan Clan or the Ash People, fans may need a refresher on the franchise, especially since the first film was released 16 years ago and the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, arrived three years ago.
With that in mind, here are five key moments viewers need to remember from the Avatar films before Avatar: Fire & Ash hits the theaters on December 19.
The Different Clans of Avatar
The Na’vi are the indigenous people of Pandora, made up of different clans. The first Avatar film introduced the Omatikaya clan, a forest-dwelling group to which Jake ultimately became clan leader, while Neytiri became the Tsahìk, the clan’s spiritual leader, healer, and shaman. Their totem animal is the powerful flying beast Toruk.
The Way of Water then introduced the water-based Metkayina clan. Led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis), they are among the largest of the Na’vi and offer the Sully family refuge among Pandora’s many reef clans. Their totem animal is the giant whale-like creature known as the Tulkun.
In Fire & Ash, fans will meet the Mangkwan clan, also known as the Ash People. The group is led by Varang (Oona Chaplin) and is portrayed as more villainous than the other Na’vi clans. After their home was destroyed by a volcanic eruption, the Mangkwans no longer believe in Eywa.
The Eywa
Speaking of Eywa, it is the guiding deity that connects all life on Pandora. Also known as the All-Mother or Great Mother, Eywa brings every living thing on Pandora together through a single system of neutral connections.
From transferring memories between living beings to preserving the memories of the deceased so they can live on and even recycling souls through reincarnation, Eywa is a powerful, revered, planet-wide biological consciousness.
The Na’vi worship Eywa, and it is also connected to many of Pandora’s sacred sites, including the Tree of Souls or the Spirit Tree.
The First Avatar Movie Recap
The movie that started it all, the 2009 film Avatar, followed Jake’s arrival on Pandora through the Avatar Program. From there, he formed a bond with the Omatikaya clan and learned the ways of the Na’vi.
As Jake gradually severed his ties to humanity, he fought against the RDA’s efforts to mine unobtanium – a rare substance found on Pandora. Their operation led to the destruction of the Omatikaya clan’s massive Hometree, which sat atop a rich deposit of unobtanium.
When the Tree of Souls was threatened next, Jake and the Omatikaya rallied to stop the RDA, culminating in Neytiri killing the group’s colonel, Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), to protect Jake.
The film also saw the death of Grace (Sigourney Weaver), though her consciousness became part of Eywa through the Tree of Souls.
After finding his place and purpose among the Na’vi, Jake permanently transferred his consciousness into his avatar body, becoming one of them.
The Way of Water Recap
Quaritch returns in The Way of Water with his mind implanted into a hybrid Na’vi body, leading a new mission that brings further destruction to Pandora.
In his pursuit of Jake and his family, who have fled and found refuge with the Metkayina clan, Quaritch kidnaps his biological son, Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion), to use him to his advantage.
Meanwhile, Jake and Neytiri’s son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) forms close bonds with the Metkayina leader’s daughter, Tsireya (Bailey Bass), and a banished tulkun named Payakan.
As Quaritch begins hunting the tulkun, he ultimately tracks down Jake and his family, sparking a massive battle against the RDA with the help of the Metkayina clan and Payakan.
The film concludes with the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), the Sully family reuniting in grief, and Quaritch escaping after being saved at the last moment by Spider.
The Mysterious Creation of Kiri
The Way of Water reveals that Grace’s avatar has a biological daughter named Kiri, even though the sequel never explains how she was conceived. In fact, the film explicitly notes that no one truly knows how she was created.
What is clear, however, is that Kiri shares a unique and powerful bond with Eywa, displaying abilities similar to controlling and communicating with other creatures. Despite this connection, Eywa does not reveal the identity of Kiri’s father, and when Kiri attempts to ask her mother through Eywa, it results in a near-fatal seizure.
Hopefully, Fire & Ash will finally answer this mystery and reveal what truly makes Kiri so special.
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