Look, we get it. James Cameron’s highly successful “Avatar” franchise, which he’s now spent two decades working on, doesn’t need any help, having already earned more than $5 billion at the box office. That being said, the new trailer for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” features more than just brain-melting visual effects that make us question reality. It also offers a glimpse of something fans of the property might not have realized they needed up until now, and we’re eager to see more of her.
Stephen Lang’s steely-eyed military man, Colonel Miles Quaritch, has inhabited a large portion of the “Avatar” timeline so far. The Pandora-hating nemesis to Na’vi convert Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) took things a step further the last time we saw him after he returned from the dead in a brand new and incredibly blue body. Now, though, it appears the title of the FBB (that’s the Franchise’s Big Bad) could soon be passed over to a new, already immensely intimidating Navi local: Varang, played by Oonah Chaplin. Indeed, the latest “Fire and Ash” preview suggests Varang has something that Quaritch has always been lacking.
As formidable an opponent as he is for Jake and his various extra-terrestrial allies (including fan-favorite Payakan the tulkun), Quaritch simply doesn’t have a whole lot of depth. Rather, he’s little more than the physical manifestation of the horrors of colonization. However, as this new trailer shows, the Mangkwan clan leader Varang immediately feels like she has more to say, and her arguments could easily make her a much more complex and compelling antagonist.
Varang’s relatable villain could steal the show in Avatar: Fire and Ash
“The fire came from the mountain. Burnt our forest,” reveals Varang, as she waves her hand across flames in the new trailer. “My people cried for help, but Eywa did not come.” Her talks of unanswered prayers and the horrors she endured while other Na’vi clearly flourished almost feels like we’re being set up for a Killmonger-level antagonist. She looks to be a foe that was betrayed by their own beliefs and has quite literally made her way through the fire to dish out her own bit of vengeance as a result. Will it lead to chaos and destruction? Most certainly. But just like that “Black Panther” foe proved to be one of the baddest and best Marvel villains, it also feels like Varang is being set up to become a far more relatable threat because of it.
It’s this surprising secret ingredient that could set “Avatar: Fire and Ash” apart from its predecessors. Varang comes across as a twisted reflection or perhaps even a haunting glimpse of what the still grief-stricken Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) could become if she’s not careful, and there’s no doubt she’s going to cause some trouble. In fact, that’s exactly what we hope she does.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” arrives in theaters on December 19, 2025.
