Avatar: Fire and Ash spotlights a hidden threat beyond Varang and Quaritch

Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer offers a look into the Ash clan, who will be up against Jake and Neytiri's family. They will be the latest threats that the Sullys have to face in the next chapter of their lives.

It's the third time we are going to meet Jake, who arrived on Pandora many years ago during an effort to colonize the planet. At the time, he parted ways with his crew. He was taken by the strength and resilience of the Na'vi tribes, who faced every situation with grace and conviction. It led him to become a part of the Omatikaya clan as their leader.

The first film, released in 2009, showed Jake fighting against Colonel Miles Quaritch's corrupt morals to save the kind-hearted Na'vi people. Then, in the recent sequel, he had to fight Quaritch's Recombinant to save the natives from a human invasion.

The upcoming project will focus on another threat in the form of Ash tribespeople and their fierce leader, Varang. However, apart from her or Quaritch, the Sullys will also face the hidden threat of Frances Ardmore.

Frances Ardmore might be a force to reckon with in Avatar: Fire and Ash

A still from Avatar: Fire and Ash (Image via YouTube/Avatar)

The newly released trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash gets you right in the feels, and that's hardly surprising considering what happened by the end of the second chapter. It showed Neytiri and Jake losing Neteyam while fighting Quaritch's resurgence against their resistance. So, even if they won that battle, they lost something close to their hearts.

A majority of this chapter showed the Sullys assimilating with the Metkayina clan after leaving their native rainforests. It was already difficult for them to leave their home behind to start a life afresh, but it was an even bigger challenge for the children to be accepted by the aquatic tribe. The locals may have seen them as a threat to their lives. So, the kids had to suffer from their bitterness.

Yet, the aquatic clanspeople were not the villains in this story. The actual adversaries were the humans, who were still latching on to Na'vi's resourceful planet. They were hoping to secure a future for themselves while eradicating the lives that had been there for a long time. In this second Pandoran War, Frances Ardmore led the ship.

A still from Avatar: Fire and Ash (Image via YouTube/Avatar)

Ardmore is a key RDA (Resources Development Administration) leader who is determined to ensure a future for humanity at the expense of the tribe. So, while Quaritch remained the loudest voice against Jake's Resistance, Ardmore was the one to take action for their common goals.

Much like Quaritch, she was hellbent on pacifying the Na'vi people through strategic raids. So, she might be the person doing the actual work in the new chapter to achieve Quaritch's goals.

In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Edie Falco will reprise her role as Ardmore. Stephen Lang will also return as Quaritch. This time, Oona Chaplin will join them as another antagonist, Varang. Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Cliff Curtis, among others, will also be a part of the returning cast. Fans can find them in theaters after the film releases on December 19, 2025.