Will Avatar 3 have a different main character? Theory explored

Avatar 3, dubbed Fire and Ash, is expected to be released later this year. This comes after a long wait and several release schedule delays. However, as with any other franchise-based story, every other chapter is bound to shift its narrative focus. The 2009 film focused on Sam Worthington's Jake Sully falling in love with Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri, even though he was supposed to infiltrate their base to gather intel. That story analyzed the cost of human exploitation since the army's sole purpose in a foreign country was to capture and rule it, and not to co-exist.

The recently released Avatar: The Way of Water showed a chapter further into the lives of Jake and Neytiri after they start a life as a married couple. Jake wholeheartedly becomes a part of the local community and is ready to do anything for their well-being. However, Stephen Lang's Miles Quaritch remained his main adversary, even as a recombinant. Unlike the previous chapter, this one was about Jake and Neytiri trying to assimilate into another Na'vi community along with their children.

The fate of their journey is bound to have a ripple effect on their future in Avatar 3. Zoe Saldaña's recent comments about her characters solidify that claim.

Avatar 3 may focus on Neytiri instead of Jake Sully

A still from the Avatar: The Way of Water trailer (Image via YouTube/@AvatarOfficial)

Unlike the first film, the second one showed Jake and Neytiri taking almost the same space in the story as they tried to teach their children how to grow older and wiser. The focus was more on them trying to find a solution as a family than just on Jake seeking a dignified life. So, they faced everything as a unit. However, things didn't go well just because they were kind and patient. They lost one of their sons while trying to save the family from the clutches of Quaritch. So, the burden will weigh on their hearts as they enter another chapter in Avatar 3.

“That pain is seamlessly followed up on. And because it doesn’t really have anywhere to go, and doesn’t go away, rage can also come from it. [The Sullys] are going to be tested as a family," Zoe Saldaña told Empire.

Saldaña's comments highlight that there might be a far deeper focus on Sully's family than before in Avatar 3. After the battle with Quaritch's RDA and the subsequent losses, the Metkayina clanspeople accepted them as one of their own. So, they are not fighting for acceptance anymore, but survival against bigger evils. Per reports, Avatar 3 will follow:

"Jake and Neytiri's family grapples with grief after Neteyam's death, encountering a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges."

Tying into that, Saldaña's comments reveal a shifting focus on the character dynamics within their family.

“Not only would everything that’s happening [would] compel Neytriri to question the bond she has with her husband but also her bond with herself, her people, her land, and the way the Na’vi are. She’s going to question everything.”

Saldaña's remarks hint that Neytiri might be the main character of Avatar 3. The third chapter may not revolve around Jake's emotional journey as much as hers. On the other hand, director James Cameron recently revealed that Lo'ak(Neytiri and Jake's son) is the narrator for Avatar 3. So, he might be another point of focus in the upcoming chapter.