I'm Worried Avatar 3 Will Repeat The Second Movie's Most Obvious Twist (2024)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Avatar: The Way of Water!

Avatar 3 is still pretty far away, but I am already worried that it will repeat the most obvious twist from Avatar: The Way of Water. Avatar: The Way of Water told a fantastic story, with it expanding on the world of the 2009 original in more ways than I could ever imagine. However, one bit of the story didn't work for me, with that being the film's obvious twist. The upcoming Avatar 3 looks like it could attempt to feature the same twist, and for the sake of the franchise, I really hope that it doesn't.

I've been a huge fan of the Avatar franchise ever since the original movie released in 2009, with the sequel being one of my most anticipated movies for 13 years until Avatar: The Way of Water was finally released in 2022. Luckily, the wait for Avatar 3 won't be nearly as long. I've been consuming every detail of Avatar 3 that has been released, and while details regarding the story of the upcoming threequel are still rare, I'm a little worried that it could steal one twist from Avatar: The Way of Water. Unfortunately, it's the sequel's worst twist.

It Was Really Obvious That Neteyam Would Die In Avatar 2

Based On Franchise Trends

The death of Neteyam was one of the biggest moments in Avatar: The Way of Water, which is unfortunate, as it was pretty obvious that he was going to die. Throughout the film's marketing, the advertisem*nts put a lot more focus on Lo'ak, Kiri, and Spider, implying that he may not be in the movie as much as his more prominent siblings. Since he only appeared in certain portions of trailers, it seemed as if something would happen to him during the movie, which was confirmed when he died in the second Avatar film.

On top of that, Avatar: The Way of Water framed Neteyam as a story tool used to grow Lo'ak and Kiri rather than a character who needed to grow in his own right. This further reinforced the idea that he would be killed off, as all kinds of fantasy and sci-fi stories feature the trope of older mentors getting killed off in order to create a change in the main character. Franchises like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter feature this common narrative trend, so it only made sense for Avatar to repeat this beat with Neteyam.

Avatar 3's Most Predictable Death Is Jake Sully

If The Film Does Kill A Character Off, It Will Be Him

Avatar 3 having a major character death wouldn't be surprising, and if the sequel does use this beat, I think the most predictable death would be Jake Sully. Jake Sully was the main character of the original Avatar, and while he technically was still the protagonist of Avatar: The Way of Water, he had to share the spotlight with Lo'ak. The franchise seems to be setting up a story in which Lo'ak becomes the main character of Avatar in the three remaining sequels, meaning that something has to be done about Jake Sully.

Killing off Jake Sully would mean that Avatar is able to move away from its original movie protagonist and focus on the next generation of Na'vi heroes. There isn't much more development for Jake Sully to go through, as he has already been fully accepted by the Na'vi and established a strong family by the end of the second film. Avatar's future as a character-driven franchise seems to lie with Lo'ak and Kiri, and one of the easiest ways to grow these characters is to kill their father off.

Jake Sully's Death Can Still Work In Avatar 3 (Even If It's Obvious)

It Just Has To Be Executed Well

Despite killing off Jake Sully being an obvious move for Avatar 3, it could still work. Something being predictable doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing, as an obvious story beat could simply mean that it makes sense for a story to go in a certain direction. An well-executed predictable story is always better than a poorly-executed unpredictable story, and the death of Jake Sully in Avatar 3 could be the former.

The one obstacle that Avatar 3 has to overcome in killing off Jake Sully is Neteyam. If Jake Sully's death is too similar to Neteyam's, whether that be due to its story purpose or its thematic implications, then Avatar 3 could be seen as a lazy rehash of Avatar: The Way of Water. However, it is entirely possible that the writers of Avatar 3 could figure out the proper way to kill Jake Sully off, setting up the rest of the Avatar franchise.

Avatar 3

Sci-Fi

Avatar 3 is the third entry in James Cameron's five-movie franchise set in the fictional world of Pandora. Following Jake Sully and Neytiri's first encounter in 2009's Avatar and Colonel Miles Quaritch's retaliation in 2022's The Way of Water, Avatar 3 sees the Na'vi heroes come across a fire Na'vi tribe known as the Ash People.

Director

James Cameron

Release Date

December 19, 2025

Studio(s)

20th Century

Distributor(s)

20th Century

Writers

Josh Friedman , James Cameron

Cast

Zoe Saldana , Sigourney Weaver , Sam Worthington , Stephen Lang

Franchise(s)

Avatar

prequel(s)

Avatar , Avatar: The Way of Water