This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Way of WaterThe long-awaited sequel toAvatar(2009) was released with a bang, andintroduced its eager audienceto a handful of new characters.Avatar: The Way of Waterreleased almost 14 years after its predecessor, and fans of the movie couldn’t wait to see what Jake Sully was up to this time around. From the very beginning of the movie, Jake is narrating and telling the audience what’s been going on in the time that has passed, and one important piece of information is about the family that he and Neytiri now have: Neteyam, who’s the oldest, Lo’ak-the second son, Kiri-the oldest daughter that they adopted, Tuk, who is the youngest daughter, and Spider. Spider is a human that the Sully family basically took in as their own, becoming one of the children to Jake, but not so much Neytiri, who keeps him at arm’s length. Spider is one of themost controversial charactersthat was added to this sequel, simply because of what he brings to the movie, and the trouble that follows him. Let’s take a look at his character as a whole, and not just what’s on the surface level.
Related:Avatar: The Way of Water - Cast and Character Guide
The Colonel’s Son
Early on in the movie, audiences are made aware that Colonel Miles Quaritch is alive in the form of an Avatar, which is ironic, since he hates them so much. Quaritch is alive, and even though he doesn’t have some of his memories, he does remember that he wants Jake Sully to pay for his betrayal, along with Neytiri. Another thing we learn is that Spider, the stray-cat child of the Sully family, is the son of Quaritch, who was left behind on Pandora as a baby.In the film, it’s not said who Spider’s birth mother is, but in the comics, it’s a pilot named Paz Socorro, who died in the battle that took place in the first movie.
When Quaritch discovers that Spider is alive, he quickly states that they have no relation to each other because of the Avatar body he now inhabits. However, that quickly is put to bed, as Quaritch becomes protective over his son, stopping the torture that the general is putting him through, and then later on saving his life. It’s hard to appreciate the scenes they have together because of how awful Quaritch is, but one can understand the conflict that Spider faces after being reunited with his father.
A Son for a Son
InJake’s narration at the beginning of the movie, he also lets the audience know that even though Spider was part of the family, Neytiri never fully accepted him as her son. It’s clear that Neytiri struggles with the idea of sky-people being on Pandora, especially after her father died at the hands of one, so it’s easy to see her hesitation with Spider. As the movie progresses, and Spider spends more time with Quaritch, he starts to become more and more uncomfortable with Neytiri’s hatred toward humans. While Jake might have accepted Spider without pause, Neytiri doesn’t see him as one of them, thus not loving or treating him like the rest.
When Neytiri and Jake’s oldest son, Neteyam, is shot and killed due to Quaritch’s men, Neytiri shuts off her emotions and goes feral. It’s the best way to put what takes place after he dies; Jake telling her to have a strong heart and not break down and grieve at that very moment. So, she goes numb and kills every single soldier left on that boat, not taking any survivors with her, as she demolishes them. Spider witnesses the whole thing, looking scared and worried as he hides, so he’s not spotted by her.When Quaritch grabs ahold of Kiri and holds her captive, Neytiri snatches up Spider and does the same thing, threatening Quaritch to let her daughter go, or she’ll kill him. At that moment, everyone is made aware that Neytiri isn’t bluffing, especially when she says, “A son for a son.”
Related:Avatar: The Way of Water Becomes 5th Highest Grossing Movie of 2022 in Just 10 Days
A Traitor Among Family
Throughout the entire movie, Spider wrestles with the fact that this terrible person-turned-Avatar is his father, even if Quaritch denies that he feels anything at all toward him. Spider despises the fact that he’s so terrible, and literally sets fire to dozens of homes; not only that, Quaritch’s main goal is to take out Jake Sully. Jake was more receptive to Spider, even after Neteyam’s death, which says a lot. When it comes down to the final showdown, and Quaritch makes the speech of never stopping until he kills Jake and the entire family, it’s an intense watch as they battle it out.
Jake is the victor, but ends up almost drowning for the third time in the movie, causing his sons to search for him in the water. When Spider spots Quaritch, the audience is in shock at his actions. It’s understandable that he would feel the need to save him, not only because he’s his father, but also because Quaritch saved him from Neytiri. Many people can’t get over Spider’s betrayal of the Sully family, especially after he swims back to them once getting Quaritch to dry land.He makes no move to tell the family of what he’s done, most likely because Neytiri wouldn’t spare him, but it’s interesting to see how that will play out in the nextAvatar.
