Avatar: The Way of Water left audiences reeling when Neteyam — the eldest of Jake Sully and Neytiri’s children — was killed during the climactic raid on the Resources Development Administration. Avatar: Fire and Ash, arriving in theaters December 19, picks up with the Sully family in the shadow of that loss, forcing the younger generation to redefine themselves without their protective older brother.
For Lo’ak, the family’s middle son, everything changes overnight. “[Lo’ak] was born to be a leader. But he’s never been given the trust,” says Britain Dalton, the actor reprising the role of Lo’ak once more. “When Neteyam dies… that’s no way that he ever imagined being finally able to be seen. He blames himself.” Guilt and responsibility collide as he steps into a role he never expected to claim so soon.
Trinity Bliss, returning to Pandora as Tuk, notes how the tragedy reshapes her character, the spirited little sister of the group. “I don’t think she’ll ever be the same,” Bliss admits. “It’s the first time she’s experienced a death in her life. She’s still her small and mighty self, and maybe she’ll move up the Sully ranks.”
Spider’s path is even more tangled, adds actor Jack Champion. “He feels very conflicted,” Champion says of his character. “His ‘dad’ is reborn into this Na’vi form and still as evil as ever, if not more so, and he still felt he had to save him. You see that guilt play out, and the evolution of Spider trying to figure out where he belongs.”
Connections beyond the Sully clan deepen too. Actor Bailey Bass promises that her character’s bond with the family will “continue to grow,” adding, “Tsireya has this turmoil between what’s right and standing up for people versus what you’re taught your entire life.”
With Neytiri’s grief still raw and Jake’s protectiveness intensified, Fire and Ash thrusts the Sully children — and their closest allies — into the heart of Pandora’s escalating conflict. The stakes have never been higher.
Watch Avatar: Fire and Ash only in theaters December 19, 2025.
And revisit the first two films in the series, Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, available to stream now on Disney+.
This information originally appeared in Empire magazine.
