Avatar: The Way of Water fans, fear not — Payakan, the beloved whale-like tulkun introduced in the 2023 film, will return in December’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. In the previous film, having “forever bonded” with Jake Sully’s son and middle child Lo’ak (pictured in the new image above), Payakan’s bold and rebellious personality helped him become a hero— and his story will continue.
“He’s turned out to be one of the most popular characters,” says VFX supervisor and executive producer Richard Baneham. “The reaction [from The Way of Water] emboldened us to go forward and play Payakan at the very highest level. ”Although the plan was always to have Payakan in Fire and Ash, the fan support encouraged the creative team to go all out as work on the next film progressed.
In continuing to flesh out the oceans of Pandora, Fire and Ash will introduce audiences to more tulkun. One important addition is Ta’nok, “another outcast,” who will be a new female friend to Payakan. “There’s a really great dynamic between them,” shares Baneham. In addition to individual relationships, more will be revealed about the structure of tulkun society, including through the debut of new characters: clan leaders Matriarch and Patriarch.“Matriarch is a very interesting character,” says Baneham. “She’s in full regalia.” The look of her character gave the team a chance to add further detail to the culture of the tulkun. “We’re using rings and tattoos as a way to suggest [history] beyond what we’re seeing.” Pandora is only getting richer.
Stay tuned to Avatar.com for all the latest news on Avatar: Fire and Ash, only in theaters December 19.
This information originally appeared in Empire magazine.
