In between Avatar installments, grouches on the Internet tend to make the claim that nobody remembers the Avatar saga. Supposedly, a fictional universe that’s spawned two of the biggest movies in history just vanishes into the ether the moment Avatar: The Way of Water or other Avatar stories vanish from theaters. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, and on the contrary, the Avatar saga has a rich cultural footprint that, like many of the biggest movie sagas in history, it is often built on characters people can’t get enough.
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The difference between your Sky Captain and the Worlds of Tomorrows and Avatars is simply characters that people get invested in. That isn’t to say the Avatar saga is overflowing with iconic characters. Prominent characters like Jake Sully and Spider are rightfully criticized for being tedious creations lacking deeply compelling personalities. However, the two Avatar installments have already provided some profoundly unforgettable characters that reflect why this franchise is so enduringly popular. Who could ever forget about a saga that’s delivered these five fictional individuals?
Neytiri
Part of why Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully performance in the first Avatar registers as so discernibly iffy is that he’s so often playing opposite Zoe Saldana’s unforgettable work as Neytiri. From the moment audiences first see her in Avatar silently stalking Sully, Saldana conveys an immediately compelling, assured presence as Neytiri. That aura is so believable that it’s heartbreaking watching her later break down in Avatar after Sully reveals his duplicitous nature. Whether it’s her most vulnerable moments or witnessing her taking down enemies without breaking a sweat, Neytiri is one of the Avatar saga’s most compelling creations.
General Quaritch
General Quaritch (Stephen Lang) does not conceal his wickedness. From the moment he first appears in the original Avatar, Quaritch immediately exudes an entertainingly unrelenting nastiness. He’s the perfect arch-baddie for these classical tales, especially in the capable hands of Lang. Better yet, over two Avatar installments, Quaritch has intriguingly grown thanks to the discovery of his son Spider and his consciousness being placed into a Na’vi body. Many of his greatest qualities (like his enjoyably over-the-top depravity) endure as appropriately static, but Quaritch’s evolution over just two Avatar stories further reinforces him as one of the franchise’s greatest strengths.
Kiri te Suli Kireysi’ite
When Dr. Grace Augustine perished in the first Avatar, that seemed to be the end of the line for Sigourney Weaver in these James Cameron directorial efforts. That did not turn out to be the case. In Avatar: The Way of Water, Weaver returned as 14-year-old Na’vi Kiri te Suli Kireysi’ite. There’s something innately fascinating about watching a realistically messy, imperfect teenager who also happens to be this fantastical blue alien. That dissonance alone renders Kiri an interesting figure while the intimate scope of The Way of Water’s screenplay allows her inner world to feel emotionally tangible. It doesn’t hurt that Weaver is fantastic in this role, making the actor’s unexpected Avatar return an exceedingly welcome surprise.
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Toruk Makto
One exciting thing about the Avatar movies is how Pandora’s various alien animals have deep personalities and even character arcs. Reflecting how the Avatar films encourage audiences to recognize the value of the natural world, the cosmic critters of these features often have more profound transformations than human characters like Dr. Norm Spellman or Frances Ardmore. So it is with Toruk Makto, a super-sized orange beastie that Sully eventually tames. Starting out in Avatar as a formidable predator of the sky, Toruk Makto eventually becomes a willing ally in Sully and company’s fight against their RDA foes. It’s already incredibly transfixing to watch Toruk Makto go from being a vicious killer to Sully’s friend. The fact that this beastie has a remarkably arresting design is just a cherry on top.
Payakan
Speaking of amazing, dramatically involving Avatar animal characters, who could ever forget about the space whale Payakan? An outcast from his pod thanks to his violation of the sacred Tulkun Way, Payakan is a microcosm of the Avatar saga’s fixation on underdogs and societal rejects. The folk “traditional society” views as “lesser-than” become the heroes Pandora needs. In the case of Payakan, this sea beastie proves the perfect critter to wipe out the humans harvesting Tulkuns for their valuable amrita. Watching Payakan go from being a reject stewing in the middle of Pandora’s ocean to John Wick with flippers is a glorious experience. Plus, as countless past movies like Free Willy have shown, who can’t get absorbed in a whale’s journey?
