How Quaritch Has Changed In Avatar: The Way Of Water, According To Stephen Lang

When James Cameron released the first "Avatar," it was a marvel of technology and an introduction to a vast world of possibilities. As writer Aaron Stewart-Ahn put it, "['Avatar'] is a virtual window into being immersed in natural wonder that most people on the planet no longer have access to and can only experience through technology." It is like watching a visually stunning nature documentary that also had tons of action scenes and earned billions of dollars.

Now, after many, many delays, Uncle Jimmy is finally taking us back to Pandora for the first of many sequels — potentially a lot of them. "Avatar: The Way of Water" is set to kickstart an epic generational story about Jake Sully and Neytiri's family while the conflict between Na'vi and humans rages on.

One of the biggest questions regarding the sequel is how, exactly, the returning cast is set to, well, return. While "The Way of Water" will introduce many new characters like Jake and Neytiri's kids, and even a whole new tribe — with some unique physical attributes — but it is also bringing back some familiar faces. Key among them are Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, both of whom played characters that died in the previous film. Weaver is set to play a new teenage character with what seems like a strange connection to either the goddess Eywa or her previous character, while Stephen Lang is ... just playing the same character again. That's right, the villainous Colonel Miles Quaritch will be back, just not the way you might expect.

Quaritch can feel like an archetypical cartoony villain, a mercenary so cruel he actually fantasizes about slaughtering the natives. Luckily, Stephen Lang fully leans into the over-the-top nature of the character and makes Quaritch a formidable villain. We're talking about a guy who can wear a giant mecha suit while wielding a laughably tiny knife into battle and not look ridiculous while doing so.

Of course, Quaritch's luck ran out when he got stabbed and then shot with two arrrows, which very visibly killed him and put an end to Lang's role in the "Avatar" films. Or did it? Keep in mind, it's not exactly a secret that Lang is returning for all the sequels, as it was announced years ago. 

During a press conference /Film got the chance to attend, Lang talked about returning to the franchise and how much Quaritch has changed since last we saw him. "I think in the first film he's very, very colorful," Lang said. "He's got personality, he's got some great qualities, but essentially he moves through a mindless shark in a way." He continued:

"But in this iteration of it, first of all, there's the absolute magnificent irony that Jim has written of coming back as the very thing he has been trying to destroy and having to make the adjustment to that, to adapt to that. And I think it's just, it was a total pleasure for me to continue to massage this character and find the depth and maybe some of the humanity that's in him. He's such a warm character and beloved by so many."

If you don't want to wait until "Avatar: The Way of Water" comes out to learn how Quaritch returns, we already have the answer. You see, the Colonel is now a "recombinant" (or recom), a new kind of avatar with the mind, emotions, and possibly the spirit of Quaritch downloaded into it — similar to how Jake Sully's mind was transferred into his avatar in the first movie.

As Lang noted, having Quaritch live, but in the body of the thing he hated most, is a fantastic piece of irony, one that will hopefully lead to some interesting character development.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" opens in theaters on December 16, 2022. Its official synopsis reads:

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the Lightstorm Entertainment Production stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet. Screenplay by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. Story by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno. David Valdes and Richard Baneham serve as the film's executive producers.