Avatar: The Way of Water – the Avatar sequel 13 years in the making – took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, family bonds, friendships, morals, and much more. Jake Sully and Neytiri are still the main characters, but with numerous additions to their growing family. Some scenes from the trailer seemed to hint at Neytiri’s death, though. So, does Neytiri really die in Avatar 2?
[SPOILERS!] Neytiri does not die in Avatar 2, and she likely won’t die for sequels to come. That being said, a lot happens to Neytiri throughout the course of the movie. First, she gives birth to several children, has two adopted kids, and then loses her oldest son, all in the same movie.
And that’s not even all of it. Although the story might seem a bit one-dimensional at times, the visual impact of the movie is just unforgettable, and it makes you miss the fact that a whole lot of action unfolds right before your eyes. Keep reading if you want to learn more about what happens to Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri in Avatar 2.
Does Neytiri die in Avatar: The Way of Water?
WARNING: MAJOR spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water throughout the rest of the article. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want to see spoilers, stop reading right now.
If you saw the trailer(s) for the Avatar sequel, you probably had worries about Neytiri – the fan-favorite Zoe Saldana character in Avatar – dying in the new movie. Several hints pointed at it being the case.
For instance, Jake and Neytiri’s daughter, Kiri, talked to her dad in the trailer, saying she could feel her mother’s heartbeat through the planet. Then, a Metkayina clan member spoke about ‘the way of water’ and how it connects all living beings on Pandora, both in life and death. Naturally, people assumed it was a subtle hint at Neytiri’s death in the movie.
Well, they assumed wrong. Neytiri suffers tremendous loss in the movie, but she does NOT die! As it turns out, Kiri has incredible ‘powers,’ so to speak, as she can connect to Eywa, and control it to a certain degree – hence, the comment about her mother’s heartbeat wasn’t about feeling Neytiri in death, but rather in life.
In fact, in a recent interview with io9, shared by People, the movie’s producer Jon Landau dropped a bombshell, revealing that Neytiri will remain alive all the way up to Avatar 5:
“In movie five there is a section of the story where we go to Earth. And we go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth.”
He stated that they wanted to do it because they wanted Neytiri to understand – and see for herself – that not all humans are evil maniacs like the RDA. There are good people there, much like there are bad Na’vi on Pandora:
“Just like you’re defined by the choices you make in life, not all humans are bad. Not all Na’vi are good. And that’s the case here on Earth. And we want to expose Neytiri to that.”
So, if you expected Neytiri to die soon, think again – it’s not happening any time soon!
What happens to Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water?
So, Neytiri doesn’t die in Avatar: The Way of Water, but one could argue that she goes through a hell of a lot worse than her own death. Of course, things start absolutely wonderfully, as Neytiri and Jake have several kids, including an adopted daughter, Kiri, and an adopted son, Spider.
Even in the trailer, there are scenes where we see Neytiri pregnant. It even sparked numerous memes, but the one that got me the most came from Lowcostcosplay on Facebook (sorry, I just had to share it).
After we see the happy family living a wonderful, peaceful life on Pandora, the RDA returns, and so does Colonel Miles Quaritch – the main bad guy from the first movie. He was cloned into a Na’vi body, along with all his memories leading up to his death in the first movie – which he doesn’t remember.
A fight ensues, and Quaritch actually kidnaps Jake and Neytiri’s youngest daughter and holds him as a hostage on a vessel. Attempts to rescue her end up damaging the ship which begins to sink, and their oldest son, Neteyam, starts saving people from sinking and drowning.
He saves his brother Lo’ak, Tsireya, and even Spider, Miles Quaritch’s son. His noble acts get him a bullet to the chest, however. Not long after, Quaritch holds Neytiri’s youngest daughter Tuk at gunpoint, but Neytiri pierces him through the chest with two arrows, eventually saving her child.
It wasn’t over, however, as the vessel continued sinking, and Jake, Neytiri, and Tuk were trapped on it. Suddenly, much like Neteyam saved his younger brother Lo’ak, Lo’ak now saves his father while Tuk and Neytiri get saved by the sea creatures summoned by Kiri.
As they get to shore, Neteyam struggles to breathe and eventually succumbs to his bullet wound right in Neytiri and Jake’s arms. It was a brutally emotional scene but a fulfilling one, too, showing just how noble Neteyam was and how incredibly good the other Sully kids are, as well.
Who dies in Avatar: The Way of Water?
Neteyam, Jake and Neytiri’s oldest son, is the main, big death in the Avatar sequel. However, there are numerous other characters that get killed in the movie as well.
Firstly, the leader of the Tulkun hunters, Scoresby, also dies in the film as another major character death. We see countless Na’vi recombinants that were a part of Quaritch’s team die as well, and numerous Metkayina Clan members share their fate in the midst of battle.
Numerous other deaths happen, some of which were pretty violent and heartbreaking, but I’ll refrain from going into further details – I want to leave at least something for you to explore as you watch the movie yourself.
There would be a lot more important deaths hadn’t it been for the rescuing heroics of Neteyam, Lo’ak, and Payakan, respectfully. Jake, Neytiri, Lo’ak, Tuk, Tsireya, Quaritch, and his son Spider were all in grave danger as well. Did they die, though? I guess you’ll have to watch the movie to see it.
