Do You Think We'll See The "baby Pods" From The Original A2 Script In Avatar 3?

Do you think we'll see the "baby pods" from the original A2 script in Avatar 3? 🤔

In the original script for Avatar 2, there is a flashback scene where it describes Neytiri giving birth to Neteyam. In the scene, instead of being born like a human baby, Neteyam is born incased in a chrysalis-like structure that he presumably hatches(?) from at a later date. The birth scene was removed from Avatar 2, however nothing in the final cut of the movie either confirms or denies that Na'vi give birth to baby pods instead of having a humanlike birth. We do see Neteyam as a young baby, but there's no actual birth onscreen so it's possible he could've been born like a human or born in a baby pod.

Since Ronal is heavily pregnant by the end of Avatar 2, it's likely we will see a birth scene in the next movie (not literally birthing her baby on screen, that would be too graphic for PG-13 audiences, but I mean like the direct build-up and aftermath of it). Which raises the question of if the creative team will keep the baby pod idea that was in the old script or if they will play it safe and have a human-like birth. I can see it going either way. On the one hand, the baby pod would be an interesting way to remind the audience that the Na'vi are alien and have different biology, but on the other hand it might be a little too weird for general audiences.

What do you guys think? Will we ever see these mysterious "baby pod" things, or is it gonna stay in the drafts?

Custody Chapter 12: Tangled Web

Art by @anxiousdreamcore

(I stayed up till 6:20am so please scream at me in the Ao3 comments box.)

@anxiousdreamcore great analysis of the characters, especially the way you describe Quaritch! I hate him, I absolutely want him to meet a deservedly horrible end at the end of the franchise, and yet at the same time he's one of my favorite characters because his dynamic with Spider is so interesting! You worded it perfectly: he's so poisoned by his own hatred and actions that he's rotten to the core, except for the fatherly part of him because it's new and hasn't been tainted by any hate.

Only thing I disagree on is the part about Neytiri and Spider. They couldn't quip and lightly jab at each other if their lives depended on it. They'd both be much happier if they never had to see each other's faces again, but they put up with the other because of Lo'ak and Kiri. Spider doesn't want them to view their mother badly, and Neytiri knows she can't separate them from their best friend (though in the comics she tried to 😭😭😭 Neytiri's great, but whoever wrote the comics made her pretty damn unlikeable in some scenes).

Neytiri and Spider are in a Cold War. They don't trust the other as far as they can throw them, but they have too much too lose by picking a fight. Neytiri would irreversibly damage her relationship with two of her children, and Spider would be banned from seeing his only friends ever again. So they stay neutral, never trusting the other, never at ease, but forced to stay at arms length for Lo'ak and Kiri's sake.

May I humbly asks for your interpretation/opinion/view of the Spider & Quaritch as well as the Spider & Sullies relationships/dynamics ?

Sure! I’ve complained about how my opinion of the characters changed throughout the year of being engaged in the fandom so I might as well share! 🤭

Spider: An audacious, frat-boy-ish teen who stinks of dirt, sweat and will eat a live bug to gross you out. Kiri said that he bites and she was 100% honest because this kid will fling his mask off and tear into your throat if you mess with his baby siblings 😤 at the same time, he’s more than capable of being responsible and gentle, especially when it comes to Pandora, its wildlife and cultures, all of which are clearly very important to him. A menace with a heart of gold and an iron fucking will, untameable. Unbreakable. No authority scares him.

Quaritch: A man so damaged he can’t be repaired. He’s seen too many horrors, killed too many people, watched too many comrades die, has been infected with too much poison. It runs in his veins and destroys everything he touches…which is precisely why he is only likeable as a father. He has never been one before and that part of him is completely new, not yet damaged. The only part of him not yet tainted by the rotten creature that is the rest of him. A mangy, old army dog that will burn Pandora to the ground if its chain is broken, but will lie down and wag its tail for his child, and only him.

Oh, and he’s mentally ill too, at least to some extent, canonically. It’s not to say that his mental illness makes him a bad guy. No. It’s the lack of care he puts into coping with it that contributes to the dumpster fire that is Miles Quaritch. My personal headcannon is that he needs mood-stabilisers yet regularly skips them.

Spider & Quaritch dynamic: Two outcasts who bond over being isolated by their respective groups. Also, Lima and Stockholm syndrome duo! Quaritch gets an instant liking to Spider that soon grows into fatherly love, as Spider brings out the best in him; his most pure, childish and kind traits. Does the rest of him, the rotten, the poisoned, hate it? Oh, absolutely. But he can’t, won’t stop the wild-child from worming his way deep into his decaying heart. Spider meanwhile battles his own platonic feelings and holds onto his resentment as much as he can. He wants to love Miles but he doesn’t. He loves him but he wishes him an agonising death. He wants to be hugged by him and sink a blade into his chest. He wants Miles to prove him that not all grown ups are rotten and he can still be loved. He wants Miles to love him.

Spider & Sully siblings dynamic: “A family disappointment and local cool stoner to his siblings, who are more than happy to take after him because they think his utter freedom and lack of care for authority is cool” kinda vibe. Will play fight with his siblings and bite their noses before kissing them better and shoving them away. Calls Tuk a little gremlin affectionately. Brings Lo’ak back down to Pandora when he spirals into his insecurities or gets too bold and self-sacrificial. Is platonic soulmates with Kiri and feels a profound connection to her, as she does to him. Resents Neteyam for abandoning their little group to become a "respectable warrior". Wants him back. Wishes things could be like when they were kids.

Spider & Neytiri dynamic: She she sees him as a pesky, dangerous demon child that…that didn’t do anything but stay loyal, through all the torture and horrors. A lot of guilt is present between them after the final battle, and they will definitely have a horrible, explosive argument about it sooner or later, but for now they are content at silently sharing space, at time quipping and taking light jabs at each other, because that is their cycle. Playfulness, fear, resentment, until it all explodes and they scream at each other, then the cycle repeats, fuelled by guilt. Is there a chance to stop it? Will they ever be okay?

Spider & Jake dynamic: Hero worship turned disappointment. Spider idolised him for his status and incredible feats as a child but as he grew, and Jake consistently kept him at an arms length without establishing clear boundaries, the constant pining to have him as a father became a never-ending, aching pain in Socorro’s chest. Jake gave him an empty hope that they might one day be a family, without ever clarifying that it’ll never be true, confusing the boy until he was proved not once, not twice, but thrice, that he isn’t needed, isn’t missed, or loved by Jake. He’s a stray animal, and that is all he’ll ever be to him. He knows better now to wish for something that can never be…doesn’t even want to. Quaritch might be a horrific monster, but at least he genuinely loves him. He doesn’t need Jake’s pathetic scraps of affection anymore. He doesn’t need him anymore.

•

Spider proves his loyalty to the Na'vi and the Sully's.

The fandom for some god forsaken reason: Hes going to be the next villain. He and Lo'ak will fight. Neytiri will kill him.

Me: grating my teeth with barely contained rage

Do you think Varang and Quaritch will have a romantic relationship in Avatar 3? And if so, what do you think Varang's attitude and feelings towards Spider might be?

That's a great question. I see two possible outcomes with Varang's character:

She's so evil even Quaritch is scared of her. Varang's villainous actions are so serious that it acts as motivation for Jake and Quaritch to team up to work against her. This one idea is definitely possible since there's a BTS image (below) where it looks like Varang has captured the Sully children and Spider and Quaritch is possibly negotiating with her. There's also the leaked script. On one page, Jake and Quaritch are having a civil conversation and Spider is sleeping nearby, implying that something big must've happened to force them to put aside their differences for the kids. That something could've been Varang. And one of the blurrier pages vaguely looks like it has dialogue of Varang threatening Quaritch, so she could definitely be an antagonist to him.

OR she ends up being a foil for Neytiri and she teaches Quaritch the ways of the Ash People and they end up falling in love. This one is also possible since there's also BTS footage of Quaritch wearing Ash People clothing, which would imply he's been accepted by them, and since Varang is their leader and has been hyped up as an important character, she would be directly involved in that. It's also possible the BTS image below is actually Varang and Quaritch working together, and Quaritch is thanking Varang for helping him get Spider back and recapture the Sully kids as hostages. There were many moments in The Way of Water that painted Quaritch as a foil to Jake (waking up in a new body, taming an ikran, etc) and having Quaritch undergo a similar experience of falling in love with a Na'vi who teaches him about her people would extend that foil even further.

Or heck it could be some combination of both. Maybe she starts out as a villain to Quaritch but they have an enemies-to-lovers arc, or they could have a dark version of JakexNeytiri, where Quaritch was sent to infiltrate her tribe, they fall in love, but unlike Jake, Quaritch chooses to betray them in the end, breaking her heart.

It's really too early to tell!

At worst, Varang would see Spider as nothing more than a useful hostage, a way to get Quaritch to do what she wants. At best, if she and Quaritch actually do develop romantic feelings for each other, she would see how important Spider is to her mate and want to be a "step mom" figure to him. It would be pretty easy for her to fill in that role since Spider doesn't have a healthy relationship with any living adult woman in his life, but there's no doubt Spider would reject her the way he rejected Quaritch out of loyalty to the Sullies. If Jake actually meant his "a son for a son" line and he takes Spider in in Avatar 3, I could even see Varang convincing Quaritch to accept Spider's choice to stay with the Sullies and let him go. (and maybe give him a new son lol)

I'm honestly hoping for Varang and Quaritch to be romantic, mostly because I think it would be funny. I've already jokingly compared Quaritch to Omni-man, so I'd love an excuse to draw this Invincible panel, but with Varang, Quaritch, and Spider:

TLDR: We have next to no information on Varang, so she could be any one of these ideas or none of them. James Cameron has hyped her up as an important new character, so whatever she ends up being, I'm sure it will be really interesting!