James Cameron May Have Already Given Away Avatar 3’s Biggest Twist

The news that Avatar 3 will have a new narrator might have given away more than Avatar franchise creator James Cameron intended to reveal. The Avatar movies have been incredibly successful, but the series isn’t overburdened with major twists. While there are plenty of surprises included in both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, director James Cameron’s ambitious sci-fi saga follows a fairly familiar story. This isn’t a problem for the series, since Avatar doesn’t rely on big twists. However, it does mean that Neteyam’s death in Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending is the franchise’s biggest shock so far.

That may change with the upcoming Avatar 3, as star Jack Champion claimed the movie features a massive bombshell moment that will have audiences floored. This makes sense since Avatar 3 will need to hook viewers before the rest of the planned Avatar movies continue the franchise. The original movie was popular due to its innovative technology, while the long wait for Avatar: The Way of Water contributed to the sequel’s pre-release hype. In contrast, Avatar 3 doesn’t boast any huge technological advances in its filmmaking, nor has the series been absent from cinema screens for as long.

Lo’ak Being Avatar 3’s Narrator Is Bad News For Jake Sully

Jake Narrated Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water

As such, Avatar 3 could benefit from a big twist that changes the status quo of the series. The movie may get this from a change in the franchise’s main character, and Cameron might have already hinted at this. In a January 2023 interview with Soundtracking With Edith Bowman, Cameron said that he had already decided Lo’ak would be Avatar 3’s narrator. Lo’ak becoming the franchise’s narrator implies Jake will die in Avatar 3 since Lo’ak replacing his father as the franchise’s hero would round out both of their respective character arcs from earlier Avatar movies perfectly.

While Avatar 3’s story promises Neytiri a bigger role too, it would make sense for Lo’ak and Jake to be the sequel’s main characters. Jake spent Avatar learning to outgrow the guidance of his military superiors and think for himself, while his son spent Avatar: The Way of Water realizing his father’s limitations and standing up for himself. Lo’ak working with Payakan, the outcast Tulkun, helped save the Metkayina despite his father’s objections, meaning he is perfectly primed to replace Jake as the franchise’s main character. Jake’s story, meanwhile, is overdue a fitting ending.

Jake Sully’s Death Would Make Sense In Avatar 3

The Sequel Needs To Change The Franchise Formula

One of the biggest issues with Avatar: The Way of Water was that Kiri, Spider, Lo’ak, and Neteyam’s stories were more compelling than Jake’s plot. Killing off Jake would fix this and Avatar 3 would be the perfect time for the series to let go of its original hero. In 2009’s Avatar, Jake functioned as a literal avatar for the audience, introducing them to the immersive world of Pandora via his human perspective. However, by the time Avatar: The Way of Water’s story began, there was a sense that perhaps Jake had outlived his usefulness. His sequel role was limited compared to the next generation’s stories.

The sequel implied that Kiri would be central to Avatar 3 while also fleshing out both Spider’s complicated relationship with Quaritch and Lo’ak’s potential as a future leader of the Metkayina. In contrast, Jake’s story simply rehashed his character arc from the original movie. In Avatar, he was a human who learned to live among the Na’vi and eventually won them over, whereas in Avatar: The Way of Water, he was an avatar who went through the same process with the Metkayina. His role in the series has limits on it, but his death would still shake up the franchise.

Another Avatar 3 Tease Makes Jake’s Potential Death More Likely

Star Jack Champion Claims The Sequel Includes A Huge Twist

According to Jack Champion, who plays Spider in the series, the screenplay of Avatar 3 takes a “hard left turn” that lands like a “wrecking ball,” completely upending the reader’s expectations. Although Avatar 3’s shocking twist wasn’t given away by the actor’s comments, there are numerous reasons to believe that Avatar 3‘s big twist could be the death of Jake Sully. For one thing, Avatar: The Way of Water devoted more screen time and focus to Lo’ak than Jake and made it clear that, if anyone could be the super-powered savior of the Na’vi, it was Kiri.

Furthermore, the fact that Jake’s resistance movement has always relied on collective action makes his potential death even more likely. It wasn’t Jake’s unique strengths as a warrior that made him a leader of the Na’vi, but rather his willingness to side with the natives instead of the human invaders. If the Na’vi resistance survived Jake’s death in Avatar 3, this would prove that his Avatar franchise legacy was meaningful after all.