Why Quaritch's Avatar Is So Much Weaker Than Jake's Avatar In The Way Of Water

While the original Avatar villains were nearly unstoppable, Quaritch Avatar was weaker than Jack in Avatar: Way of the Water for good reason.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Avatar: The Way of Water.

^ In Avatar: Way of Water, the once-unstoppable Avatar villain Quaritch is handily defeated early on by Jack Sully, but there is a reason for this glaring plot hole. The world of "Avatar" is complicated, and the lore of director James Cameron's immersive world can quickly become tricky. As such, plot holes are always possible, and an early scene in Avatar: Way of Water seems to hint at a narrative problem. However, it has an implicit explanation to justify this distortion.

In Avatar, Stephen Lang's Quaritch is Jack Sully's main antagonist in defense of the Na'vi. There are plenty of other Marines, but Quaritch is a ruthless killer with a personal grudge against Jack, whom he believes has betrayed his trust by siding with the Na'vi. Quaritch returned as an avatar in Avatar: Way of Water, and despite his vast combat experience, most of his avatar team was quickly wiped out by Sully and the Na'vi early in the film. There's a reason why Quaritch's power-ups in Avatar: Way of Water took a long time, though.

Although Quaritch may have had a lot of experience To kill, he actually has no experience living as an avatar. In the character's Avatar: Way of Water introduction, when he sees his marines are now Na'vi avatars, he lashes out at them and reacts with silent horror at his transformation. While Quaritch doesn't make his discomfort with his new body too obvious, he still sees the Na'vi as savages who are brutally oppressed throughout Avatar: Way of Water, proving he doesn't even care about Pandora's Ne'vi race when he became one.

Quaritch’s Avatar Has Way Less Experience

After many Avatar: Way of Water supporting characters are quickly eliminated in the first confrontation with Sully's family, this scene is not as unlikely as it seems. Quaritch has an unexpected benefit, since Sully doesn't know that he and his marines have arrived in Pandora, and he does manage to take Sully's children hostage. However, Quaritch and his marines have spent a few days (or possibly weeks off-screen) in their new bodies as they take on the native Na'vi and legendary warrior Jake Sully. So it makes sense that they would lose the first game badly, even with the element of surprise.

The Na'vi have spent their entire lives in 9-foot-tall, lithe alien bodies, while Quaritch and his marines are still learning how to navigate their new existence. In this scene, the murderous rage lends strength to Neytiri's story, proving that the character can kill most of Quaritch's team with little trouble. However, their military experience, combined with her desperation to keep her children safe, could explain why these characters survive their first confrontation with the Sully family.

Quaritch survived his confrontation with Jack for two reasons, both of which are central to the story of Avatar: Way of Water. On the one hand, he's just that tough. The character didn't give up until he was brutally killed in the original Avatar, and in Avatar: Way of Water he refuses to give up sooner. That makes his surprising decision to back off at the end of the sequel fascinating. It could be fanatic characters finally taking a step back, but it could also be a tactical choice. Among other questions Avatar 3 needs to answer, the franchise needs to decide whether to follow Quaritch's unlikely redemption arc.

Why Quaritch Survives His First Fight

second Unlike many of his fellow Marines, the reason Quaritch survived the battle with the Sallys is that he may have been a better fit for his Neo-Navi body than he showed. This interpretation was later reinforced by a scene in Avatar: Way of Water, in which Quaritch risked his life learning to ride a mountain banshee and eventually succeeded, earning Spider-Man's grudging respect . Whether he likes it or not, Quaritch is probably a born Na'vi like Jake Sully, and he'll find that, as the Avatar series continues, he has more in common with them than his human superiors. It's also possible that the villains in Avatar: Way of Water couldn't be killed.

More: Why Avatars Have 5 Fingers and Na'vi Only 4