With the death of his character, Colonel Miles Quaritch, in Avatar, many were surprised to learn that Stephen Lang would be returning to the role in the upcoming sequel. With so much anticipation and speculation for Avatar: The Way of Water continuing to escalate, the actor revealed more details about his return to the character, now with a new upgrade, in an exclusive with Empire Magazine.
The villain, who was killed in the first film after receiving two arrows to the chest, will be returning in the sequel as a Recombinant, which are avatar clones that hold the memories of human soldiers. The character won't be returning alone as the film will have a whole set of avatar soldiers ready for battle. With the memories of what happened to him from the first film, this newer version of Quaritch is now on a quest for revenge.
“He’s bigger, he’s bluer, he’s pissed off,” Lang said to Empire Magazine. “But there may possibly be an aspect of humility. When you take two Na’vi arrows in the chest, that’s gonna have some kind of effect on you.”
Alongside the reveal of how the character will be returning, Empire Magazine also offered a new look from the film which shows Quaritch in his newfound appearance. The image shows the soldier, now in his avatar form, standing in a lab towering over the other humans. Behind the character is a holographic scan of a brain. The avatar form of Quaritch carries a similar likeness to how he appeared in the first film with a military buzz cut, a tank top, and camouflage pants.
Quaritch won't be the only one coming back for revenge as the RDA, the same company from the first film, is also set to return with newer technology to combat the Na'vi. The company will once again be stripping for more resources from Pandora, but this time around they have an eye for its oceans. Unlike the Hell's Gate facility seen in the first film, the RDA has now built a large city on Pandora called Bridgehead with a 3D printing facility that will be used to create weapons. With the return of the same villains from the first film alongside a set of avatar soldiers ready for battle, Avatar: The Way of Water is shaping up to be an action-packed spectacle that audiences have come to expect from a James Cameron film.
Audiences will get to see the return of Quaritch and the RDA when Avatar: The Way of Water splashes exclusively into theaters on December 16.