Avatar 2: Colonel Quaritch Is Spider’s REAL Father – Theory Explained

One theory suggests Spider’s real father could be Colonel Quaritch in Avatar: The Way of Water. The sequel to 2009’s Avatar is set to hit theaters in December 2022, bringing back most of the core cast from the first film including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and even Sigourney Weaver. Alongside them, a slew of new additions will appear thanks to the introduction of the Metkayina, a clan of indigenous Na’vi who reside in Pandora’s reefs instead of the forest, where Jake and Neytiri live with their growing family, which curiously includes a human son, Spider.

Viewers are set to see humans return to Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water, with some surprising resurrections from the previous film as formerly dead characters such as Corporal Wainfleet and Colonel Quaritch will be coming back in new Avatar bodies. Not much has been revealed about the adventures that will unfold in James Cameron’s much-anticipated sequel, but the return of the human presence on Pandora will certainly cause conflict for Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully, who abandoned his life as a human in favor of a life as a Na’vi. With the theme of family playing a huge role in The Way of Water, there’s some speculation about Jake and Neytiri’s son, Spider’s, true heritage.

The first teaser trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water was released at 2022’s CinemaCon, giving viewers their first looks at Jake, Neytiri, and the new and improved Quaritch in over a decade. The trailer also features the debuts of the Sully children, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss), and finally Spider (Jack Champion). Jake and Neytiri’s family could be thrown into turmoil, however, with one theory suggesting that Spider’s real father could actually be the villain from the first movie. Such a revelation would not only add an emotional complexity to the story, but could also help improve Quaritch’s slightly one-dimensional characterization from Avatar. Whatever direction the story takes, the suggestion that Spider could have a link to the past is certainly intriguing.

Who Is Spider In Avatar: The Way Of Water?

Introduced in the first teaser trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, Spider is Jake and Neytiri’s human son. Born in “Hell’s Gate”, the RDA base on Pandora, Spider was abandoned after the humans were exiled back to Earth at the end of Avatar, only to be rescued by Jake and adopted into their family. With Avatar: The Way of Water taking place over a decade after the events of the first film, Spider is now a teenager, having been raised in the forests of Pandora. Even though viewers only caught a glimpse of Spider during the teaser trailer, there’s a lot to digest about a human teenager being a member of the Omaticaya people.

Audiences will most likely see a huge amount of prejudice directed at Spider during Avatar: The Way of Water since humans have been exploiting Pandora for years, and even destroying the Na’vi’s homes and sacred spaces as shown in the first film. It’s been confirmed by producer Jon Landau that even Neytiri has difficulty viewing Spider as her son. This idea of being the outsider carries over from Jake’s own experience during Avatar, which has probably informed his decision to be steadfast in keeping Spider around. However, with humans returning to Pandora, the divide between the Na’vi and Spider might grow even more.

Avatar 2 Theory: Quaritch Is Spider’s Father

One theory now proposes that Spider is the biological son of Colonel Quaritch, the villain played by Steven Lang in Avatar who is returning in Avatar: The Way of Water, only this time as an Avatar himself. Quaritch was shown in the first film to be nothing more than a military grunt, uncaring towards the Na’vi and willing to uproot their lives (literally) to complete his mission of obtaining the unobtainium. However, the character is set to see a lot of development in The Way of Water, as he comes to terms with being in permanent Avatar form since his human body is dead, and returning to Pandora to face Jake and Neytiri for the first time since the latter gave him two arrows in the chest.

Quaritch’s return in Avatar: The Way of Water might come with a more personal touch, since he could also be heading back to Pandora for his son. The revelation of Spider’s true father being Quaritch would provide more emotional depth to the fairly one-note character, while also sticking to the overarching theme of family. This would also add to Neytiri’s, and the rest of the Omaticaya’s, uncertainty around Spider, since Quaritch was the man behind the destruction of their fortress, the “home tree,” and several sites of their connection to Eywa during Avatar.

What Spider’s True Heritage Could Mean For Jake And Quaritch

Jake and Quaritch will almost certainly cross paths again during Avatar: The Way of Water, and while their personal vendetta against each other would be strong cause for a battle, if Quaritch were to turn out to be Spider’s real father, the pair would also wage war over their claims to the boy. Jake rescued Spider as a baby and raised him as his own, but Quaritch has a biological connection to the child, and could argue that it was Jake’s fault that the humans were exiled from Pandora in the first place, leaving Spider to be abandoned. With Quaritch’s new Avatar body, the fight between him and Jake is set to be explosive, but this would provide a great emotional punch.

Even though Spider’s real name is currently listed as Javier Socorro, it’s entirely possible for that name to be red herring to throw fans off the scent. If this theory turns out to be true, it’s certainly something that James Cameron would want to keep under wraps, as not only would it be an awesome shock for audiences, but would also introduce Spider to the Avatar franchise in a huge way, setting him up as a recurring character across all four confirmed Avatar sequels. With Avatar: The Way of Water finally set for release on December 16, 2022, all will soon become clear.