Avatar: The Way of Waterintroduces a bevy of new characters in the world of Pandora. These characters range from the good, to the bad, to everything in-between. Part of the joy of James Cameron’sAvatarfranchise is its diverse roster of characters, each with their own motivations and goals. The human settlement on Pandora is currently, however, split into two factions: scientists and military personnel.
While there are plans for civilian humans to eventually colonize Pandora and move there en masse, Bridgehead City is a military instillation and the RDA is still busy securing a foothold on the planet inAvatar: The Way of Water.The humans of Bridgehead City hold little regard for the native life of Pandora (they had a similar attitude towards Earth, which is now dying and unable to support the human population), and use its resources without a care for sustainability. The RDA is instead concerned with pacifying the Na’vi through military force, as the Na’vi are the greatest threat to the human settlements.
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Who does Jemaine Clement play in Avatar 2?
Jemaine Clement portrays Dr. Ian Garvin, one of the human scientists residing in Bridgehead City. He’s specifically a marine biologist with a specialty in the sea life of Pandora. His job is to aid Captain Mick Scoresby (Brendan Cowell), a man who spends his time hunting tulkuns. Scoresby cares little for these creatures; they are unthinking beasts that can be used for his own benefit, he reasons. Garvin, however, is uncertain.
Much likeDr. Grace Austine (Sigourney Weaver) inAvatar,Garvin is convinced that Pandora holds more secrets than humans are aware of. He posits that tulkuns may very well be more intelligent than humans are, given the number of neurons in their brains. He is eventually proven right about this - the tulkun are another indigenous, sentient species of Pandora. They are not merely animals, but creatures capable of thought, emotion, and even the creation of laws. Their pods are essentially their own form of society; because they are so radically different from humans and even the Na’vi, however, humans do not recognize their intelligence or right to life.
Why is his character important?
Dr. Garvin plays a minor but pivotal role inAvatar: The Way of Water.He’s one of the few newly introduced humans that can be seen as sympathetic; while he doesn’t turn his back on the human cause just yet, he does recognize the value of Pandoran life, and expresses admiration for tulkuns, unlike the other human characters. As Cameron has revealed he wants to introduce a lighter side to the humans inAvatar 3(while also introducing a darker side to the Na’vi), it’s possible that Garvin could play a bigger role moving forward. After all, the human audience watching theAvatarsaga unfold is usually disgusted by the destructive nature humanity has fallen into, surely there would be others in Cameron’s future Earth that would have a problem with how Pandora is being treated. Garvin may find other like-minded individuals in a sequel.
Garvin also learns of an important fact about tulkun hunting: the tulkuns are being hunted for a secretion from their brain known as Amrita. This substance is capable of haulting human aging in its tracks, but Garvin’s reaction to learning that information suggests that he does not approve of how it’s harvested. Tulkuns are routinely killed for a vial of the stuff, and their bodies are then left to rot: it’s a great waste, and Garvin isn’t too happy about that. He’s also somewhat snarky to Scoresby as the movie goes on, and seems to have no affection for the man when the tulkun Payakan starts attacking him.
Will Jemaine Clement return inAvatar 3?
Clement iscurrently slated to appear inAvatar 3.His role is unknown, but he was last seen abandoning ship when Payakan presumably killed Scoresby. He likely survived that attack, as the only reason Scoresby might have died was because he was pinned to the ship, and later lost an arm. But it is possible that, knowing what he now knows, Garvin may play a pivotal, pro-Na’vi and pro-Pandoran role in future installments.
Humans are set to begin landing on Pandora in their millions or even billions at some point in the franchise. It’s not known when, but when they do, it’s likely that the RDA’s absolute control over the situation will become untenable. The more humans there are, the more conflicting viewpoints enter the picture. Garvin could serve as an eco-activist that opposes how the RDA is doing things, and that could introduce a new, friendlier faction of humans into the franchise. Given that one of theAvatarsequels is rumored to be calledThe Tulkun Rider,the tulkuns still have a role to play in future movies, and that means Garvin’s expertise could come in handy.
Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending presumably leads right intoAvatar 3,and there’s plenty more story to tell. While Dr. Garvin was more of a background character in the sequel, he may become a bigger character moving forward. After all, only Cameron knows where the sequels are headed.
