The recently released trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water gave us a whole lot of lush imagery to stare at in awe, and explore for clues that might provide some insight into the direction of the long-awaited sequel. Well, a potentially huge clue may have now been found, as the trailer seemingly reveals the shocking, and very intriguing return, of a “dead” villain. Be warned, potential SPOILERS to follow. The first footage from Avatar: The Way of Water seems to have revealed how Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch will be resurrected, with the merciless mercenary now inhabiting an Avatar body.

While unconfirmed, the military-style haircut and tattoo on his upper arm are a dead giveaway — which likely means that yes, Colonel Miles Quaritch will be an Avatar in Avatar: The Way of Water. This opens the sequel up to all manner of possibilities as the villain is brought back to life, this time with the same advantages as our hero Jake Sully and the native Na’vi.

Stephen Lang’s bad guy, Miles Quaritch, was introduced in the first Avatar back in 2009. The head of the mining operation's security detail, Quaritch is fiercely consistent in his disregard for any life not recognized as human, and harbors a real hatred for the natives of Pandora — an outlook that should be interesting when he awakens in an Avatar body in the follow-up.

The finale of Avatar sees Quaritch killed by Neytiri, saving Jake in the process. While he certainly appeared dead, clearly something will happen between then and now that takes Quaritch’s wicked mind and transports it into a big, blue body. Will it be the doing of the mining company RDA, who were not yet ready to say goodbye to their most valuable military asset? Did Quaritch himself drag his nearly lifeless body to some machinery and make the change, in the name of surviving and taking his revenge on Jake? Or has Eywa been up to something mysterious? Whatever the method may be, it is sure to give Quaritch a fascinating arc in the Avatar saga.

Colonel Miles Quaritch Could Be in All Four Avatar Sequels, According to Stephen Lang

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20th Century Studios

While we did not know the details of his return, we have known for some time that Colonel Miles Quaritch will make a comeback. According to Stephen Lang, the character could, in fact, feature in all four of the upcoming Avatar sequels.

“And so, I think you can absolutely look for some areas of extreme growth in the character; and then probably areas of regression in the character as well, hopefully, over a period of four more films,” the actor said last year. “Of course, we need him to be very, very interesting, where, by the end you've taken a journey, or you've witnessed a character go on a life journey that was pretty interesting. You know, that you were glad that you could observe. So that's what we're trying to do."

Directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña, Avatar: The Way of Water is due for release on December 16, 2022.