Summary
- Payakan’s choice to break the Tulkun’s non-violence pact saves the day in
Avatar: The Way of Water
, setting up a potential battle in
Avatar 3
. - The Tulkun community must recognize and accept Payakan’s actions for justice in
Avatar: Fire and Ash
after his redemption remains unacknowledged. -
Avatar 3
must address Payakan’s story to bring resolution to his character arc and potentially have the Tulkun join the Na’vi in battle.
While Avatar: Fire and Ash has a lot of storylines to bring back, the sequel needs to pay off one major setup from Avatar: The Way of Water. Since there are so many upcoming Avatar movies, it can be easy to lose track of the franchise’s plot threads. There is Jake Sully’s story, the story of his children, his love interest Neytiri’s feud with Spider, Spider’s link with his father Miles Quaritch, Jake’s own battle with Quartich, and this is without even mentioning the main conflict of the franchise. The Avatar series primarily concerns humanity’s invasion of Pandora.
Jake’s character in the original movie saw him join the fight to save Pandora, but Avatar: The Way of Water focused more on him and Neytiri’s children. By Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending, one of their children was dead and another had found his independence by defying his parents. As tragic as Neteyam’s death was, Lo’ak’s choice to disregard both his father and the Metakyina by helping out Payakan the Tulkun ultimately saved countless lives. Payakan, the outcast Tulkun, heroically destroyed the RDA’s vessel, allowing the Metkayina to temporarily defeat them after incurring heavy losses early on.
Related
Avatar: Fire And Ash – Release Date, Cast, Story & Everything We Know About Avatar 3
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be the middle chapter of James Cameron’s 5-movie saga, but what does the third movie have in store for the Na’vi?
All Tulkuns Could Join The Na’vi In Battle In Avatar 3
Payakan’s Choice Could Reshape Tulkun Norms In Avatar 3
Although Avatar: Fire and Ash’s title makes it clear that the sequel will focus on the Fire Na’vi, the movie must also find time to wrap up Payakan’s story. Avatar: The Way of Water’s Lo’ak subplot explained that the Tulkun made a pact of non-violence and Payakan was exiled for breaking it, even though this was in self-defense and occurred while the rest of his family were being massacred. Payakan’s decision to once again disregard the Tulkun’s non-violence pact saves the day in Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending, tipping the battle over to the side of the Metkayina.
Payakan’s violent attack proved that their refusal to defend themselves with force was a losing strategy.
Jake Sully’s clan was saved by Payakan’s intervention but, crucially, the Tulkun also saved his own community. The RDA was supporting and defending the Tulkun hunters who mercilessly killed Tulkun, and Payakan’s violent attack proved that their refusal to defend themselves with force was a losing strategy. This seemingly sets up a perfect ending to this subplot where the Tulkun learns from Payakan’s choice and fully fight back, turning against the RDA and joining the Na’vi in battle. Avatar 3 must remember Payakan the Tulkun’s story for this moment, as his entire subplot will otherwise have been a waste of screen time.
The Tulkuns Fighting Back In Avatar 3 Is Vital For Payakun’s Story
Payakan’s Redemption Never Received Recognition From The Tulkun
The Tulkun joining the Na’vi in battle would be a satisfying and dramatic image, but that is not the main reason that this scene must occur. In dramatic terms, Payakun still needs justice. He did nothing wrong, but the other Tulkun still shun him in Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending. His story naturally sets up a conclusion wherein his community realizes that he was right and they were wrong, but this hasn’t happened yet. As such, Avatar: Fire and Ash needs to prioritize ending Payakan the Tulkun’s Avatar: The Way of Water story right after his dispiritingly unfinished character arc.
