Everything You Need To Know About Pandora's New Big Bad

Three years later The Way of WaterJames Cameron already finds Pandora with Of fire and ashes at the cinema. Third part of its science fiction saga, this new film must shake up the established order by bringing in a new antagonist.

Oona Chaplin, seen in Game of Throneslends its features to VARANGhead of the Mangkwan clan and enemy of Sully and his family. But before seeing this new character in action, a little catch-up session is in order.

Chief of the Mangkwan clan

Pandora is still far from having revealed all its secrets. James Cameron takes advantage of this third film to explore his mythology and the different factions of his universe a little more. The Omatikaya were at the epicenter of the first film, they gave way to the Metkayina in the second.

Avatar: Fire and Ash focuses on the Mangkwan, the most nuanced people in the director’s imagination. Here, there is no question for Cameron of immortalizing pacifist natives attacked by human colonizers, the Varang clan is much more complex than that.

In a file sent to the press, James Cameron presents these characters as follows: “they prove that one can fall out of favor with Eywa and give up the dream of feeling connected to others, of being in balance with one’s environment”.

The Mangkwan had a lifestyle quite similar to those of the Omatikayaclan of Ney’tiri, before being struck by a natural disaster. The eruption of a volcano destroyed their natural habitatleading them to deny the goddess of Pandora and embark on the path of revenge. While the clans of Neytiri and Ronal live in communion with nature, that of Varang is in rejection.

An approach which allows James Cameron to make an obvious bridge between this clan and Quaritch, also in a logic of conquest and use of Pandora’s natural resources for profit… although its dramatic stakes have changed a little over time.

Murdered and vengeful

The character played by Oona Chaplin thus becomes an obvious counterweight to Jake Sully and his human origins. Like him, she will discover a new species and decide to join their cause. Out of defiance towards Eywa, Varang will join forces with Quaritch to redistribute the cards in a saga which until now confined its characters to the roles of heroes or antagonists.

If Varang is obviously on the other side of the line, his clan’s past adds a little nuance to the narrative process. He goes put the struggle between humans and Na’vis into perspectivechange the dynamics and the balance of power. Especially since the character has abilities that his enemies do not have.

James Cameron explains: “Varang commits to the dark path of shamanism to become Tsahik. She became interested in the evil variation of these arts and she trained. She is now able to control the minds of other creatures and inflict terrible pain on them. This is even what allows him to take the life of anyone.”

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To discover Varang, all you have to do is wait until this Wednesday, December 17 at the cinema. The film promises to be the event of the end of the year at the cinema, helped by the presence of an exceptional system before the screening to promote Avengers : Doomsday.