I still can’t believe this is real. Visual literature PEAKED at this moment.
A fractured Sully family would add so much depth to the story, forcing each character to evolve beyond their chosen roles.
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING I JUST POSTED SERIOUSLY! This is me just theorizing what might happen in Avatar 3, 4, and 5.
Lo’ak’s Hero’s Journey: Lo’ak has always struggled in the shadow of his father and older brother, feeling like a disappointment because he can't measure up to them. If he embarks on a hero’s journey, he could finally reach his full potential. Perhaps by the end, he could surpass Jake, not by being a better warrior, but by being a leader who understands both humans and Na’vi on a deeper level. He becomes less hot-headed and more diplomatic while embodying certain traits of his grandparents and is guided by Neyteyam's memory.
Kiri’s Spiritual Journey: Kiri’s connection to Eywa is stronger than anything we’ve seen before—almost godlike. I love the idea of her becoming a Jesus-like figure, growing in power but also struggling with the burden of it. What if she learns how to become one with Eywa in ways even the Na’vi don’t understand? Maybe she's Eywa herself. But the more powerful she grows, the more enemies she racks up because there might be some Na'vi who reject Eywa and others who won't take too kindly to Kiri's ascension because of her demon blood, which could spark a religious war that the RDA uses to get the Na'vi to fight among themselves. Even better, Kiri could slowly become more and more detached from the physical world and would rely on Spider to keep her grounded because she's closest to him.
Spider’s Journey of Self-Discovery: Spider’s arc is especially interesting because he’s torn between two worlds. He’s spent his whole life being treated as an outsider by both species, and maybe the third movie puts him in a position where he decides what he wants. His journey wouldn’t be about proving himself to others anymore—it would be about making peace with who he is. Also, if he does breathe the toxic air of Pandora because of Kiri, he could be the poster boy for humans back on Earth, desperate to settle on Pandora and believing that they can because of Spider, sparking huge repercussions for both sides. Spider may also learn to stop allowing others to define his path or he's given the chance to become an avatar, but ultimately rejects it because he loves himself for who he is.
Tuk’s Forced Maturity: Tuk, the youngest, would have the most tragic arc if she were left behind. With her family scattered in the wind, she would have to grow up quickly, learning that childhood is a luxury in times of war. Maybe she becomes an apprentice to someone unexpected—an elder, a rogue warrior, or even a human scientist who teaches her things no one else knows. She could become a bridge between the old ways and the future, embodying the lessons her family failed to learn before. Maybe she stays with Tonowari and his family, adopting their ways fully because they're all she has left.
Neytiri’s Crusade and Healing: Neytiri, consumed by grief and rage, would either become the new leader of the Ash Clan or go return to the forests without her family so that she can prepare her people for the next war. The Ash Clan is rumored (and confirmed) to be more brutal and warlike, and Neytiri, who has lost so much, would see them as a means to finally drive out the humans once and for all. But war is never clean. Maybe she starts to lose herself, becoming the very thing she hated—merciless, driven by vengeance rather than love. In the end, she realizes that this path doesn’t bring her peace. Maybe she goes on a journey of healing and confronts her trauma, which leads her to reconnect with Eywa and make peace with Spider, where the two come to an understanding as equals rather than family. But more importantly, she makes peace with herself and rises like a phoenix from the ashes, guided by the spirits and memories of her family. I firmly believe that independence from Jake and going her own way for a bit will help her heal. (I am praying that she has a deep and satisfying arc because if anyone deserves peace, it's her.)
Jake Disappearing and Haunting the Narrative: Having Jake disappear rather than be a central figure in the fourth movie would be fascinating. Maybe he goes off on a mysterious mission, searching for something that could turn the tide of the war. Or maybe he’s presumed dead, leaving only his legacy behind. The Sullys would feel his absence like a ghost haunting them, each one dealing with it in their own way. And if he returns, it would be as a changed man or Na'vi—someone who takes a step back to allow the new generation to step forward.
Spider will be, at least ever so slightly compared to other humans, respected. he protected the clan. the Na'vi.
Seriously, some of the theories are just so bad or have been explicitly stated as false by the creators... some people are in for a rude awakening when Avatar 3 comes out.
Did I miss any other bad theories?
Dilla and Caleb meet baby Miles, and adopt him not long after! Love at first sight 💙 An alternative to this:
My heart broke and melted for Spider/Mile's hardships and neglect, therefore me and @katerinaaqu keep including him in our Avatar AU, and I'll be damned if I won't draw this sweet lad the loving family he deserves🥰
I've been reading fics where Spider's adopted by Ronal and Tonowari the past couple days and now I'm obsessed. The problem is that I mostly write angst and I really wanna read hurt/comfort, lol.
I feel like the typical/common way that I see Spider get taken in is basically him doing his little beach bum shit after everything and slowly getting adopted into their family. And I eat it up. Every. Single. Time.
Spider: *Building a campfire, roasting his own food* Ronal/Tonowari/Tsireya or Anoung: *Why is the Sully's adoptive son alone on the beach?* *Oh well, mine now*
I feel like Ronal would definitely be way at first, she's made it no secret that she strongly dislikes Sky People. But, I'd imagine that eventually, she comes to see him not just as a human, but as a child. And a child who is alone and in need of help.
Aounung would probably be the same. I have this idea of him giving Spider a hard time (after all the carnage/damage/dead people have been handled). Like, trying to mess with him as much as possible, just being an asshole. And then, maybe Spider goes under for a long time while Aounung is on the beach weaving or something. And, even though Spider has a mask and can breath underwater as well as he does above it, Aounung somehow forgot that and freaks, thinking the human has drowned.
Aounung tossed his half-repaired net aside, diving into the water. He whipped around, eyes catching on the mess of dirty blond. Pushing further, he grabbed the boy by the armpits, shooting to the surface and pulling the human onto land. He flipped him over, meeting confused eyes as he placed a hand on his chest. He was breathing fine, not even panting from being under for so—
Spider's mask glinted in the sun. Aounung was an idiot.
"Are you . . . okay?" The smaller boy asked hesitantly, making no move to sit up.
"You were under for a long time." He mumbled, pulling away.
Spider's face split into a grin. "Did you— did you think I was— "
"Quiet." He hissed, standing up. "We will never speak of this again."
Spider's laughter followed him as he stormed away.
I feel like with Tsireya, she would've immediately been all over him. Like, this is Spider, Lo'ak's supposed best friend. The human boy who acted just like he was Na'vi. It probably started mostly as curiosity, but I think that after seeing how the Sully's interacted with Spider, she'd be confused about his place, his family. If Spider didn't sleep in the Sully's marui, didn't eat with them— then where did he do those things?
Tsireya glided along the water, Lo'ak a few feet from her. "Why doesn't Spider stay in your marui?"
Lo'ak raised a brow. "Uh . . . I don't know. He lives with the humans, I guess. Always has."
"But . . . the humans left after helping Kiri. They have not returned."
"They . . . they haven't?" He cleared his throat. "I'm sure Dad has it handled. There's probably a new shack or something for him."
Consider Spider's mask running low and there isn't a spare anywhere. As a kid, he never was gone from the shack long enough for his battery to run low and during his time with the recoms, there were always spares in someone's pack when he needed it. Idk how long the masks last, but for my own sake, I'm going to say Spider got a new one the day of the battle and it lasted him about a week. Or maybe, he managed to pillage one as the ship went down so he's on his second and it's like two weeks or so.
I think that when he saw the little red light flashing, a small beep-beep sounding, that he'd probably be like a kid who forgot there was a test. He'd just panic. But, I imagine he'd also be scared to bother the Sully's by telling them, so he'd spend the next hour searching the village (discreetly) to see if there were any pilfered batteries or masks left behind when the humans visited. Let's say he has two hours from when the mask starts flashing to change it out. And where, oh where, does he wind up when he's got a half-hour left?
Spider was not panicking. Because, when a human panicked, they breathed faster and wasted more air. Norm told him that, so it had to be true. But, he'd checked everywhere he could think of and . . . nothing. There was no shack, no Norm or Max to run to before his timer ran out. No humans. Only him. And in a matter of . . . fuck, twenty minutes, he was going to die just like a human.
He sat slumped on the beach, looking out into the water and trying his best not to openly sob. He didn't want to die crying like a little baby. It was not working out well for him. At least, he'd have a good view when he died.
"Child? What is wrong?"
Spider flinched, looking up with wide eyes at the clan leader. He'd only talked to Tonowari once, when Jake had introduced him. Of course, given his spectacular luck, the man would find him when he was on death's doorstep.
With a sniffle, he held up his beeping pack. "It's almost out. Twenty minutes."
The man frowned down, grasping the device carefully. "And that is why you're so upset? Because, you don't wish to go into the village for a new one? Did something happen? Someone make you feel unwelcome?"
"There is no new mask." There was also no home to go back to. "That was my only one."
With a cut-off gasp, he pulled Spider to his feet. He marched the boy through the village and into what he recognized as the healer's marui. The Tsahik was mixing something, but she stood as soon as they entered.
"Tonowari?" She asked, stepping closer. "What happened? Is he hurt?"
"His mask, where's the spare?"
Wordlessly, the woman pulled a mask from one of the many baskets, easily connecting the tubing and turning it on. Like, she'd done it before. Spider had no time to ask why she had such a thing before she was right in front of him.
"Take a deep breath." She ordered, unlatching the straps of his mask before pulling it off. Just as quickly, the new one was secured. Spider hadn't even moved.
I think that even before deciding to adopt Spider, Tonowari and Ronal would probably make sure he had spare masks and check what food he could/couldn't eat. Like, as soon as they realize the Sully's aren't caring for him, they'd probably subconsciously take responsibility for him. Because, he was just a kid, really. And kids were clumsy and careless and needed help, needed parents. Anoung and Tsireya, despite being independent and skilled, still needed their parents sometimes. Let their mother do their hair and insisted on their father de-gutting their catches. And Spider— Spider is fragile. He's skilled and smart and quick on his feet, but he's a human surrounded by Na'vi. Not to mention, one wrong move and he's left with a cracked mask. And what if he eats the wrong food, mistakes one fruit for another and ends up poisoned?
This ended up way longer that I thought it would be, lol. But, I really love these types of fics and if anyone has any recs or wants to hear more, my comment section is open. XD
tsireya fainted from tenderness
Miss Wion :) She needs a rider haha.
My thoughts were inspired by @detective-twinkachu's au where Norm and Max hide Spider's lineage.
I love the idea of an AU where Norm finds baby Spider and immediately realizes this child will never know peace if anyone learns who his real father is. So, like Eddard Stark, he makes a painful decision: He erases every trace of Quaritch’s connection to the boy and keeps it secret. He gives the child a new name (seriously, Miles? Way to make it obvious, Paz), forges documents, and creates a solid cover story in case anyone asks questions. He can’t bring himself to tell anyone, not even his closest friends, the truth. Quaritch has made too many enemies and caused too much destruction for anyone to overlook the boy’s lineage. There's already been enough tragedy. And this child, little Julian, is the first human ever born on Pandora.
Norm even steals the only photo of Paz and hides it away where no one will ever find it. He hates lying. Hates secrets. But Hell’s Gate is built on them, and children should never have to suffer for their parents’ mistakes. So he decides: he’ll raise Julian as his nephew. He’ll raise him to be kind, brave, and good. Maybe, just maybe, when Julian turns nineteen, he’ll sit him down and explain everything. Or maybe he won’t. Maybe Julian should never know. Norm will carry this secret to his grave… unless Eywa herself decides to produce a blowhorn and inform the entire planet. No. He'll hold this secret.
On the desk beside Julian's forged documents was a faded photo of Paz Socorro. Pregnant. Glowing. Laughing. Holding her growing belly as she smiled for the camera. Norm’s throat closed up. Guilt and anger were warring in his chest like a storm. What would Trudy say about all this?
“I’m sorry, Socorro,” he whispered. “You were… a good mother. You didn’t deserve to fall in love with a monster, you didn't deserve to die for his craziness, you didn't deserve any of this. But your baby boy? He deserves better. He deserves everything. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."
He picked up the photo, stared at it, then opened up his desk drawer and hid it beneath layers of unimportant documents. Hidden in plain sight until he could find a tiny box and bury the picture so deep that maybe Eywa herself will forget about it. This was for the best.
Then, he burned everything else.
I need Spider to make friends outside of the Sullys. It feels like we only ever see one side of him because he's always around Neytiri's children and can never truly be himself without raising suspicions or anger. Making new friends beyond the Sully inner circle would give him the freedom to be unapologetically himself, and Kiri would start to notice just how bright and mischievous he really is. Spider is still a teenager, and I want him to act more like one: childish, bratty, sullen, and explorative, the way all teenagers are supposed to be.