Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Avatar 2: Fans spot Easter egg in new trailer hinting at return of dead character from original film

Viewers were able to match a piece of body art to a character from the 2009 blockbuster

Louis Chilton
Wednesday 11 May 2022 10:17 BST
Comments
Avatar: The Way of Water teaser trailer drops online

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Eagle-eyed Avatar fans have spotted a tiny detail in the new sequel trailer which hints at one a major plot development.

On Monday (9 May), fans around the globe were given their first look at James Cameron’s long-awaited blockbuster sequel, officially titled Avatar: The Way of Water.

*Potential spoilers follow for Avatar: The Way of Water*

In the original Avatar, Stephen Lang played Colonel Miles Quaritch, the head of the humans’ security force who turns out to be the villain.

At the end of the film, Quaritch is killed by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) as he was preparing to kill Jake Sully (Sam Worthington).

It has long been reported that Lang would in fact be returning for the sequel, despite his character having been killed off. This lead to speculation over whether Lang would be portraying an entirely new character, or a clone.

The exact specifics of his return are still unclear, but viewers were able to identify a blue-skinned Na’vi version of the character in the new trailer.

Fans spotted a familiar tattoo in this shot from the ‘Avatar 2’ trailer
Fans spotted a familiar tattoo in this shot from the ‘Avatar 2’ trailer (20th Century Studios)

While the figure bears a passing facial resemblance to Lang, the tell-tale sign comes on his arm – which boasts the same eagle tattoo Quaritch wore in the original.

What exactly this means for the sequel remains to be seen, but it seems to suggest that Quaritch had an avatar that has somehow managed to find a life of its own – or is perhaps being comandeered by someone with the same DNA.

You can read The Independent’s review of the new Avatar trailer here.

Avatar: The Way of Water is released in cinemas in December.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in