Stephen Lang Unpacks Quaritch’s Bond with the Ash People

Colonel Miles Quaritch hasn’t exactly had a smooth run. After copping it in the first Avatar, he made a comeback in The Way of Water, this time as a recombinant – his old human memories now living on in a Na’vi body. In Fire and Ash, punters get to see yet another side to the bloke. He finds himself mixed up with the Mangkwan Clan, better known as the Ash People – a tough-as-nails Na’vi mob with a real thing for fire, led by the intimidating Varang. Oddly enough, Quaritch seems to click with these fiery locals.

Adapting to a New World

Lang, catching up with us in London, reckons,

‘He must adapt to Pandora will he or nill he. He's tried to make Pandora adapt to him,’

reflecting on Quaritch’s early days as head of security at Hell’s Gate.

‘He brought in a certain consciousness when he was head of security at Hell's Gate. And, as he acknowledged very early on, 'My job is to keep you alive, and I will not succeed.' So, he was kind of doomed and consigned to failure from the very beginning. That whole thing has changed, now.’

Now, with Eywa’s DNA running through his veins, Quaritch faces a new challenge: finding a way to fit in that still feels true to himself.

‘He's become, I shouldn't say one with the planet, because he hasn't – or one with the moon – but now he has the DNA of Eywa, [it's] actually coursing through his veins, so he needs to find a way to adapt that's acceptable to the Quaritch that's left in him,’

Lang explains. The Ash People, with their love of conflict, offer a familiar environment.

‘The very sulfurous smell of conflict and war is in the air. This is something that he understands. This is a milieu in which he exists.’

Shifting Dynamics with Jake Sully

Jake Sully, meanwhile, is convinced Quaritch can find his place on Pandora, often urging him to open up to the world around him. Lang notes the complicated relationship between the two, saying,

‘Well, there's been a definitely an evolution in the relationship, a deepening of the relationship, and, in some sense, there's been a widening of the chasm between them. But, on a whole 'nother level, there's sort of almost a mutual dependence that has occurred, it seems to me. And, of course, they're bound together by this young boy, Spider, as well.’

Both Marines at heart, Quaritch and Sully share a certain understanding, but the presence of Spider adds another layer to their rivalry.

‘So, whatever exists between Quaritch and Sully, just because of the fact that they're both Marines, they're both mission oriented, they both understand – they both have the same vocabulary, it seems to me. There's this added thing of this boy, and are they vying for him? What exactly is it? That dynamic is constantly shifting between them, and so much of the joy of making a film like this is exploring that dynamic.’

Clashes and Confrontations

Of course, fans can still expect the usual fireworks between Quaritch and Sully. Lang grins,

‘There's a battle royale at the end, a real donnybrook that happens, and there's always a fight between Sully and Quaritch in these films. So, somehow you've got to keep kind of upping it. The ante goes up, and each one is different. It's like thinking back to the heavyweight fighters that we love, thinking about Muhammad Ali, or Tyson. Each of their fights is brutal, and in different ways. They're articulated in different ways, and I think Ali and Frazier fought three times. It's like Sully and Quaritch, just kind of going at it.’

Avatar: Fire and Ash lands in cinemas on December 19. Until then, there’s plenty to catch up on, whether it’s the much-hyped release schedule or a refresher on The Way of Water’s ending.