Stephen Lang Reveals Quaritch’s Unlikely Bond with the Ash People

Colonel Miles Quaritch’s journey has been anything but straightforward. After meeting his end in the original Avatar, he returned in The Way of Water, this time as a recombinant—his human consciousness transferred into a Na’vi body, the very species he once opposed. In the latest instalment, Fire and Ash, Quaritch’s path takes another unexpected turn as he becomes entangled with the Mangkwan Clan, better known as the Ash People. This formidable Na’vi group, led by the intimidating Varang, is notorious for their affinity with fire and their warlike nature. Against all odds, Quaritch finds himself strangely at home among them.

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

Lang remarks during our conversation in London.

“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.”

Lang goes on,

“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. And, of course, the Mangkwan, the Ash People, represent that, because when he goes to where they live, he's in familiar territory. 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 and New Alliances

Jake Sully, meanwhile, is convinced that Quaritch could eventually find harmony with Pandora. Throughout the new film, he repeatedly urges his adversary to open himself to the world around him, hoping for a change of heart.

Lang reflects on the evolving relationship between Quaritch and Jake:

“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. 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

Despite these shifting allegiances, audiences can still expect the familiar tension between Quaritch and Jake to erupt.

“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,”

Lang says with a wry smile.

“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.”

Viewers will be able to witness the next chapter in this ongoing rivalry when Avatar: Fire and Ash lands in cinemas on 19 December. Until then, there’s plenty of time to revisit the previous film or look ahead to the year’s most anticipated releases.