Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Movies | Tagged: avatar, avatar 2, Avatar: The Way Of Water, film

Avatar Sequel Scribes Discuss Spider's Mother and a Father-Son Dynamic

The screenwriters behind Avatar: The Way of Water recently detailed Spider's father-son dynamic and opted to avoid his mother's inclusion.

Avatar: The Way of Water expanded the depth of the franchise, doubling down on existing character arcs, along with exploring several new (or unexpected) dynamics, one of which involved the heavy use of Pandora-born human Spider (played by newcomer Jack Champion). In the midst of the film's chaotic final battle, Spider makes a daring move to aid Quaritch (his father in Avatar form), seemingly keeping his only familial connection intact.

When recently discussing the character's choice, the writers of the Avatar sequel shed a little more light on the thought process behind Spider's last-minute save — and the choice to avoid exploring the character's mother.

Avatar: The Way of Water's Attempt to Establish a Complex Familial Relationship

When asked about the elaborate about Spider's moment with Quaritch, Avatar: The Way of Water screenwriter Amanda Silver explains to Variety, "The movie allows Spider to explore these ambivalent feelings he's having, and, I mean, I think it's fine that the audience is like, 'Don't rescue him!' But the idea that Spider is compelled to rescue Quaritch is interesting from a character point of view." Fellow Avatar sequel scribe Rick Jaffa then adds, "It's this father-son theme that we dive so deeply into — no pun intended."

When further discussing the uncharted story with Spider's full origin and the identity of his mother, Jaffa explains, "There's an entire backstory of that character. We talked a lot about his mother." The writer then concludes, "She didn't need to be a character in the script or in the movie, but we did have to understand her relationship with Quaritch and how Spider ended up left behind on Pandora."

Obviously, the notion that Quaritch and Spider remain alive in the Avatar world, there will undoubtedly be other stories to see how that relationship unfolds… and perhaps that could include more on Spider's mother after all.

What do you think about Spider's parental inclusion (or lack thereof) in Avatar: The Way of Water?

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