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Avatar: Fire and Ash: Sam Worthington Says It's "Unlike Marvel Movies"

Avatar: Fire and Ash star Sam Worthington believes the film series is "unlike Marvel movies" when it comes to its storytelling and success

Published Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:17:07 -0500

by Gavin Sheehan

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Article Summary

Sam Worthington says Avatar films differ from Marvel by avoiding outside pressures and creative constraints.
Avatar: Fire and Ash’s massive $1.4 billion box office success is driven by its unique storytelling approach.
Worthington highlights director James Cameron’s creative freedom as key to the franchise’s ongoing risks.
Avatar movies are made with an independent spirit, allowing bold choices not typically seen in blockbusters.

The Avatar film series has enjoyed great success over the years, with the most recent film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, grossing over $1.4 billion worldwide. According to one of its stars, Sam Worthington, he believes the success comes from not having to deal with outside forces and influences, citing the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a comparison.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. Sam Worthington arrives for the ÔAvatar The Way of WaterÕ Hollywood Premiere on December 12, 2022 in Hollywood, CA (Shutterstock/DFree)

Sam Worthington Believes Avatar Isn't Bound By "Outside Pressures"

In an interview with The Independent, Worthington talked about how the Avatar films are not under pressure from multiple sources and have more freedom to take chances, saying, "We're unlike Marvel movies, in the sense of… it feels like an independent movie when we make it. […] We don't have outside pressures, or expectations from the press, or the studio, or the community. It doesn't affect what we do. And that's why we can take more risks. It's not like we have to get scenes completed by today or the studio is going to be upset. We just play and create. People don't understand that. […] They think it's this big solid machine where Jim [James Cameron] is the didactic director. And he's not. He's a painter. […] We have to do well in order to continue. We have to do well, and we need to figure out how to make Avatar movies more inexpensively in order to continue."

About Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash picks up shortly after the events of Avatar: The Way of Water. Jake and Neytiri are still reeling from Neteyam's death when conflict with a new Na'vi faction explodes. The Mangkwan (or Ash People) live in a volcanic region and reject Eywa, pulling the Sully family into a new brutal clash that pushes their loyalties and beliefs to the limit. At the same time, human threats remain in play (as we've come to expect), making things even more complicated. Most of the core cast returns, including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Weaver, Stephen Lang, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo Li Bliss, Cliff Curtis, and Kate Winslet, with Oona Chaplin joining as Ash clan leader Varang and David Thewlis as Wind Trader chief Peylak.

: LOS ANGELES – DEC 12: Sam Worthington arrives for the ÔAvatar The Way of WaterÕ Hollywood Premiere on December 12, 2022 in Hollywood, CA (Shutterstock/DFree)

: (L-R) Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

: (L-R) Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.