Why did Spider save Quaritch in Avatar 2? Explained

Avatar 2 brought in quite a few next-generation Na’vi characters into the mix. Along with them, James Cameron added some interesting character dynamics and relations.

Avatar: The Way of Water was a family movie, but it was very much a father-son story. Not only was it about Jake, Neteyam, and Lo’ak, but it was also about the relationship between Spider and Recom-Quaritch.

As revealed in the film, Spider was adopted by Jake Sully, but he was Miles Quaritch's biological son. Even though there’s no blood relation between Recom-Quaritch and Spider, the former still cared for his human clone’s son. Ultimately, Spider ended up saving the Na’vi clone of Quaritch, but the audience was left wondering why that happened

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Why did Spider save Quaritch in Avatar 2?

Spider and Miles Quaritch in Avatar 2 (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Watching the movie, many fans were shocked to see Spider saving Recom-Quaritch. He has been at the root of all the problems the Na’vi beings have faced in both films. He destroyed the Omaticaya’s home and killed many of them. So, he clearly doesn’t deserve a shot at redemption.

Cameron may have laid the groundwork to redeem Quaritch in the future, but after what he has done, redemption is just not possible. He deserved to die alone at the bottom of the ocean. So, why did Spider save Quaritch in Avatar 2?

While there are multiple reasons, the simplest one is sequels. The reason Cameron and co. made Spider save Quaritch is because they wanted more sequels to happen. They want to make more money. If all the conflict is over, there will be no story left to tell in the next film.

Jack Champion as Spider in Avatar 2 (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Avatar 3 would just look like a big-budget documentary about how beautiful Pandora is and nothing more. So, keeping Quaritch alive was important for that matter, and it would have some dire repercussions, becoming the reason for the conflict in Avatar 3.

After all, it could turn Spider into a villain in the eyes of Jake and Neytiri and that’s the “narrative reason” for saving Quaritch.

However, as an individual, there were various other reasons why Spider felt like saving someone as evil as Quaritch. For one, he was raised by Jake Sully. Even though he thought of himself as one of the Na’vi, he learned humanity from Jake. So, leaving someone for dead when he could clearly save them is something he learned from Jake.

Spider in Avatar 2 (Image via 20th Century Studios)

Secondly, he saved Quaritch because he wanted to return the favor. Earlier in the film, Neytiri almost killed him. Some might believe that she was just gambling. However, that wasn’t true and Spider knew it.

At that moment, it was Quaritch who saved Spider by surrendering. So when Spider was passing by an unconscious Quaritch under the ocean, his moral compass did not allow him to leave him for the dead.

However, the third and main reason is that Spider figured out what Quaritch felt for him. While Neytiri didn’t care for him, Quaritch did. Spider hated his biological father right from the beginning. Arguably, he still does.

Yet, in the time he spent with his father, Spider saw whatever good was left in Quaritch. When Quaritch surrendered against Neytiri, Spider saw signs that his father’s clone might just be redeemable. Hence, he took the call to save Recom-Quaritch.

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Avatar 2 writers revealed why Spider saved Quaritch

Avatar 2 writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Image via Disney)

Avatar: The Way of Water writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver revealed their take on why they decided to make Spider save his cloned father. Silver told 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.”

Jaffa added:

“It’s this father-son theme that we dive so deeply into — no pun intended.”

So, they certainly understand the negativity of the audience towards Spider's decision. However, according to them, Spider’s actions are in line with the father-son themes of the film. Considering that, Spider saving his father does feel like the right call to make, no matter how much the viewers hate him for it.

It’ll be interesting to see the consequences of Spider’s actions when Avatar 3 arrives on December 20, 2024.