Avatar: Fire and Ash ending explained: Is Quaritch dead?

**WARNING: Contains full spoilers for Avatar: Fire and Ash**

From the get get go, James Cameron's Avatar franchise has prided itself on making cinema about as epic as it can possibly be. The first film, released back in 2009, used 3D better than any other big screen event before it, and its 2022 follow-up Avatar: The Way of Water built on that success to create another truly transportive tale.

Now the time has come to return to Pandora for the third instalment in the sci-fi saga, and this time Cameron is painting on an even bigger canvas than before. The new film, once again, sees the Na'vi, led by Sam Worthington's Jake Sully, pitted against Jake's nemesis Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and the RDA, but on this occasion the antagonists are bolstered by some powerful new allies.

Those allies come in the form of the Ash People, a Na'vi tribe with a grudge to bear, whose leader Varang is a fierce "magnificent beast of a lady" played by Oona Chaplin.

You may remember that in the previous film, Quaritch's son Spider – who is friends with the Sully kids – had saved his father when he was on the verge of drowning. Well, that unorthodox father and son relationship is a central driving force in the new film, complicating matters for both the heroes and villains.

Crucially, the RDA learn that Spider is now able to breathe Pandoran air without a mask (thanks to an intervention by Kiri), which makes them eager to capture him so they can attempt to unlock this ability for themselves.

And so, after a complex narrative that involves kidnappings, escapes, some major revelations about Kiri (who is revealed to be Grace's clone) and even a scene where Jake is almost persuaded by Neytiri to kill Spider, it all culminates in an epic battle that is, in some ways, rather reminiscent of the previous film.

Need those final scenes unpacked? Read on to have the Avatar: Fire and Ash ending explained.

Avatar: Fire and Ash ending explained: What happens at the end of the film?

The film's final act sees all-out war between Sully's troops – now consisting of various Na'vi clans and the Tulkun population – against the RDA and the Ash People. The battle is a long and tense one, with various shifts in momentum, and leads to numerous injuries and fatalities.

Initially, Jake and Neytiri are among the injured, and it's up to the younger generation of Sullys to ensure their survival. As things are beginning to look pretty dire for our heroes, Kiri, Spider and Tuk enter the Spirit World and beg Eywa for help – and soon afterwards some more sea creatures join in the battle, slowly turning things back in their favour.

Scoresby (Brendan Cowell) and General Ardmore (Edie Falco) are among the Sky People who perish as the battle enters this new phase. However, unfortunately, a less welcome death comes when Ronal (Kate Winslet) passes away from injuries she sustained in battle, just after she gives birth to a baby girl, whom she leaves in the care of Neytiri.

Of course, everything soon culminates in a tête-à-tête between those old nemeses, Jake and Quaritch, who do battle atop a floating island. The matter is complicated by the presence of Spider, who at one point looks set to fall to his death, only for Quartich to jump out and save him.

Jake then, in turn, jumps after Quaritch – less concerned with saving his enemy than he is in ensuring Spider's survival – with the remaining Sullys arriving on the scene soon after to add reinforcements.

Does Quaritch die in Avatar: Fire and Ash?

After Spider is saved, Jake stops the other Sullys from killing Quaritch, but once he does so, the villain jumps anyway – seemingly to his death.

But while it's safe to say that things don't look altogether rosy for the villain, we don't actually see his dead body after the fall. It's therefore very possible that he was somehow rescued, although his exact fate is left unclear.

Of course, even if he did die, that doesn't necessarily mean much, as this is a character who has escaped death before. The current version of Quaritch is a recombinant Na'vi Avatar who was provided with the original character's memories and personality some time after he died during the events of the original film. So who's to say that can't happen again? We'll just have to wait and see.

What happens to Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash?

As for the film's other main antagonist, Varang (Oona Chaplin), she is still alive and well by the end of the movie.

She too was heavily involved in the climatic battle, and at one point in the fighting had overpowered Neytiri, only for Kiri to step in and gain the upper hand. But rather than finishing the villain off, Neytiri and Kiri decided to let her go – meaning the coast is clear for her to return in the fourth movie if it does go ahead.

So really, it's just a matter of whether she'll be reunited with her partner in crime, Quaritch, when the time comes.

What happens in the final scene of Avatar: Fire and Ash?

With the battle over and the Sully family safe (for now, at least), the film ends with one final scene that sees Kiri taking Spider into the Spirit World for the first time, where they come face to face with both Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Grace (Sigourney Weaver),

As Cameron had teased, everything "resolves in a very satisfying way" – although fans of the franchise will no doubt still be upset if this is indeed the last voyage to Pandora.

With Varang and possibly Quaritch still out there and plenty more to explore when it comes to Kiri being Grace's clone and Spider having access to the Spirit World, there's certainly still numerous avenues for future films to go down. We'll be hoping for an update on what comes next before too long...

Avatar: Fire and Ash is now showing in UK cinemas.

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