The Avatar: The Way Of Water Subplot That We Hope Gets More Attention In Avatar 3
This article contains spoilers for "Avatar: The Way of Water."
The first "Avatar" is a rather simple film. As monumentally innovative or visually stunning as the film was, there is a reason why the plot is often compared to "Dances With Wolves" and "Pocahontas." With a script that follows films we've seen before and characters that felt a bit archetypical, there was little room for inner struggle or complex questions about ethics and morals because the bad guys were genocidal colonizers and the good guys were literally fighting for their existence.
Still, it is commendable that James Cameron made a giant blockbuster all about deforestation and the destruction of the environment. You see, James Cameron has a long history of environmentalism and activism, spending his vast fortune building intricate submarines to reach the deepest depths of the ocean, becoming a rather successful supplier of organic brassicas, and so much more. Cameron has also long combined his passion for the environment into his films, including the animal attack film "Piranha II," and his most recent, "Avatar: The Way of Water." This is a film that improves virtually every aspect of the original, and one that acts as arguably the most expensive commercial for saving the whales ever seen in Hollywood.
While Cameron has a very clear, non-cynical view of morality — particularly when it comes to the environment — he does have one character in "The Way of Water" with a complex view of the world, one that inhabits a world of shades of gray: Ian Garvin, the marine biologist played by Jemaine Clement.
Difficult choices
In "Avatar: The Way of Water," we meet the tulkun, a species of space whale-like creatures who are as intelligent as the Na'vi, capable of complex emotions, and can even develop their own societies, music, philosophy, and laws. We also meet the imbecile marine hunters — space whalers, really — who hunt down and murder the tulkun for literally only a vial worth of substance they sell for profit, the new unobtanium.
Trapped in the middle of all this, we find Dr. Ian Garvin, a marine biologist studying the tulkun, and someone who seems to genuinely love Pandora and its wildlife. Garvin is the one that talks about the intelligence of the tulkun, their higher ability to feel emotions compared to human capacity, and their affinity for music. Whenever he talks about it, it's with admiration and awe. And yet, Garvin still works and lives on the same ship that mercilessly and cruelly murders the very tulkan he loves and admires so much. He stands idly by and says nothing, doing nothing to stop it.
Even during the final fight, and even when Payakan starts attacking the whalers and it becomes clear the humans are on the losing side, Garvin stays put. He laughs and cheers the tulkun, but does nothing to try and stop the hunter Mick Scoresby from trying to kill Payakan. Garvin seems to love his research but is doomed to watch his work die before his very eyes. "This is why I drink," he tells Spider after explaining that the hunt funds his research. In a movie with rather clear-cut morals, this is a character that struggles knowing he is a passive participant in a cruel industry — yet he knows this is the only way to fund the research that also helps the tulkun.
The future at stake
Dr. Ian Garvin is not too dissimilar to other characters we've met before in this franchise, namely Dr. Grace Augustine and her employees in the first "Avatar." They worked doing outreach towards the Na'vi, studying Pandora — its flora, and fauna. When Augustine learned about the psychological bond between the Na'vi and Pandora through Eywa, she was as excited as Garvin was when talking about the tulkun. The problem was that, like Garvin, Augustine's research was funded by the military, and was in service of the military's quest to mine the land of the Omaticaya clan.
Like Pandora, our own world is one where scientists that look to better humanity and the planet are forced to seek funds from governments and corporations interested only in the bottom line and are willing to destroy the very thing they're paying to be studied. To be forced to exploit the very thing you want to study and appreciate because it's the only choice you have is horrible, and it makes Garvin a fascinating character.
With the ending of "Avatar: The Way of Water" showing Jake Sully finally deciding to go on the offensive and take action against the invading humans, James Cameron is changing gears too. After the first two movies were (rightfully so) on the side of the Na'vi and focused on their side of the conflict, here comes a chance to explore a bit of gray — characters with complicated decisions to make. Garvin is interested in learning about the tulkun, but is he willing to support their extinction to continue his work? Or will he follow in the footsteps of Augustine, Norm Spellman, and Max Patel and finally take up arms against those seeking to destroy the wonders of Pandora?