Yes — Spider is a major reason Colonel Miles Quaritch begins to soften in Avatar: Fire and Ash, because the film shows Quaritch’s emerging paternal feelings and moments of connection with Spider that interrupt his earlier single-minded hostility toward Jake Sully and the Sully family[2][4].
Context and key evidence
– The film presents Quaritch not simply as an unchanging antagonist but as a Na’vi-mounted return of a man who once fathered Spider; the biological tie is foregrounded and used to create emotional friction between Quaritch’s old personality and his current circumstances[2][4].
– Several scenes directly link Quaritch’s behavior to his relationship with Spider: he offers reassurance and pride to the boy, says “I’m here for you,” and tries to reach him emotionally, which other characters notice as a shift from his earlier brutality[2].
– Narrative moments make Spider a focal point for potential redemption: Jake interprets Quaritch’s new behavior as an opportunity, telling Quaritch that the destructive human memories are dead and that he can choose differently in this new body[1][3]. Those lines frame Spider as the emotional hinge that makes Quaritch’s change of heart narratively plausible[1][3].
– The film stages a crucial action beat where Spider nearly falls to his death and both Jake and Quaritch pause fighting to save him; that shared protective impulse demonstrates that Quaritch’s priorities have shifted at least temporarily toward the boy’s wellbeing[1].
– Spider’s rejection of Quaritch also matters: the boy’s refusal to accept Quaritch’s overtures complicates the softening, showing it is not purely caused by Quaritch’s sentiment but is an interplay of paternal instinct, Spider’s responses, and Jake’s appeal to Quaritch’s ability to change[2].
How the film uses Spider to alter Quaritch’s arc
– Emotional mirror: Spider embodies what Quaritch once was and what he might protect, so caring for him forces Quaritch to confront paternal feelings that humanize him on screen[2][4].
– Moral test: Interactions with Spider create situations where Quaritch must choose between old patterns of violence and a new protective stance; those choices let the audience see possible transformation unfold[1][3].
– Story lever: Spider’s vulnerability and the threat posed by RDA experiments on him raise stakes that pressure Quaritch’s loyalties, making the decision to act differently narratively consequential[1].
Limits and complications
– Softening is partial and unstable: scenes show Quaritch still capable of aggression and self-interested alliances (for example his dealings with Varang and Mantleray politics), so Spider’s influence does not instantly redeem him or erase his past[2].
– Spider’s rejection weakens the idea of simple paternal reconciliation: the boy resists Quaritch’s overtures, which both explains and frustrates why Quaritch cannot be fully reformed simply by biological connection[2].
– The film leaves Quaritch’s fate and final alignment ambiguous in places, so Spider’s role is an important catalyst but not the sole determinant of Quaritch’s ultimate choices[1][3].
Short takeaway
Spider functions as an emotional catalyst that interrupts Quaritch’s previous hostility, creating moments of paternal feeling and hesitation that make Quaritch’s partial softening believable, while the character’s remaining aggression and ambiguous choices mean Spider’s influence is necessary but not sufficient for full redemption[2][1][3][4].
Sources
https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/avatar-fire-and-ash-2025/
https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/avatar-fire-and-ash-ending-explained-who-dies/
https://screenrant.com/avatar-fire-and-ash-jake-sully-quartich-relationship-changed-explained/
https://movieweb.com/avatar-fire-and-ash-jack-champion-breaks-down-spiders-split-loyalty/
