Will Neytiri Lose Faith in Eywa?
In the latest Avatar movie, Fire and Ash, Neytiri faces her darkest moments yet. She is drowning in grief after losing her son Neteyam. This pain pushes her to question everything she holds dear, including her deep bond with Eywa, the Great Mother of Pandora. But does she truly lose faith? The story shows her clinging to it even as she teeters on the edge.
Neytiri has always been guided by Eywa. Back in the first Avatar film, a woodsprite landed on her arrow, stopping her from killing Jake Sully. She saw it as a clear sign from Eywa, which sparked their love and changed Pandora forever. https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/16-years-later-the-most-important-avatar-character-is-finally-revealed-and-their-look-isnt-surprising/ In the battle that followed, Eywa united the forest creatures to help the Na’vi win. Neytiri shouted that Eywa had heard them.
Faith stayed strong through Avatar: The Way of Water. Her adopted daughter Kiri, born mysteriously from Grace Augustine’s avatar body, feels Eywa in a special way. Kiri controls fish and plants, abilities no ordinary Na’vi has. She even says she can feel Eywa directly. https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/16-years-later-the-most-important-avatar-character-is-finally-revealed-and-their-look-isnt-surprising/
Fire and Ash tests Neytiri hardest. Early in the film, she tells Jake, “All I have is my faith. This is the Great Mother’s plan.” https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/avatar-fire-and-ash-2025/ Na’vi around her pray and sing to Eywa, who acts like a living network storing history and protecting life. Souls return to Eywa after death. Yet Neytiri’s grief makes her dark and out of control. Zoe Saldana, who voices Neytiri, says her character is in such a dark place that she loses purpose and questions everything. She impacts her family harshly, even blaming Spider for Neteyam’s death. Saldana adds that without Jake’s love and her children, Neytiri might have joined the villainous Varang and her Mangkwan people. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/avatar-fire-ash-cast/
Jake tries to comfort her, saying their family is a fortress and he loves her. Both fight to protect their loved ones. Neytiri even promises a dying mother to care for her newborn child. Kiri keeps seeking Eywa, linking to the underwater spirit tree with Spider’s help. They reach an immaterial forest hiding Eywa. https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/16-years-later-the-most-important-avatar-character-is-finally-revealed-and-their-look-isnt-surprising/ https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/avatar-fire-and-ash-2025/
Neytiri turns back to Eywa as her default in tough times, just as Jake turns to soldiering. Her love for her mother Mo’at, the Tsahik with a strong Eywa connection, runs deep too. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/avatar-fire-ash-cast/ https://heroes-and-villain.fandom.com/wiki/Neytiri/Relationships The film builds to a huge battle, with Eywa’s presence felt through connections and ancestors appearing together. Neytiri’s faith wavers under grief, but her words and actions show it as her anchor. She promises it holds all children in her heart.
Sources
https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/16-years-later-the-most-important-avatar-character-is-finally-revealed-and-their-look-isnt-surprising/
https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/avatar-fire-and-ash-2025/
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/avatar-fire-ash-cast/
https://heroes-and-villain.fandom.com/wiki/Neytiri/Relationships
