‘Don’t Hate Me, Bro’ – In Defense of Avatar Sequels ‘Spider’ Character | FirstShowing.net

‘Don’t Hate Me, Bro’ – In Defense of Avatar Sequels ‘Spider’ Character

by Alex Billington
January 9, 2026

“Bro, you’re right. He’s, like, in every shot. Bro, look, look, he’s giving her the looks.” Don’t hate on my bro Spider! He doesn’t deserve this! For the last three years ever since Avatar: The Way of Water opened in theaters I’ve been out there defending my bro Spider. In all honesty, I do not really understand the hate. He has been called the Jar Jar Binks of Avatar, which doesn’t even make sense, plus he’s not even remotely as annoying as Jar Jar. Just because he says “bro” all the time and has dreadlocks, that’s why so many people don’t like him? Come on. Now that Avatar: Fire and Ash is finally out, it’s time to discuss his importance in these sequels – especially because he becomes the centerpiece of Fire and Ash, literally evolving into the “unobtanium” valuable asset in this sequel. I know I’m probably not the only defender, but I definitely feel alone saying that Spider is one of my favorite characters in the Avatar sequels. Not only is he a vital part of the story connecting both sides, but I think he gives a wholesome performance and he embodies the “human kid who wishes he was a Na’vi” mentality perfectly hopping around the huge trees and swinging everywhere.

To recap: Miles “Spider” Socorro is the 16-year-old son of the marine mercenary villain Quaritch. Spider is introduced in the beginning of The Way of Water as one of kids within the Sully family – taken in by them after growing up. He was born in the original human outpost and raised by scientists who stayed on Pandora and applies Na’vi paint marks + wears an oxygen mask when outside. When he is first introduced it caught my attention right away because here we have a go-between character who is essentially the son of the main bad human but also rejects that aspect of his identity. He believes he is Na’vi – a bit like Mowgli from The Jungle Book, but of course he’s not as big as they are and still needs to breathe oxygen like a human (spoiler – that all changes in Fire and Ash). It’s a fascinating dynamic because I think it’s exciting to see the concept of a human being who actually prefers the Na’vi way of life and rejects his humanness without having to be switched over into a Na’vi body. And ultimately what is most important is his connection to and relationship with the rest of the Sully children. He’s one of them. He’s family. And this is all established before The Way of Water starts – the rest of the story plays out in relation to him learning about Quaritch being his real dad.

Many of the complaints I’ve read about Spider seem to be about the performance, the actor himself, or his dreadlock “bro” attitude. None of which bother me. The dreadlocks & “bro” lingo come directly from his life being a teen growing up with Na’vi, many of whom also have dreads. The actor playing Spider is a newcomer – young American actor Jack Champion, whose only roles before these movies were “kid on a bicycle” in Avengers: Endgame and a small indie horror called The Night Sitter. Wikipedia explains: “[Jack] booked his part in Avatar at age 12, after four months of extensive auditions… The nature of Champion’s role meant that he had to film all his scenes twice; his work involved two years of performance capture on a soundstage, followed by two and a half years of filming the same scenes in live-action in New Zealand.” Even if you have issues with his performance, this kid gave it his all. He spent 4 years playing this role before anyone knew about it. He became a major character in an iconic sci-fi series & had never been seen before by most people. Even if you don’t like his performance, his commitment is impressive and his ability to embody the essence of “Spider” in every sense is astonishing. Check him out in any other movie he’s been in since (e.g. Scream VI, Freaky Tales, Trap House) – you won’t recognize him because he’s so good as Spider that’s all we know.

The real core of Spider in Avatar: Fire and Ash is that he’s the conduit between both worlds. He represents both sides of the fight – between Na’vi and the humans on Pandora. He also represents both sides because he’s technically the biological son of Quaritch, the asshole villain, yet he was raised by the Sully Na’vi family and actually prefers the Na’vi way of the life. The first time he’s introduced in TWOW and you see how he’s fully committed & loyal to them it’s very touching. There are no other characters in this entire universe like him, he’s truly one-of-a-kind. There are other Na’vi crossovers like Norm Spellman, but none of them are a “pink skin” human who thinks he’s Na’vi and loves them because he understands their way of life. It’s just as heartbreaking to see him ripped apart and torn between both worlds. In TWOW, Quaritch uses him for his gain to find Jake Sully. In Fire and Ash, he’s emotionally manipulated again by Quaritch to try and convince him to switch sides, but what’s always so inspiring about this character is that he never does switch. He’s a Sully. He loves them and would never betray them, even though it comes close. That’s something special to see and I think it’s admirable James Cameron and his team of writers put all this into one teenage character.

One of the amusing ironies of me defending Spider is that in real life I absolutely hate spiders (yes, I mean arachnids) and cannot stand them, and yet, I love this Spider because he’s not an insect. Thank goodness. (Ha…) There’s absolutely no way I’m going to convince anyone who despises Jack Champion’s performance and/or his character that he is actually good, bro. There’s no amount of words or sentences I could string together to change your mind if you’ve seen all three of these movies and still don’t like him. It’s not going to happen. However, I have to stand my ground and defend Spider because I absolutely do believe he’s one of the best characters in these Avatar sequels. And I couldn’t disagree more with the hate and the negativity and the Jar Jar comparisons and everything else. It’s a bit strange how so many people are bothered by all the “bro” stuff. Have you ever listened to real teenagers talk? This is what they sound like. Spider’s young kookiness is a key part of the character – he’s always hammy because he’s still just a kid. But he also wears his heart on his sleeve. He sticks out because he’s not a part of either side, yet he’s also desperate to fit in. Perhaps these are reasons some don’t like him but they’re also the exact same reasons I find him endearing.

After introducing him in the second sequel, Fire and Ash puts Spider front and center as the most important character in the story. There are a number of exceptionally emotional, extra moving scenes involving Spider and his place within this world. Not only does it have the brewing love story between Kiri and Spider (no they’re not related – it’s fine, don’t worry) there’s the gorgeous scene early on where Kiri encourages Eywa to save his life and she does. Sure, this plot twist is a bit outlandish, but that’s what these movies are, so I’ll allow it. Eywa connects her fungus mycelium into his lungs and adapts his biology so he can breathe the air on Pandora without a mask. Pretty much a miracle. A Twitter geek describes this moment passionately: “the entire scene with Kiri giving Spider life was my favorite scene by far. The music, the energy, the forest, the power that was displayed. It was absolutely perfect.” Later on, after Neytiri encourages that they kill Spider because he’s too much of a risk to the family, it’s Jake who actually let’s his negativity out and tries to do exactly that. But he stops himself and admits he loves Spider and always will love him and can’t go through with it. Easily one of the most emotional scenes in any of these. Then there’s all the other stuff with Quartich trying to connect with him and their big fight at the end where Spider almost shoots him with the crossbow.

I sincerely believe Spider really is the heart & soul of these two Avatar sequels. Perhaps James Cameron wanted to add this character into the mix because it would give us a human connection to another human character who also loves and wants to spend all their time with the Na’vi. Since the rest of the time humans are the bad guys. Perhaps he just wanted to try out the Mowgli concept on Pandora. Whatever the impetus for creating this character, what matters is that even James Cameron saw enough heart and soul within him to allow Spider to be the centerpiece “unobtanium” character in Fire and Ash. That’s major considering he’s an actor we’ve never seen before and there are about 30 other main characters in these sequels that are also just as important to the dynamic of what’s happening on Pandora. Spider represents the idea that you don’t need to be Na’vi to love the Na’vi, to understand them and their ways, to connect with him, to feel a part of them. It’s more of an integration and acceptance and belonging story and that’s quite beautiful, too. Maybe he is just another bratty Sully kid but that’s no reason to hate him. There’s much more to him than most see.

Just as Jake tells Neytiri in one scene during Fire and Ash: “You cannot live like this, baby, in hate!” That is what I want to tell anyone who has it out for Spider. He doesn’t deserve this hate! You can’t live with this hate for him in your heart! He is the key part of the emotional core of these sequels because he is an emotional core within the Sully family. He connects all of them and brings them all together. Loving him is important, it represents the idea that it doesn’t matter where you come from or how pink you are, your real identity is much deeper within you… The pureness of the “I See You” concept. Eywa gets it. That’s why she saves him and gives him new life. This is also exactly why the movie ends with Spider connecting with Eywa and being greeted by all the Na’vi dead and alive. Many of the humans who have invaded will never change. They’re there for one purpose only and they see the Na’vi as obstacles. Jake transitioned but he’s way more Na’vi than human now. Spider still is human, yet he has fully bridged that gap between human beings and the Na’vi of Pandora and shows us the right path to being a part of this world. I actually admire him and enjoy his antics and I hope with time more people will come to appreciate Spider as much as I do. (Or not.)

This image above is created by artist “EnaBuns” via Twitter. It’s a perfectly realized visual representation of the meme idea that in Fire and Ash it’s just a battle of two dads over their kid and what to do about him…

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