One of the biggest mysteries surrounding James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water was how Sigourney Weaver returned Avatar 2. Dr. Grace Augustine, the highly memorable Sigourney Weaver Avatar character in the original, died at the hands of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), Avatar's villain. But Weaver returned for Avatar: The Way of Water as an entirely different character — a Na'vi child. In the first Avatar movie, Dr. Grace Augustine was the head of the Avatar program, tasked with setting up English schools for would-be Na’vi multilinguists.
Weaver’s character Dr. Grace was highly sympathetic towards the Na’vi, believing that destroying their ecosystem would do more harm than good, leading to several clashes with Colonel Quaritch's militarization efforts. Despite her character dying a heroic death in the first film, Sigourney Weaver made an indirect return in Avatar: The Way of Water, where she played Jake and Neytiri's adopted daughter, Kiri. This isn't only unusual because the 73-year-old Weaver played a teenage girl, but it also called into question whether Dr. Grace had been reincarnated – and, if so, how and why. Here is the answer to how is Sigourney Weaver in Avatar 2, and what Kiri means for the Avatar franchise.
Kiri Shares Dr. Grace Augustine's Deep Connection To Eywa
The answer to how is Sigourney Weaver in Avatar 2 came down to her connection with Eywa. While Dr. Grace Augustine died in the first movie, Kiri ended up miraculously being born of Grace's inert avatar. This means that, while Kiri was raised by Jake and Neytiri, her real mother was Grace, and Weaver returned to the franchise to voice the teenage girl. However, there was one question that was never answered, and that is who Kiri's father was. She asked Grace when she connected to Eywa, but the connection ended up severed before getting an answer.
That brings up a great Avatar theory that Kiri is actually a messiah character in the world of Avatar. Since Dr. Grace Augustine was one of the people who helped create the system for integrating with the world, she served as a creator role anyway. If Kiri has no father, as the theories suggest, she could be born as a messiah, and she could end up as the Na've Jesus, although it is a mystery that the future Avatar sequels could explore. It takes the question of how is Sigourney Weaver in Avatar 2 and repositions it as why she returned.
Why It's Good That Sigourney Weaver Returned To Avatar
Although the casting may seem odd, it actually makes sense for the Sigourney Weaver Avatar journey to continue through a performance as Jake and Neytiri's adopted daughter. Grace Augustine had her flaws, but she had a genuine love and respect for the Na'vi and Pandora as a whole, which was evidenced in her delight at meeting Eywa just before her death in the original movie.
Since Eywa appears to be a benevolent deity, it would be logical for her to give Grace another chance at life on Pandora, even if it's as a new person with little to no memory of her life before. Likewise, it's a touching parallel for Sigourney Weaver to be Jake and Neytiri's adopted child since Dr. Grace served as a compelling mentor figure to Jake in the first film. Kiri is therefore not only a second chance for Grace but also a way for Jake and Neytiri to give back and reciprocate her sacrifice in the original Avatar.
Sigourney Weaver Also Played Dr. Grace Augustine In Avatar 2
Even with Sigourney Weaver playing Kiri for most of the film, Dr. Grace Augustine also returned. In Avatar: The Way of Water, the kids watched old footage of Grace and Dr. Norm Spellman working together. There was also the case of Kiri connecting to Eywa and talking to a version of her mother through the deity's mythical connection. There is a chance Grace could return in future movies in a similar manner. Whatever the case may be, it will be interesting to see how Sigourney Weaver's two Avatar: The Way of Water roles play out in the future sequels as her story and her fate end up revealed.
