Warning: Article contains spoilers for Firestarter 2022.
Native American villain Rainbird underwent some interesting changes for Firestarter's second movie adaptation, but the best is ultimately wasted. Firestarter has now become the latest Stephen King story to receive more than one screen adaptation, joining a club that also includes IT, Pet Sematary, The Stand, The Shining and Carrie, among others. Generally, Firestarter the book isn't considered in the same league as those other mentioned titles, but it's still a memorable addition to the King oeuvre that has many supporters.
Firestarter was first adapted into a 1984 movie starring Drew Barrymore as young pyrokinetic Charlie McGee and David Keith as her also psychically gifted father Andy. The McGees find themselves on the run from The Shop, the villainous organization that conducted the experiments that gave Charlie's parents their powers. Firestarter 2022 retains much of the basic plot beats, although it does thankfully correct the mistake the original movie made by casting a Native American actor as Rainbird instead of another white man.
Rainbird actually ends Firestarter 2022 as a bit of antihero, having not exactly redeemed himself for his past actions, but seemingly with a new benevolent purpose. It's a surprising change, but also surprising was the earlier reveal that Rainbird now has his own psychic powers, having been a former Lot 6 test subject himself. Giving Rainbird superpowers - given he's an already quite lethal foe in past incarnations - makes him an even scarier threat to the McGees, and also adds further excitement and menace to his first attack on the family. Sadly, Rainbird's psychic powers are never fully explored, and rarely appear after their first use, which seems like a massive waste.
While the extent of Rainbird's powers is left completely ambiguous, he's shown to have some form of telekinetic ability, capable of moving objects with his mind. He can also seemingly see at least the recent past when looking into someone's eyes, as he's able to ascertain where Charlie and Andy went after being face to face with Vicky McGee. Rainbird reveals in brief dialogue that he got his powers from Lot 6, the same experiment endured by the McGees. His powers and past are begging for more exploration, yet instead Firestarter 2022 gives viewers nothing else.
That exploration of Rainbird's backstory is needed all the more thanks to Firestarter's 2022 ending, in which he and Charlie leave the Shop compound together after it's been destroyed. Rainbird was killed by Charlie in the book and previous movie, and getting a better look at his life pre-Firestarter would serve to inform this change of heart and make it feel more organic. He did still murder Charlie's mother after all. Perhaps Blumhouse and Universal planned to cover that ground in a sequel, but with a lackluster box office take, Firestarter looks highly unlikely to receive one.