Warning: Major SPOILERS for Pacific Rim: Uprising ahead
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Charlie Day's Kaiju-obsessed scientist Dr. Newton "Newt" Geiszler played a pivotal role in Pacific Rim, drifting with a Kaiju brain in order to gather information about the extra-dimensional species. The tactic proved to be a bit of a double-edged sword; although the humans gained valuable information about what the Kaiju are, where they come from and why they keep attacking, the Kaiju also stole information from Newt's mind. Overall, it was made pretty clear that drifting with a Kaiju brain is very bad for a person's health - and Pacific Rim Uprising eventually reveals that Newt's mind has actually been taken over by the Precursors, the creators of the Kaiju, and that he's working to help them overthrow humanity.
In Pacific Rim Uprising, the Precursors' plan has changed somewhat. Instead of simply sending wave after wave of Kaiju to wage war on different cities, the Kaiju are directed to throw themselves into Mount Fuji, so that their highly volatile blood will create a volcanic eruption massive enough to fracture the pacific shelf and change Earth's atmosphere to make it suitable for the Precursors (and extremely unsuitable for humans).
Related: Guillermo del Toro Should Make A PROPER Pacific Rim 2
Interestingly, Newt's eventual heel turn was actually planned by del Toro even before Pacific Rim began filming. Speaking back in 2013, Day said that, "I remember when I first met with [Del Toro] that he liked the idea of Newt becoming a bit of a villain in the second film." He reiterated this in a recent interview with Screen Rant, but in an odd twist of fate it seems as though del Toro's departure from the franchise as director (Pacific Rim Uprising was directed by Steven S. DeKnight) may have been what actually doomed Newt to become a villain:
"I think he had mentioned to me that he thought I would become a villain in the second one. But then I had Guillermo come do [a cameo in] It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and he was telling me what he was working on for the second movie and he was not going down that road."
It's unclear why del Toro had a change of heart about turning Newt into a villain in the sequel, though after the first movie came out Day commented that the director might have changed his mind because of "the way the character resonated with the audience." It's also possible that a redemption arc was being planned for Newt in a future sequel, since he was after all being controlled by the Precursors in Pacific Rim Uprising, and could hypothetically be cured of their influence. Unfortunately, early box office numbers make it pretty unlikely that we'll ever get a Pacific Rim 3.
If there's an important lesson to take away from Newt's two-movie arc, it's that you shouldn't choose the brain of a highly destructive monster created by a race bent on invading, terraforming and colonizing Earth as your girlfriend, because that relationship will only end in tears.
More: How Pacific Rim’s Alternate Timeline & History Works
