Avatar: The Way of Water sees a specific character returning from the 2009 original, leaving many to wonder if there was an Avatar 2 Vin Diesel role. Avatar: The Way of Water features a lot of returning characters as well as a host of new introductions within the world of Pandora. From Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri Zoe Saldaña) to the return of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), Avatar: The Way of Water has a cast stacked with talent similar to its predecessor.
One character, however, is leading many to question whether Fast & Furious actor Vin Diesel had a part in Avatar: The Way of Water — and that the movie may even have contained an uncredited or hidden Avatar Vin Diesel appearance. This confusion comes as no surprise, for a few different reasons. From Vin Diesel's teases of being part of the Avatar films to a certain character in the movie with a specific look, here's why audiences are convinced Vin Diesel was cast in the Avatar sequel.
Does Vin Diesel Play One Of Quaritch's Marines In Avatar: The Way Of Water?
Despite popular belief in the Avatar 2 Vin Diesel casting, the actor does not play one of Quaritch's squad mates in Avatar: The Way of Water. The character in question is Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, who returns from the first movie. While there are notable similarities, that wasn't Vin Diesel in Avatar 2. Wainfleet is again played by actor Matt Gerald, who bears a striking resemblance to Diesel. In James Cameron's original Avatar, Wainfleet is part of the RDA's security force and serves Quaritch in their war against the Na'vi.
While Gerald returns for Avatar: The Way of Water playing the same character, this time he portrays Wainfleet in Avatar form, with the RDA security force returning as Recombinants. These are Avatars implanted with the memories of the human marines they were cloned from. With Quaritch as a Na'vi, along with Wainfleet and the rest of his team, they are able to return to Pandora to finish what they started, with the small appearance of Wainfleet's human form at the beginning leading to confusion over Diesel's potential role in the film.
Will Vin Diesel Be In Avatar 3?
The confusion behind the Avatar 2 Vin Diesel rumor is not down to a simple case of Matt Gerald and Diesel looking very similar. Diesel and James Cameron have actually been teasing the former's role in an Avatar sequel for a while, which led many to believe the actor would appear in Avatar: The Way of Water. Vin Diesel wasn't in Avatar 2 in the end, but there are still three more confirmed Avatar movies.
In 2019, Diesel shared a video of himself and James Cameron on social media in which the director states that the two of them are on the set of Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5, leaving it purposefully unclear which movie was being worked on at the time. However, as it has since been revealed that Avatar 4 is only partially shot and Avatar 3 is near completion, some people now believe this was a role teasing Diesel's involvement in Avatar 3. There's been no news to confirm Vin Diesel will be in the next Avatar movie - but there's equally been nothing denying his involvement either.
Jon Landau Has Debunked The Vin Diesel Avatar Cast Rumors
Despite Vin Diesel not being in the credits for Avatar: The Way of Water due to not being in the movie at all, there were still rumors online about a secret or hidden appearance, or even a cut part. After all the excitement over the Avatar 2 Vin Diesel casting rumor, it's unsurprising that many false-claims-for-click-bait corners of the internet refused to let it die. Jon Landau has debunked that Vin Diesel is cast in any Avatar movie, claiming that the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. It seems the reason Diesel was on the set with Cameron was just a simple set visit which a lot of people read too much into. After years of rumors, to have that casting rumor squashed so easily is a bit of a letdown as it would have been fun to see Diesel show up in Avatar 2 as either a Na'vi or human character.
Vin Diesel's Comments Fueled Avatar Cameo Rumors
It might seem strange that the Vin Diesel Avatar rumors became so accepted by the fans even though there was no truth to it at all. However, it does seem that Diesel himself was a big reason the rumor caught traction in the first place. Despite the fact that Diesel clearly knew he wasn't in the movie, he seemed to go out of his way to heavily imply he was with his video from the set. As he talks about his admiration for James Cameron and the fact that working with him is "long overdue," he concludes by saying, "all things come, I guess, to those that wait."
While any fans would reasonably take that comment as a tease that Diesel is in fact working with Cameron, it is possible to interpret it in another less obvious way. However, Diesel continued to fuel those rumors with a subsequent comment (via ET) in which he spoke about his friendship with Avatar's Neytiri actor Zoe Saldana, adding "Hence why I'm doing Avatar, or one of the reasons." It is unclear if Diesel was simply having fun with fans by feeding into the rumor or if he thought keeping the rumor alive might make it a reality.
Why Vin Diesel's Avatar 2 Role Seemed Plausible
Though the Vin Diesel Avatar 2 casting rumor was largely due to the actor's own work, it was not a hard thing to believe. Even if it were just a cameo from Diesel, it would not have seemed outlandish in the least to see him appear in this franchise. Diesel already discussed his friendship with Zoe Saldana which could have brought about his visit to the set in the first place and once on set, it isn't hard to image they could find a way to do a quickly motion-capture cameo for the movie.
Diesel has shown that he doesn't need a lot of dialogue or to even appear on-screen in order to totally embrace a role as he has done with Groot in the MCU. His participation in that franchise also adds to the believability of an Avatar cameo. Similarly, along with Guardian of the Galaxy, the Riddick movie franchise, The Iron Giant, and Bloodshot show that Diesel is a big fan of the sci-fi genre, and it would be easy to see his enthusiasm for joining such a massive franchise as Avatar.
