‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Sets Up a Villain That Could Redefine the Franchise

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The latest Avatar installment, Fire and Ash, hints at a new major villain for the series. So far, the main antagonist has been Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who even after his death, continued as a threat through an Avatar body. While characters like Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), General Ardmore (Eddie Falco), and Varang (Oona Chaplin) have caused trouble, they’ve been secondary to the main conflict.

While Avatar: Fire and Ash focuses on current conflicts, it also hints at a bigger danger: the leader of the Resources Development Administration (RDA). Referred to only as “the Chairman” in the film, this figure raises a fascinating question. Could the Chairman be the ultimate villain of the Avatar series – a hidden mastermind pulling the strings behind all the Na’vi’s struggles, much like Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars?

What Do We Know About the RDA?


20th Century Studios

Within the world of Avatar, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) started as a tech company in Silicon Valley in the early 2000s. By the time of the first Avatar film, it had become the largest non-governmental organization in the world. Throughout most of the Avatar movies, Parker Selfridge has been the public face and leader of RDA’s operations on Pandora. However, Avatar: Fire and Ash reveals that his authority isn’t absolute, as General Frances Ardmore has the power to override his decisions.

It’s important to understand that the soldiers in Avatar don’t represent the U.S. military or any international force. They actually work for the RDA, a corporation, as a private security team called Security Operations, or SecOps. These are former military personnel, which is why they still use ranks like General and Corporal. Essentially, they act as the RDA and its chairman’s enforcers.

The Resources Development Administration (RDA) definitely has investors, as shown in the movie Avatar when Selridge explains to Jake Sully that investors dislike negative publicity even more than poor financial reports. While it’s unclear whether the RDA is privately or publicly owned, it’s now evident that a single person is in charge of the company.

The Resources Development Administration (RDA) shares many similarities with the Weyland-Yutani Company from the Alien films. Both organizations focus on colonizing other planets, utilize mechanized suits for planetary tasks, and attempt to capture and study alien lifeforms to extract valuable resources. Because much of the Weyland-Yutani’s backstory and operations were developed in Alien spin-offs, the RDA offers a glimpse into how James Cameron might have expanded the company’s story if he had continued directing the films.

Who Is the Chairman (And Who Should Play Them)?


Walt Disney Pictures

Despite three movies being made in the Avatar series, the leader of the company remains a mystery. Avatar: Fire and Ash is the first film to even acknowledge a central figurehead, simply referred to as “the Chairman” in a brief exchange where General Ardmore sarcastically suggests Selfridge will ask for help from his superior.

The mention of “daddy” could be figurative, referring to a powerful boss that Parker Selfridge relies on. Or, it could be literal – his actual father. If it’s his father, it changes how we see the entire Pandora operation, suggesting it’s a project given to a son to manage – and one he’s consistently failing at. This also gives director James Cameron a lot of freedom in how he portrays the father and which actor he chooses for the role.

I always figured the Chairman would be older than Giovanni Ribisi, even if they weren’t supposed to be related on screen. Ribisi was 51 when Avatar: Fire and Ash came out, so it makes sense to cast someone older. James Cameron has worked with Lance Henriksen before – on The Terminator and Aliens – and he’d be a great fit. But Lance already played a similar CEO in Alien vs. Predator, and I think Cameron might want to avoid people making that connection. Another option is Michael Biehn, who Cameron also worked with on those same films. In fact, they even considered him for the role of Miles Quaritch in the first Avatar!

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Perhaps the most exciting and enjoyable casting choice would be Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom Cameron has collaborated with on films like The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and True Lies. The two remain close friends – Schwarzenegger even attended the premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash. While he’s famous for action roles, it would be fantastic to see him play a villain – a clever and powerful business leader.

Cameron might choose an actor for the Chairman role who he hasn’t worked with before – a pattern he’s followed with all the villains in the Avatar films. This could also open the door to casting a younger actor and revealing the Chairman has been secretly using Amrita, a substance from the brains of Tulkun that stops aging. While it’s not confirmed if Amrita grants true immortality (the name comes from the Sanskrit word for it), it clearly keeps people youthful and is incredibly valuable – a single vial is worth $80 million, even more than Unotbanium. This suggests the Chairman may be using Amrita to stay “forever young,” as the song goes.

Plans for Avatar 4 and 5 were originally announced in 2014, but recently, director James Cameron has suggested that the third film could potentially be the last. The introduction of the Chairman character hints that he will play a major role in the upcoming sequels, personally taking control of the RDA’s operations on Pandora. This would shift the focus away from Miles Quaritch as the primary villain and introduce a larger, overarching threat to the Sully family. Defeating this new antagonist could finally prevent humanity from attempting to colonize Pandora.

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2025-12-21 19:24