One of Avatar: The Way of Water's secrets was centered around the identity of Kiri's father, and a new theory breakdown may reveal who exactly is the mystery figure.
Amid the record-breaking run of Avatar 2 at the box office, some fans are dissecting the unanswered questions about the sequel. The Pandoran epic pushed the concept of family to the forefront, with the central narrative focused on Jake Sully and Neytiri's family.
Aside from the pair's three biological children, Jake and Neytiri adopted two more kids: Kiri and Spider. While Spider's surprising origin was eventually revealed during the film, Kiri's parentage has been the source of speculation among fans.
Who Is Kiri? Sigourney Weaver's New Avatar Character Explained
Although Sigourney Weaver's Dr. Grace Augustine died during 2009's Avatar, her legacy lived through Kiri. At the end of the first movie, Grace tells Jake that she was with Eywa, the biological sentient guiding force of life on Pandora.
Avatar: The Way of Water confirmed that Kiri was born of Grace's Avatar, indicating that the scientist is her mother. The early moments of the sequel showed (but didn't explain) why Grace's Avatar became pregnant, thus leading audiences to question the identity of Kiri's father.
Given that she is Grace's daughter, Kiri is a crossbreed, a half-human and half-Na'vi living in Pandora.
Throughout Avatar 2, Kiri shows her desire to meet Grace, doing whatever things she can to feel closer to her. This includes visiting Grace's incubated Avatar, researching more about her mother through past recordings, and even directly asking Jake and Neytiri.
However, Kiri still hasn't found the answer about her true heritage. Making matters more complicated, Avatar 2 also showcased her newfound abilities that could be tied to her long-lost father.
Avatar 2's story forced the Sully family to seek refuge with the Metkayina, or the oceanic Na'vi clan, to save their people from the onslaught of the Sky People.
While new relationships are forged due to their arrival, it is during this time that Kiri finds out that she has strange abilities, such as controlling and influencing the nature around her and easily bonding with Pandora's creatures.
Who Is Kiri's Father? Every Theory & Likelihood
1.) Dr. Norm Spellman
Jake and Neytiri's kids joked around with the idea that Joel David Moore's Dr. Norm Spellman is Kiri's father. By looking closely, it could make sense, considering that Spellman and Grace had a strong partnership in the lab.
However, many would agree that this is not possible since the pair had a strictly professional relationship, and Jake would've found out by now if Spellman and Grace had a romantic connection.
Verdict: Not the father.
2.) No one
While Avatar 2 has gone to great lengths to tease Kiri's heritage, director James Cameron and the sequel's writers may have done this to keep everyone chasing a false promise. So, it's possible that Kiri doesn't have a father at all, and she is simply Grace's clone.
If she is a clone, then why does she have a strong connection to Eywa?
The first two Avatar movies have done a lot to introduce audiences to Pandora, and a huge chunk of that exposition involves Eywa. Given that Grace bonded with biological force during her last moments, the All-Mother may have given her a second chance at life to help guide Jake and Neytiri against the Sky People, complete with newfound abilities to help save Pandora.
The twist is that Kiri doesn't realize that she is Grace's clone and not her daughter. This would explain why Kiri suffered a seizure upon meeting Grace in the Spirit Tree since an encounter with her past self could be catastrophic.
Verdict: It's possible, but doesn't make a ton of sense.
3.) Eywa
Kiri's strong connection to Pandora's animal life and nature heavily suggests that she was immaculately conceived by Eywa. In layman's terms, she is essential Pandoran Jesus.
Avatar: The Way of Water screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver spoke with Variety about Kiri's connection to Eywa. When asked directly if she is a kind of Pandoran messiah, Jaffa noted that they didn't talk about Kiri "specifically as a Na'vi Jesus," to which Silver chimed in, saying that "it's a mystery" and they can't talk about it:
“We set up these questions. We want people talking and thinking about these things.”
Silver ended by teasing that "there definitely is that feeling that Kiri is undeniably, deeply connected to Eywa in the way that Grace was,” indicating that Pandora's All Mother could be the key to finding out the answer behind Kiri's heritage.
Overall, this makes sense since the answer might've already been revealed as early as the first movie's ending.
Given that Eywa saved Grace's consciousness from her dying human body, it's possible that doing so may have unexpectedly transferred to her Avatar body, thus leading to Kiri being conceived and making the All-Mother her other parent.
Verdict: Likely.
Avatar: The Way of Water is still playing in theaters worldwide.
