Kiri's Name Explains Everything About Her Mysterious Birth In Avatar 2
Contains spoilers for "Avatar: The Way of Water"
Even after the mighty three-hour runtime of "Avatar: The Way of Water," fans are still left with an ocean full of questions about the James Cameron-directed sci-fi fantasy epic and where things could lead in the upcoming sequels. What will be the ultimate fate of Spider (Jack Champion), and will we ever find out who his mother is? What will Colonel Miles Quaritch's (Stephen Lang) plan of action be after losing to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) again? Will the tulkuns finally fight alongside the Na'vi people? It goes to show that even after we feel there's no more to learn about Pandora, Cameron and company still have some tricks up their slippery sleeves to keep us invested and wanting more.
Possibly the biggest mystery surrounding the film comes with the character of Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). Jake Sully and his family have taken in the Na'vi child born of the deceased Dr. Grace Augustine's (also Weaver) avatar and raised her as their own. And while she loves her family, she nevertheless struggles with her identity and wishes to learn more about her human parents. By the end of the film, we still don't know who her father is, leaving her story arc with a major cliff-hanger. But some fans don't need to look any further than her name to tell where this could be leading.
Kiri's name suggests that she might be more than meets the eye
Kiri's origins in "Avatar: The Way of Water" are shrouded in mystery, but some fans have pinpointed that her name could be all we need to decipher them. "Kyrie eleison" is a Greek acclamation that means "Lord have mercy" (via Yale), and given that Kiri is established as having an especially close connection with the environment and Eywa, all signs point toward her being descended from the Na'vi deity.
A Reddit thread started by u/Megatron3600 questioning the character's origins sparked major discussion among fans. Redditor u/Ackermance commented, "The way that I interpreted it is she is part of Eywa reincarnated. ... I imagine that when Grace went with Eywa, part of the goddess was transferred into Grace's Avatar instead of Grace's soul."
Meanwhile, u/turntrout101 has their own theory, believing that, much like how Quaritch was resurrected, "Kiri is actually just a new rebirth of Grace with none of her memories. ... I think that's why Grace looks confused when Kiri asks who her father is, because she isn't her daughter."
The brief interaction that occurs while Kiri is connected to the Metkayina's Spirit Tree is the closest we get to any answers, but it's cut short when she has a seizure. But while fans have strong beliefs about who Kiri truly is, Sigourney Weaver's current understanding of her character's origins may prove underwhelming.
Weaver is as clueless as we are
Fans walking out of "Avatar: The Way of Water" were left empty-handed when it comes to Kiri's origins. While many are predicting that the future "Avatar" sequels will go all-out "Phantom Menace" and explain the character's backstory as that of a virgin birth or incarnation of Eywa, it's impossible to know until those subsequent follow-ups rear their heads. Given that production on many of the sequels is underway, with "Avatar 3" reportedly completely done filming (via The Ronin), one would imagine that Sigourney Weaver would have the answer. But unlike the work the actors had to put in for "The Way of Water," you may not want to hold your breath for it
In an interview with Collider, Weaver was asked, "Do you know the truth of Kiri's conception?" and she simply replied with a "no." This might mean that we won't get the answer right away in "Avatar 3," which will only keep fans on the edge of their seats even more as the saga continues. But if James Cameron is good at anything, it's delivering a finale that packs a punch, which we expect no less from when Kiri's origins are finally uncovered.