Though it seemed we’d seen the last of Stephen Lang’s character in Avatar, on Pandora nothing stays dead, because of some kind of magical jellyfish tree where all your dead relatives watch you get it on. Or something. It’s been a while, but we’ll all soon have the chance to get reacquainted with Avatar’s mythology as well as Lang, as Cameron has confirmed that the gruff character actor will be a part of all three of those next scheduled Avatar movies that Cameron is currently prepping, with plans to shoot them back to back to back. That Lang’s Col. Quaritch would return, despite the events of the first film, is perhaps not surprising, given that Sigourney Weaver (also returning!) has said Cameron has made it clear that “no one ever dies in science fiction” when there is money to be made by repeating a successful formula.
Echoing those remarks, Cameron tells Deadline, “I’m not going to say exactly HOW we’re bringing him back, but it’s a science fiction story, after all. His character will evolve into really unexpected places across the arc of our new three-film saga.” Meaning, most likely, that either Lang is now an Avatar model created solely for the purpose of hitting himself and doing really embarrassing stuff, or his spirit has become one of those peeping tom jellyfish things, where he’ll spend the next three films observing some really hot ponytail action—until he finally learns to love.