Neytiri
Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite is one of the main characters of the American epic science fiction film franchise Avatar, created by James Cameron. She is portrayed by Zoe Saldaña.
Neytiri is the ‘princess’ of the Na'vi clan, Omaticaya. While in a Pandoran forest, she meets a lost Jake Sully, and saves him from a pack of viperwolves. After Jake is initiated into the clan, Neytiri becomes his teacher, introducing him to the Na’vi culture and helping him learn how to become part of the forest, eventually falling in love and mating with him. Neytiri fights alongside Jake in the assault on the Tree of Souls, saves him from being killed by Colonel Miles Quaritch, and drives the RDA off of Pandora.
Over the following fifteen years, Neytiri has three children with Jake: sons Neteyam and Lo'ak and a daughter named Tuk. The couple also adopts another daughter named Kiri, born of Dr. Grace Augustine’s inert avatar body. Miles "Spider" Socorro was also an unofficial member of the Sully family, with Neytiri being the only member who distrusted him due to his lineage and human nature. However, she eventually comes to reassess Spider, and moves towards accepting him as an official part of her family.
The character also appears in literature, including various comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. Various merchandise of the character have also been produced, including action figures and toys produced for McDonald's Happy Meals.
Production history
Origins
The origins for Neytiri date back to the late 1970s, when James Cameron was preparing Xenogenesis, a short film intended to be used as a pitch for a feature-length film that never happened. The film features a painting of a female blue skinned alien. He later stated that after the film was turned down, he kept thinking about the idea of a blue skinned alien and decided to recycle it when developing Avatar in the early 1990s. Further inspiration for the look of Neytiri came from the description of a dream his mother had in which she saw a blue-skinned woman 12 feet tall. In earlier drafts of the screenplay, Neytiri was known as "Zuleika Te Kaha Polenoma".Casting
In the 1990s, when Avatar began to be developed, Charisma Carpenter was set to play the role. But by the time the film had been greenlit in 2006, Carpenter had become too old for the role and was thus not cast. Cameron then began a worldwide search for actresses to play the role, with Q'orianka Kilcher being considered and Emily Blunt auditioning for the role. Eventually, Cameron cast Zoe Saldaña in the role. Since she was cast early in production, Saldaña helped screen-test actors auditioning for the part of Jake Sully, including eventual co-star Sam Worthington.Appearances
Films
''Avatar'' (2009)
One day while Neytiri is hunting in the woods of Pandora, she spots Jake Sully's avatar and begins to stalk him. As she is about to kill the armed intruder with a bow, a woodsprite floats down and gently touches her arrowhead, telling her that the avatar is pure. She continues to follow the avatar because of this symbol. When Jake is attacked by a pack of viperwolves, she protects him by fending off the creatures. Although Jake tries to thank her for saving him, she rejects him, as she wants nothing to do with the humans. Suddenly, dozens of woodsprites land on Jake. Amazed by what she just witnessed, Neytiri sees this as a good omen from Eywa and takes him to Hometree; the home of the Omaticaya Clan.Upon arrival, Tsu'tey attacks Jake and attempts to kill him, but Neytiri stops him by explaining the sign she had received from Eywa. Jake is then taken to meet with Eytukan and Mo'at, Neytiri's parents, who decide that they must study Jake, as he is the first Avatar who was a soldier and not a scientist. Much to her chagrin, Neytiri is tasked with teaching Jake the Na'vi ways.
Over the following three months, Neytiri teaches Jake the ways of the Na'vi. She shows him how to move through the Pandoran jungle, make tsaheylu, how to speak the Na'vi language, and teaches him hunting rituals. She also tells him Na'vi stories, including the story of the Toruk Makto, a mythical Na'vi warrior who was closely linked with Eywa and therefore able to make tsaheylu with the Toruk, a legendary Pandoran creature. During this time, she also falls in love with Jake and eventually, they mate.
After Jake reveals his true mission and explains that the RDA was coming to destroy Hometree, Neytiri furiously rejects him and the Na'vi subsequently take both Jake and Grace captive before preparing for the defense of their home. When the RDA arrives, the Na'vi make a futile stand against them but are quickly overwhelmed and flee into the forest. The RDA destroys Hometree, taking several Na'vi casualties, including Eytukan. Jake finds Neytiri and attempts to comfort her, but she again rejects him, demanding he go away and never come back.
Neytiri and the other surviving members of the Omaticaya Clan then seek refuge at the Tree of Souls, where they pray that Eywa will save them. Their prayers are answered when Jake returns, having made tsaheylu with the Toruk. Recognizing his close connection to Eywa, Neytiri forgives him and accepts him again. She then helps Jake rally the other Na'vi clans to prepare for an impending attack from the RDA, who plan to strike and destroy the Tree of Souls. During the subsequent battle, the Na'vi suffer heavy casualties, but are rescued when Pandoran wildlife unexpectedly join the attack and overwhelm the humans, which Neytiri interprets as Eywa's answer to Jake's prayer. Jake destroys a makeshift bomber before it can reach the Tree of Souls; Quaritch, wearing an AMP suit, escapes from his own damaged aircraft, then later finds and breaks open the avatar link unit containing Jake's human body, exposing it to Pandora's poisonous atmosphere. As Quaritch prepares to slit the throat of Jake's avatar, Neytiri kills Quaritch, saving Jake from suffocation and seeing his human form for the first time.
With the exceptions of Jake, Norm and a select few others, all humans are expelled from Pandora and sent back to Earth. Neytiri watches over Jake as he is permanently transferred into his avatar with the aid of the Tree of Souls.
''Avatar: The Way of Water'' (2022)
Fifteen years later, Neytiri and Jake have settled down and raised a family consisting of: Neteyam, their first son and oldest child, Lo'ak, their second son, and Tuktirey, their daughter and youngest child. They have also adopted Kiri, the mysteriously conceived Na’vi daughter of Grace Augustine’s inert Na’vi avatar.Miles "Spider" Socorro, the human son of Miles Quaritch, is also raised on Pandora alongside Neytiri’s children, but she is distrustful of the boy and doesn’t believe he belongs amongst Na’vi. After the RDA returns and attempts to colonize Pandora again, Jake and the Omaticaya fight against the RDA supply lines, their Recombinants capture their children. Jake and Neytiri arrive and free them, except for Spider, who is taken by Quaritch. Recognizing his son, Quaritch decides to spend time with Spider in order to draw him to their side. Aware of the danger Spider's knowledge of his whereabouts poses to their safety, Jake convinces Neytiri to exile their family from the Omaticaya and retreat to the Metkayina, and are reluctantly taken in by clan chief Tonowari. The family learns their ways, Kiri develops a spiritual bond with the sea and its creatures, and Lo'ak befriends Tsireya, the daughter of Tonowari and his wife Ronal, while also butting heads with Tsireya's brother Aonung.
Aonung and his friends entice Lo’ak to a trip into the farther reaches of the ocean and leave him stranded as a prank. Lo'ak then befriends Payakan, a tulkun, an intelligent and pacifistic cetacean species whom the Metkayina consider their spiritual family. Upon his return, Tonowari forces Aonung to apologize for his actions, but Lo'ak takes the blame on himself, winning Aonung's friendship. He later finds out that Payakan is an outcast among his species since he went against his species‘ pacifist ways and attacked the whalers who killed his mother. Kiri then attempts to link with the Metkayina's Spirit Tree to meet her mother but suffers a violent seizure. She is healed by Ronal, but when Jake calls Norm Spellman and Max Patel for help, the RDA are able to track them down. Bringing Spider with him, Quaritch commandeers a whaling vessel which is hunting tulkuns to harvest their brain enzymes for anti-aging remedies. After Quaritch and the whaling crew begin killing tulkuns in order to draw Jake out, Lo'ak, along with his siblings, Tsireya, Aonung, and Rotxo head off to warn Payakan.
They find Payakan being chased by the whalers, and Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Tuk are captured by Quaritch. With their children in danger, Jake, Neytiri, and the Metkayina set out to confront the humans. Quaritch forces Jake to surrender, but upon seeing Lo'ak imperiled, Payakan attacks the whalers, triggering a fight that kills most of the crew and sinks the vessel. Neteyam rescues Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Spider, but is fatally shot. Jake faces Quaritch, who uses Kiri as a hostage, desists after Neytiri does the same with Spider. Trapped inside the sinking vessel, Jake strangles Quaritch into unconsciousness and is rescued by Lo'ak and Payakan while Kiri saves Neytiri and Tuk. Spider rescues Quaritch, but renounces his cruelty and rejoins Jake's family. After Neteyam's funeral, Jake informs Tonowari and Ronal of his decision to leave the Metkayina, but he instead identifies him as part of the clan and allows them to stay.
''Avatar: Fire and Ash'' (2025)
Neytiri is consumed by hatred for humans following the death of Neteyam, resulting in an openly hostile attitude that manifests as a full-blown prejudice. She initially views Spider as a representation of all that has been taken from her and even suggests killing him to keep him out of the RDA's hands, a position fueled by her extreme grief. Neytiri and Jake decide that Spider cannot remain with them and arrange for his safe transport back to the human scientific camp. The plan is disrupted when the Mangkwan led by Varang attack the merchants, separating the Sully family and leaving Neytiri severely injured. She eventually reunites with Jake at High Camp, where they are brought together by a rescue group after Jake and Quaritch briefly work together to track down Spider in the rainforest. She receives treatment in a human medical facility, and later, while recovering at the Metkayina village, Ronal tends to Neytiri's injuries using traditional herbs and medicine.After Jake allows himself to be captured by Quaritch's forces and the Mangkwan to avoid further slaughter of the reef people and is taken to Bridgehead City, Neytiri infiltrates the base. She successfully frees Jake with the help of Spider and Ian Garvin, reuniting with him to escape the facility. After Spider risks his life to save Jake at Bridgehead, Neytiri begins to reassess him. Following their escape, the couple argues over the threat Spider poses, as he has become the first human capable of breathing Pandoran air after being saved from suffocation by Kiri, who enabled a transformation to make him a human-Na'vi hybrid due to her unique connection to Eywa. When Jake reluctantly decides to kill Spider to stop the RDA from learning how to breathe Pandoran air and using that knowledge to fully colonize the planet, Neytiri realizes that letting her hate consume her and allowing Spider to die would make her no better than the invaders she despises. She rushes to stop Jake from killing him, embraces Spider, and accepts him as her son, finally letting go of her intense hatred.
Jake gathers the Na'vi clans for a massive counter-attack. He and Neytiri fight side-by-side in the battle at the Cove of the Ancestors, leading their unified forces against the RDA flagship and the Mangkwan clan. During the height of the battle, Neytiri assists Ronal, who has been mortally wounded. Neytiri helps Ronal reach the shore and stays to defend her from attacking Mangkwan warriors while Ronal gives birth to her daughter, Pril. After Ronal passes away from her injuries, Neytiri takes custody of the newborn baby, promising to protect her. She places the infant in an improvised carrier to keep her safe while continuing to fight. Neytiri is later captured along with Tuk by Varang and Quaritch. While she is being tortured by Varang, Kiri intervenes, using her abilities to subdue Varang, allowing Neytiri to seize the opportunity to escape with Tuk and Pril. After the sinking of the RDA flagship and the chaotic battle, Neytiri and her children arrive at the floating rocks to reunite with Jake and Spider. Neytiri corners Quaritch, taking aim with her bow. Rather than surrender, Quaritch leaps from the floating rock into the fire and magnetic flux below.
Following the battle, the Sully family formally accepts Spider as one of their own. During a ceremony, he connects to the Spirit Tree and enters the spirit world, where a ritual is performed that officially makes Spider "one of the People".