The second Avatar movie isn’t all about The Way of Water. Another liquid – a mysterious yellow substance – is found during the latter half of James Cameron’s sequel. Confusingly, it’s only mentioned once and never again – despite having huge ramifications for Earth and its humans.
So, what gives? And why should we be focusing on it now? Here’s what the yellow liquid is in Avatar: The Way of Water – and why Amrita could be so important to the future of the franchise.
What is the yellow liquid in Avatar: The Way of Water?
After hunting the mother Tulkun to draw out Sully, the RDA, along with Scoresby, enter the Tulkun’s mouth after it’s been captured by the fishing vessel. There, Scoresby reveals what they do next: drill into the creature’s brain to extract a yellow liquid known as amrita.
Scoresby explains that the liquid is, essentially, an elixir to "completely" stop human aging and is the most valuable substance known to man. However, the status of that particular yellow liquid is unknown following the events of The Way of Water – though Spider does ask why more of the Tulkun isn’t used for the liquid. The Tulkuns, it seems, will be rich for mining – and that could be a story for another day.
So, what next? The Way of Water has briefly addressed Earth’s status – it’s dying and Pandora will be used as the first stop on the frontier for humanity. The amrita will likely be involved in a battle for resources once more humans make their way to Pandora to settle there, especially with the fate of humanity far less secure than it has been previously.
Inevitably, that means conflict would be on the horizon. Given their unique and close bonds to the whale-like Tulkun, it is unlikely that the Metkayina clan will allow humans to go resource hunting for their own Fountain of Youth. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the threequel (or Avatars 4 and 5) revolve around attempts to collect more amrita – and the efforts to stop the humans and conserve Pandora’s oceans.
It’s already been confirmed, meanwhile, that we’ll head to Earth in the fifth Avatar movie. So expect Earth-Pandora relations to potentially reach a new low if a war erupts over the valuable Tulkun liquid.
Want more on Avatar: The Way of Water? Check out our pieces on the Avatar: The Way of Water ending explained and what you get instead of an Avatar: The Way of Water post-credits scene.
