10 Amazing 21st-Century Movie Villains Who Aren’t Spoken About Enough
5. Colonel Miles Quaritch – The Avatar Franchise
The evolution of cinema has exhibited its fair share of military Big Bads, and Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch is no exception. Quaritch represents the old-school approach and preference for death over diplomacy. However, Lang doesn’t half bring his A-game to the role at hand, manufacturing Miles into an emotionally complex and three-dimensional individual.
Quaritch often finds himself surrounded by scientists, but it’s safe to say he prefers fighting side by side with his combatants and compatriots on the battlefield. While many humans find solace in the company of the Na’vi on Pandora, Miles simply cannot comprehend this from both a physical and psychological standpoint. As a result, his hatred for the Na’vi only grows stronger regardless of his human or avatar form. James Cameron has stated countless times that Lang’s character will be an ever-present figure in the franchise’s past, present and future meaning there is still more to come from this villain.
His supposed death at the climax of the first film was combatted by his conscience being planted into the body of an avatar within the second, meaning the possibilities of where Cameron can take Quaritch are endless. This theory is especially evident with the introduction of his son Spider posing a fascinating moral dilemma for him moving forward in the franchise.