Game Of Thrones Star Joins Avatar 3 As Mysterious Villain

Oona Chaplin, Robb Stark's wife from Game of Thrones, has joined Avatar 3 as the leader of the Fire Tribe.

By Mark McKee | Updated

In the last decade, Game of Thrones overtook the world with its expansive world of kings, warriors, and villains. The stars of the series would go on to become some of the biggest names in the industry, including Kit Harrington, Richard Madden, Masie Williams, and Peter Dinklage. Now a more minor character is making the leap from one giant franchise to another global phenomenon, as Oona Chaplin has signed on to star in Avatar 3, according to Empire

The report confirms that Chaplin, who was already known to have some role in the film, would be playing Varang, the leader of the fire nation on Pandora. Since we have already met the forest people, the Omaticaya, and the water tribe, the Metkayina, it makes sense that Oona Chaplin would be introducing the fire tribe, The Ash People, into Avatar 3. The other little nugget of information is that the Ash People are the antagonists in the next film, taking the fight from humans to the Na’vi. 

In the first two films, Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) finds himself connecting with the Na’vi, falling in love with one of them and abandoning his human mission. Humans were again the villains in the second film, as Quaritch (Stephen Lang) returns to get revenge on the traitor only to discover that he has a son among the Na’vi, the theme of fatherhood emerging on both sides. By introducing villains that are among the Na’vi people, Oona Chaplin and Avatar 3 will demonstrate there are good and bad on both sides of the war between the humans and the Na’vi. 

Oona Chaplin and Richard Madden from Game of Thrones

James Cameron discussed that theme with Empire when he revealed that there are good and evil in both races, but neither of them sees themselves as evil. He discusses that the film will explore the root cause for people to evolve into what everyone perceives as evil, maybe even painting Sully and the rest of the Omaticaya as villains. One thing is certain: Oona Chaplin has the chops to balance herself on the thin line between villain and victim in Avatar 3

If you think you recognize Chaplin, it is because she appeared in 11 episodes of the George R. R. Martin HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones. She showed up in Season 2 as Talisa Maegyr, a battlefield nurse that meets Robb Stark in his campaign to take the Iron Throne. She eventually marries the elder Stark brother and is by his side until they both meet their untimely ends at the end of Season 3 in the infamous Red Wedding. 

Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait for a whole decade to see Oona Chaplin lead the Ash People against Sully and Neytiri in Avatar 3. While it took a decade for the first sequel to arrive, James Cameron seems to be fast-tracking the next three, as the next one is set to arrive in December 2024. According to her IMDb page, we’ll get to see a lot of Chaplin, as she is on board for all three of the sequels in the works.