A New Comic Is Closing The Gap Between The First Two ‘Avatar’ Films
The first Avatar movie, 2009’s Avatar, was set in the year 2154. The second, Avatar: The Way of Water, was released in 2022 but set in 2170. A thirteen-year real-life timespan, but in the fictional world of Pandora, sixteen years had passed.
But soon, Avatar fans will get a glimpse of what occurred on Pandora during those intermediate years—but in the pages of comic books, not on-screen. Beginning in October 2025, Dark Horse Comics will release a six-issue miniseries called Avatar: The Gap Year—Tipping Point, which is considered canonical.
In the story by writer Ethan Sacks (Star Wars Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker, Old Man Hawkeye), the indigenous Na’vi have embraced peace after the Resources Development Agency (RDA) colonists have left the planet and returned to Earth. Jake Sully has stayed behind on Pandora in his Avatar body. He’s now married to Neytiri, Princess of the Omaticaya Clan, and they’ve had children together. But he’s certain that RDA’s plans for Pandora aren’t finished—and when they do return, itching for a fight, he’s ready to take it to them.
Art for the comic is provided by Salvatore Porcaro (Dragonero), with colors by Michael Atiyeh (Star Wars Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora–So’lek’s Journey), with lettering by Michael Heisler (Avatar: Adapt or Die, and many others).
Coming Soon to a Volcano Near You
Creator/writer/director James Cameron’s initial foray into this universe, Avatar, remains the highest grossing movie of all time (if ticket-price inflation is not factored in—but anyone who’s been to the movies lately knows that ticket-price inflation is as real as death and taxes). Still, the Avatar movies are uniquely suited to the big screen; streaming, even on a good-sized TV, doesn’t carry the same impact.
Ultimately, Cameron plans for five Avatar movies to tell the story he’s developed. The third, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will introduce a new, more warlike Na’vi clan called Ash People, who hang out around volcanos. It will be in theaters on December 19, 2025. But don’t hold your breath waiting for the last two. Avatar 4 is tentatively scheduled for December 2029, and Avatar 5 for December 2031.
In the meantime, Dark Horse Comics will likely keep filling in the gaps. Dark Horse has been publishing Avatar comics since 2017. Mike Richardson, Dark Horse’s founder and CEO, said, “Dark Horse has a long history working with film legend Jim Cameron, and we continue that relationship with Avatar: The Gap Year–Tipping Point. Between Ethan’s incredible storytelling and James Cameron’s vision and immersive world building, these new stories are nothing short of breathtaking.”
For the truly dedicated, there are also Avatar art books, video games, and an attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida. Another one is in development at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in California.
