Avatar 2: Fans spot Easter egg in new trailer hinting at return of dead character from original film

Eagle-eyed Avatar fans have spotted a tiny detail in the new sequel trailer which hints at one a major plot development.

On Monday (9 May), fans around the globe were given their first look at James Cameron’s long-awaited blockbuster sequel, officially titled Avatar: The Way of Water.

*Potential spoilers follow for Avatar: The Way of Water*

In the original Avatar, Stephen Lang played Colonel Miles Quaritch, the head of the humans’ security force who turns out to be the villain.

At the end of the film, Quaritch is killed by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) as he was preparing to kill Jake Sully (Sam Worthington).

It has long been reported that Lang would in fact be returning for the sequel, despite his character having been killed off. This lead to speculation over whether Lang would be portraying an entirely new character, or a clone.

The exact specifics of his return are still unclear, but viewers were able to identify a blue-skinned Na’vi version of the character in the new trailer.

While the figure bears a passing facial resemblance to Lang, the tell-tale sign comes on his arm – which boasts the same eagle tattoo Quaritch wore in the original.

What exactly this means for the sequel remains to be seen, but it seems to suggest that Quaritch had an avatar that has somehow managed to find a life of its own – or is perhaps being comandeered by someone with the same DNA.

You can read The Independent’s review of the new Avatar trailer here.

Avatar: The Way of Water is released in cinemas in December.