Who are the green Na’vi in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water?’

Warning: The following article may contain spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water.

After more than a decade of waiting, Avatar: The Way of Water is finally making its way to us, and it’s bound to fill theater rooms across the U.S. later this year. No other Christmas movie will stand a chance come this December.

Yesterday, a new trailer for The Way of Water was released, giving anticipating fans a better idea of what to expect from the film — other than a copious amount of water, of course. At last, we got a better look at the green Na’vi, who will be introduced in the Avatar sequel. This new design for the alien species raises some questions about their characteristics and the conditions that originated them.

Warning: Spoilers to follow.

What do we know about the green Na’vi?

The Na’vi species is divided into clans, which inhabit Pandora in peace. Each clan has a different habitat, with jungles, mountains, wetlands, and deserts being some of the known preferred environments. These habitats seem to have something to do with the Na’vi’s appearances, influencing each clan’s evolution in order to adapt to their surroundings.

The green Na’vi belong to the Metkayina clan, which inhabits the reefs and shores of Pandora. Typically, their homes hang above bodies of water, but they spend a lot of their time exploring the ocean and interacting with sea creatures, some of which the Metkayina clan keeps close bonds with.

Being used to ocean life, the members of this clan have developed some features that help them navigate more easily underwater. Their green skin is certainly the most obvious trait that distinguishes the Metkayina from the Na’vi we met in the first movie, but there are more. Much like a few sea creatures on Earth, the members of this clan have developed something akin to fins on the legs and forearms, and display a lighter coloration on the stomach region. Additionally, these Na’vi generally have stronger torsos than their inland counterparts and lack hair at the end of their tails. Instead, the Metkayina’s tails feature a broader, paddle-like form at the end, which gives them an extra advantage while swimming.

An interesting detail about the Metkayina clan is that they’re currently believed to be the only Na’vi clan to practice tattooing. They harvest ink from Pandoran animals and use tattooing as a form of art, much like humans. These creatures believe that tattoos are gifts from Eywa, their deity, and each one, as well as its location, is symbolic.

It won’t be long now until we get to see the Metkayina clan on the big screen, as Avatar: The Way of Water is set to hit theaters on Dec. 16.