Jake is a Good Dad and I will Die On That Hill
Howdy Avatar fandom. Over the past six months or so Iâve seen a lot of criticism directed toward Jake Sully as a father, ranging from him simply being a little too strict at best, to outright neglectful and even abusive at worst. This, my friends, is some grade-A nonsense, and today weâre gonna talk about why. Strap in, lads, this is gonna be a long one. Letâs roll.
So before we get into breaking down the events of the main storyline, letâs address the idea that Jake was always the super-strict âmilitary dadâ throughout the kidsâ lives: put simply, bullcrap.
Out of the filmâs over-three-hour runtime, we get to see very little of the Sulliesâ lives before the RDAâs returnâonly about six minutesâ worth. If Jake was meant to be this strict militaristic dictator during this time period, especially in a way that would significantly impact the kidsâ character development and their relationships with him, this would be the time to show it, or at least hint at it. But instead of any of that, we really get quite the opposite. Jake laughs and plays with the kids:
Jokes around and cuddles:
He even says in his narration:
âHappiness is simpleâŠwhoever thought that a jarhead like me couldâve cracked the code?â
Guys, this is quite literally the best time of his life. This man absolutely adores his family with every fiber of his being, they are his whole world. Like, look at him! He has stars in his eyes!!
We have zero reason to suspect that Jake was overly harsh or strict in a way that would impede his relationship with his kids during this time. The Sullies appear to be a normal, healthy, close-knit family.Â
Itâs only when the RDA returns and reignites war that things change.Â
Iâve seen some people claim that Jakeâs personality changed it the second movie. I disagreeâit was not his personality that changed, but rather his priorities.Â
A1 Jake was a disabled marine vet who was offered his brotherâs contract after said brother was unexpectedly murdered by some thug on the streetâŠand part of the reason he agreed to take that contract was that there really wasnât much else left for him back on Earth, so why not go? A1 Jake had just about nothing left to lose, and therefore could afford to be more reckless.
A2 Jake, however, is another story altogether. A2 Jake canât just run around poking and prodding and taking risks like A1 Jake did because now he has a wife and four children who rely on him and who he loves more than anything else in the world. Itâs not just himself he has to look out for anymore, itâs them. He now has everything to lose. He says as much himself:
Not to mention that heâs older now. Did you really expect the 37-year-old father of four whoâs been leading the clan for 15 years and is suddenly thrust back into a brutal war to behave exactly the same as the 22-year-old fish-out-of-water ex-marine sent to fill in for his scientist brother out of the sheer convenience of sharing a genome? A2 Jakeâs behavior is not a sudden 180 from his personality in A1, itâs a natural progression and reaction for his character given the changed circumstances.Â
âA father protects. Itâs what gives him meaning.â
This is essentially Jakeâs thesis for the movie. This is his #1 priority, his purpose, the lens through which all his actions must be viewed in order to understand them, and itâs important to establish it upfront because it sets up everything else.