Ardmore torturing Spider in order to tell where Jake Sully was.
General Frances Ardmore is one of the main leaders of the Resources Development Administration during the Second Pandoran War.
She is a general in SecOps and the commander of the Joint Expeditionary Task Force. She is the one of the main antagonists of the Avatar series, debuting in the comic Avatar: The High Ground. She returns as the secondary antagonist in the films Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Ardmore has taken over the RDA military activity on Pandora since the RDA's return. Her duty is to do whatever she can to "tame" the frontier in order to set up humanity's future home on Pandora, including trying to "pacify" the Na'vi and the Resistance. She has authorized SecOps to kill Jake Sully due to his leadership of the strategic raids against the RDA. Known by the code name Iron Sky, Ardmore also commands a Dragon Assault Ship called the Dragonfly.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Ardmore was likely born around the year 2111 or 2117. Ardmore was young, likely only a child or a teenager, when Pandora was being colonized by the RDA. It is unknown if she was on Pandora in 2154 during the Pandoran War but it is likely she was not due to the RDA likely not needing a military strategist against the Na'vi due to how fast the Na'vi conflict broke out (Ardmore was not seen during Avatar and the RDA already had Miles Quaritch), and she was likely busy waging wars on Earth. Because a cryosleep ride to Pandora is nearly 6 years, it is likely her birth date is close to 2111.
As an adult, Ardmore has won and waged many wars during her time. At some point, she got a tattoo of an octopus on her right forearm. Ardmore eventually became a four-star general tasked with being the on-world commander and security leader of Pandora. She would be transferred with the RDA on their way to the moon, commanding the Interstellar Vehicle Manifest Destiny.[1]
Return of the RDA (Avatar: The High Ground)[]
In 2168, 14 years after the original expulsion of the RDA, Ardmore led a fleet of 10 starships back to Pandora in order to retake Hell's Gate. Ardmore also made it one of her main goals to find and kill Jake Sully, considering him too much of a threat to the RDA's operation. Shortly after awakening from hibernation, one of her first orders to her troops is to mobilize a squad.
Ardmore broadcasting her threat to the residents of Hell's Gate.
Once the ship was within communication range with Pandora, Ardmore, along with Charles Stringer, broadcast a communication to those in Hell's Gate, referring to them as illegal occupiers. She labels their actions as acts of terrorism under Solar Unity law and threatens death unless they agree to return the base intact, in which case they would be rewarded with amnesty and re-employment at the RDA. However, she threatens that if she encounters any resistance from them, she would kill everyone. Ardmore's words cause an uproar among the people allied with Jake, as many of them are frightened by the threat and are convinced that they could not stand against the incoming SecOps forces.
Jake and Neytiri confronting Ardmore.
In outer space, Ardmore contacts Jake and Neytiri's Valkyrie dropship via a video message. Jake's team tries to blackmail the RDA by threatening to blast 3.2 trillion worth of unobtanium using explosives. Ardmore's team agrees they will talk physically onboard the Interstellar Vehicle Venture Star. The Na'vi meet the RDA on their ship, though interactions between the two groups prove tense. Jake and Neytiri meet with Ardmore and Jake reveals some of the unobtanium is also on a crippled ISV orbiting over Pandora, rigged with explosives.
Ardmore pursuing the Sully family.
Jake then orders his ground team to blow the unobtanium refinery on Hell's Gate, which they do. The RDA turns hostile but Jake reveals they still have some unobtanium at other sites on Pandora left. Though Jake briefly attempts a treaty, he then goes onto say that the RDA would just break it again. Ardmore does not even try to hide this, instead only replying, "We're done here." A commotion ensues and Jake ordered a Na'vi-human commando to attack. Neytiri appears to break one of the general's arms and a shooting ensued, with several of the Venture Star crew's killed. Jake and Neytiri manage to escape, but Ardmore gives chase.[3] The Sully family manages to flee Ardmore's wrath with the help of Norm Spellman and Wu Mingxia.
Western Frontier (Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora)[]
Though Ardmore is not present nor seen during the RDA's operations on Pandora's Western Frontier, she was seemingly aware of the conflict with the local Na'vi tribes and John Mercer's inability to defeat them. During the coordinated assault on Drill Base Omega by the combined forces of the Aranahe, Zeswa, and Kame'tire clans, led by a member of the Sarentu, as the tide of battle turned against the RDA, Colonel Angela Harding radioed General Ardmore, stating that she needed more soldiers or they could not hold the base.
Ardmore replied she would not risk more soldier's lives because of Mercer's antics. She revealed she was aware of the Ambassador Program and that Mercer had trained the Na'vi children, viewing it as having come back to bite him. She advised to Harding that if she could not hold the base, she recommended Harding and her soldiers to retreat. Harding would later withdraw with her forces after the Sarentu disabled the anti-air defenses, leaving Mercer and those few loyal RDA who remained behind to die at the hands of the Sarentu.
At some point afterwards, Colonel Harding, eager for revenge, returned to the Western Frontier for a planned strike against Na'vi leadership at the Great Games, set to be held in the Heart of Plains. Ardmore was skeptical of Harding's plans. but she gave her one more chance. Keen to avoid wasting resources, Ardmore told Harding she had to make do with whatever she could scrounge up from the decommissioned units and weapons at Bridgehead City.
Ardmore would prove right in her skepticism as Harding would later die at the hands of the Sarentu alongside her lieutenants, with the operation considered a failure.
Tracking the Sullys (Avatar: The Way of Water)[]
Ardmore orders Quaritch to kill Jake Sully.
Ardmore resides at Bridgehead with the objective to colonize Pandora and make it a new home for humanity as Earth is dying. She commands the Recombinant squad led by Miles Quaritch to hunt down Jake Sully.
She later psychologically (and perhaps physically, given a nosebleed) tortures a captive Miles Socorro using a machine called a NeuroSect which can analyze his thoughts, in order to find out where the Sullys are, but he is able to withstand it. She only stops because Quaritch tells her he wishes to try a more "personal" angle, and she tells the Recom Quaritch that the boy is not his actual son.
Personality[]
Ardmore threatening to kill pregnant women and people's grandmothers.
Ardmore is well-educated, intelligent and a practiced military and political strategist, making her the perfect on-world commander and security leader for the RDA. While Quaritch was obsessive and monomaniacal, Ardmore instead exhibits a detached demeanor, and she can signal she is in charge without being physically imposing. She is adept at negotiation, able to assess situations, imagine their different outcomes and create a winning strategy.
She is a military woman who justifies her actions because she believes she is doing what is necessary to protect humanity's survival. This has put her into tough positions where she uses force and violent methods in order to get her way, such as when she tortured Spider to the degree he had a nosebleed.
Ardmore torturing Spider.
She is shown to be ruthless, or at least claims to be; when Jake threatened to destroy the unobtanium, Ardmore callously replied that if he did, she would not hesitate to murder pregnant women and people's grandmothers. Another example of her cruelty is that she condones and pays people to kill animals for her, specifically the tulkun, and thus their blood spilled is, metaphorically, indirectly on her hands. It was Ardmore herself who contracted Mick Scoresby to harvest the tulkun for their amrita.[4]
There are implications Ardmore is a manipulative woman. This is hinted with the descriptors "unemotional", "machine-like" and "cold-blooded" used in reference to her.[1] However, when she orders the occupants of Hell's Gate to leave, she also claims she "begs them with tears in her eyes" which is unfitting of these prior descriptions, suggesting they may be crocodile tears. Ardmore was also manipulative when she was secretly working with McCosker to take advantage of the Na'vi.
Like Quaritch who was seen weightlifting, Ardmore also seems to enjoy fitness herself and staying in top shape. She has a hobby of boxing workouts in her Skel Suit.
Relationships[]
Trivia[]
Character Development and Design[]
Concept art with a male Ardmore.
- Concept art reveals that Ardmore was envisioned as being a man. This is confirmed by an early script, mentioning Ardmore is known as Frank Ardmore.
- She shares the surname of James Ardmore, another member of the RDA who was previously killed in action on Pandora, although there is no known relation between the two.
- Her first name means "free one" and her surname means "more zealous" in Latin.
The Way of Water[]
- There is a deleted scene in which Ardmore tells Quaritch he should let go of his pursuit of Jake, commenting he is gone and could be dead. Quaritch disagrees, saying Jake is out there and could be raising an army. Ardmore looks at Quaritch's bare feet, sighs, and says he will be given one SeaDragon for a week.
Other[]
- Her weapon is the Z-33 Pistol.
- Stephen Lang has stated in an interview that Ardmore ranks higher than Miles Quaritch in SecOps.[5]
- Ardmore is one of the first female antagonists in the Avatar franchise, along with Trinity Harper and Artsut.
- Edie Falco describes Ardmore as a villain who does not think she is one in her own mind. Ardmore believes she is doing good for Earth, but happens to oppress the Na'vi.[6]
- Ardmore carries the tradition of Avatar villains casually eating and drinking during heinous events, as to convey the idea that their villainy is just another day for them. For example, Quaritch was drinking from a mug during the bombing of Hometree, while Parker was munching on food while destroying the Tree of Voices. Ardmore is seen drinking from a mug while saying she needs to "pacify" the Na'vi.
Memorable Quotes[]
Avatar: The High Ground[]
- „I'm addressing those who are illegally occupying the Hell's Gate facility. Your crimes are acts of terrorism under Solar Unity law, and will be punished as such. Terrorism carries a mandatory sentence of death.“ - Ardmore addressing the residents of Hell's Gate
- „But make no mistake, if you resist, I WILL kill you all. You people are a long way from Earth.“ - to the people in Hell's Gate
- „Sully, I don't care about your ratbag council of spear chuckers or your terrorist pals at Hell's Gate. I'm here to restore the rule of law on Pandora, and I will do that. Swiftly and decisively. Starting with the destruction of your vehicle.“ - to Jake Sully
- „Let me tell you how this plays out. You burn those assets and I kill EVERYONE on the ground. Everyone. Kids. Pregnant women. Grandma in her rocker.“
- „I've got your wife and kids. And I will execute them all personally -- starting with her -- if you don't stand down.“ - Ardmore threatening to kill Neytiri
- „You just killed yourself!“ - after Meg blows up the unobtanium refinery
Avatar: The Way of Water[]
- „Good to meet you, Colonel. I've heard good things, but a lot's changed since your last tour here. Walk with me.“ - Ardmore meeting Quaritch
- „We have done more in a year here than in the previous 30 years. We're not here to run a mine, Colonel. As on-world commander, I have been charged with a greater mission. Earth is dying. Our task here is to tame this frontier. Nothing less than to make Pandora the new home for humanity. But before we can do that, we need to pacify the hostiles.“ - Ardmore trivializing oppressing the Na'vi
- „The hard way.“ - about Quaritch wondering how to test a dangerous theory
- „Look, I don't like this any more than you do. Which clans would be harboring him? It's not going to stop until you give us something, where is he?“ - interrogating/torturing Spider
Appearances[]
- Avatar: The High Ground
- Avatar: The Way of Water - Edie Falco
- Avatar: Fire and Ash - Edie Falco
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (mentioned only)
Gallery[]
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See the image gallery for |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Avatar: The Way of Water: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ Avatar: The Way of Water: The Visual Dictionary page 60
- ↑ Avatar: the High Ground part 2
- ↑ https://www.avatar.com/pandorapedia/captain-mick-scoresby
- ↑ https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/avatar-the-way-of-water-stephen-lang-interview/
- ↑ Edie Falco on The View
| Characters from the films | ||
|---|---|---|
| Introduced in Avatar | Humans: Na'vi: | |
| Introduced in Avatar: The Way of Water | Humans: Miles Socorro • Mick Scoresby • Ian Garvin • Charles Stringer • Ward • Dorman • Jocelyn • Davis • Neytiri's Victim
Na'vi:
Tulkun:
| |
| Introduced in Avatar: Fire and Ash | Humans: Na'vi: | |