While there’s been no official word on a sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 hit ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, fans have rallied around the cause, branding themselves as the “Alita Army.” Keeping hope alive through charitable gestures and online campaigns, the Alita Army would love to see ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 become a reality, and with that potential sequel there’s a couple of things we’d love to see happen.
Let’s run down seven particular ingredients that, if present, would make this film an interesting and exciting prospect. Brace yourself, though, as spoilers for ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL will be present throughout this discussion.
The first thing we want to see more of in the hypothetical ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 is…
More of Alita’s Battle Against Nova
Throughout ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, Nova (Edward Norton) is seen as a shadowy presence that Alita (Rosa Salazar) and her fellow soldiers are fighting against. His influence is even felt in the world of Motorball, as he fixes the games and the world at large, with the assistance of people like Dr. Chiren (Jennifer Connelly) and Vector (Mahershala Ali).
We saw Alita come as close as she could to Nova’s face in her battle against Vector, but alas the man himself is still hiding in Zalem. In the sequel, it’d be nice to see the battle angel avenge herself and all of those that who along the way with a face-to-face confrontation with Nova.
A Deeper Look Into the World of Motorball
Battles aren’t only fought in the world at large, as ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL showed us the future sport of Motorball as a battlefield that was also used to settle some scores. So, if Alita is going to fight Nova again, based on the ending of the first film, it’s going to be through her quest to become Final Champion, which gives her a one-way ticket to Zalem.
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 needs to pick up where the story literally leaves off, as Alita’s Motorball career starts to take off in the right direction. In fact, more than likely, that’d be the central focus of, at the very least, the first act of the sequel. We say that because once Final Champion status is attained, it would lead to another pretty big ask of an ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL sequel.
A One-Way Ticket to Zalem
Zalem is built up as this massive city of decadent delights, inspiring everyone from Dr. Chiren to Alita’s boyfriend, Hugo (Keean Johnson), to do what they feel they need to do to get there. But we never really saw the city in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, as anyone will tell you, no one ever goes up there… and if they come down, it’s usually not for a good reason.
As Alita continues to build up to her physical confrontation with Nova, she’ll eventually need to get to Zalem in order to do it. ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 would have to bring our hero to her destined battlefield, not only so she can fight, but also so she can see the world at large in a greater light.
Payback for the Death of Hugo
Hugo’s death is, quite possibly, the biggest impetus for Alita’s fight against Nova and his strangling grasp on Zalem, Iron City and the world at large. An even greater concern than her own personal safety, or the threats from the various bounties that her “father” Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) has faced in his career as a Hunter Warrior, is the fact that the boy she loved died at the hands of the maniac she’s been trained to fight.
Above all else, there needs to be some serious payback for that particular wrong in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2, as Hugo’s untimely demise was the greatest pain in Alita’s life up until that point. Though, there’s always the possibility that there are other misfortunes that Nova has directly had a hand in, as the 300-year history of Alita has a lot of gaps that need to be filled.
Even More Insight Into Alita’s Past
There is a lot of history that’s mentioned in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL that sets the scene, but doesn’t exactly go too far. We do see some flashbacks to Alita’s past as a soldier, going by the call-sign “99,” but other than the special features in the home video release, there’s not a lot of past history revealed before or directly after “The Fall.”
As we know, the more she fights, the more she remembers, and her Motorball career just might be the key to Alita unlocking her past, which includes everything from her military service to her human origins. ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 would have a lot of opportunities to explore the deep backstory of its main character.
Further Opportunities To See Robert Rodriguez’s Crazy Visuals at Work
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is crazy talented on the page and in the visual realm of his projects. ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 would have a pretty big stepping stone for him to jump off of, as Rodriguez and his team have teed up a far-flung future that’s familiar but fresh.
With the opportunity of the sequel, the director of such films as SIN CITY and SPY KIDS would get to reach even deeper into his toolbox of eye-popping panache. Not to mention, most of the stuff we’ve mentioned above would make for gorgeous cinematic delights in the hands of Robert Rodriguez and his cohorts.
A Cliffhanger That Helps Alita: Battle Angel Progress Into a Trilogy
When producer/previous writer James Cameron developed ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, it was meant to be a trilogy of films. With a gigantic script and pitch reel that laid down the groundwork for the future, Robert Rodriguez refined the concept into a format he could work with, starting with this first film.
The plan is there for those who seek it, and if Rodriguez is as adamant as some of his partners, like producer Jon Landau, then ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL 2 should happen — and then there should be a nice and tasty tease that all but ensures a third film has to happen. It’s a story worth telling, and if Fox and Disney decide to seize the moment as they should, it should be met with the full nine yards.
As we land back in the realm of reality, we still have the beautiful majesty that is ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL available for viewing at home. It's a good time to revisit the world of Iron City and Alita’s courageous quest to learn who she is and who she’ll become.
