‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’ plot speculations: Is the Motorball tournament still part of the sequel

The production of “Alita: Battle Angel 2” continues to gain support after more than a year since its worldwide premiere. While fans are still waiting for the sequel to be announced, the first movie left hints at what could happen in Alita’s (Rosa Salazar) next adventure.

‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’ plot, cast

The final moments of the first movie appeared to have been building up the bigger challenge the title character would face in the plot of “Alita: Battle Angel 2.” To recap, Alita was shown winning the Motorball. In her moment of on-stage celebration, she raised her sword pointing to the sky where Zalem is located. Above her, Nova (Edward Norton) appeared smirking down on her.

Motorball was a significant aspect of the first movie’s plot. It served as a venue for Alita to showcase her combat skills, thus, opening more questions about her real origin story. More importantly, the tournament for cyborgs also served as the only way for Alita to travel to Zalem.

Interestingly, James Cameron previously planned for Motorball to be tackled more in “Alita: Battle Angel 2.” "Motorball might find its way more into the second film,” the renowned director and producer reportedly said in the early 2000s. “I definitely want to do more than one film.” The entire production process of “Alita: Battle Angel” took decades to be completed. It is then not surprising that the earlier plans have changed later on.

Going by the first’s movie’s sequence, however, it might not be necessary for “Alita: Battle Angel 2” to feature more of the Motorball tournament. It has practically served its purpose in the plot of being Alita’s ticket to reach Zalem and face her real enemy, Nova.

‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’: Why the sequel is still unconfirmed

Shortly after the first movie’s premiere in 2019, Disney completed its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. This means Disney now has the final say on the fate of “Alita: Battle Angel 2.”

The online petition calling for “Alita: Battle Angel 2” to be produced is close to gathering 150,000 signatures. It does not seem to be enough to convince Disney to make the sequel, though. While the studio remains mum, cast members and producers of the first movie have expressed they look forward to working on a second film.