Summary
- Fans are eagerly awaiting the introduction of beloved characters like Toph in Netflix’s
Avatar: The Last Airbender
series. - Redemption arcs for characters like Zuko and Uncle Iroh are key to the heart of the original series and are expected to continue in future seasons.
- The darker, more mature tone of Netflix’s adaptation allows for the exploration of darker storylines, such as bloodbending and Appa’s harrowing journey.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender raced to the number one spot on the streamer’s charts upon its release on Feb 22. The live-action adaptation of the phenomenal Nickelodeon show took the original story and made a few changes, putting a slightly darker, more mature spin on the iconic story of the Fire Nation taking over the world and the Avatar returning after 100 years to stop them.
Despite its immense popularity and decent (if not mixed) reviews, Netflix has yet to announce whether the show will be renewed for a second season. In the high likelihood that Avatar: The Last Airbender is renewed, there are plenty of characters, storylines, and details from the original series that fans are still waiting to see in Netflix’s version. Here are the biggest things fans are desperate to see in a potential Season 2
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS MINOR & MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER
Incredible Benders Come to Life
The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is filled with talented warriors who can manipulate their respective elements to devastating effect. Viewers have already been treated to seeing waterbending Master Pakku, General Iroh in action, and a lot more Fire Lord Ozai than they expected in Season 1. However, plenty of incredible and strong benders in the original series still haven’t been given the live-action treatment yet.
Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way first. Toph, occasionally known as the blind bandit, is perhaps the greatest Earthbender in the original series. She teaches Aang the art, holds her own against hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers, and single-handedly develops metalbending. Oh, and she’s a 12-year-old girl who’s completely blind. Toph is one of the most beloved characters in the original series, both for her badassery and her comic relief. She quickly becomes a staple of the team, traveling with them to teach Aang earthbending and helping him find a firebending teacher.
There are also two notable firebenders who have yet to appear in Netflix’s version. With Aang now properly on a mission to master all four elements, he will likely run into Jeong Jeong. Jeong Jeong is a firebending master who deserted the fire nation and vowed never to firebend again.
One of the most unique villains in the series is still yet to be seen in live-action. While not officially given a name in the series and hilariously going by the nicknames given to him by Sokka, ‘Combustion Man’ and ‘Sparky Sparky Boom Man,’ this Firebender was trained in a unique offshoot of the art. With a patterned tattoo on his forehead, the mercenary could shoot exploding rays of energy using his mind, which exploded after a short delay. We have also yet to see Azula in action. At the end of Season 1, fans are teased as Azula shows off her lightning-bending skills to her father, but she is not yet shown facing off against the ‘Gaang.’
Much of Book 2 of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in the earthbending stronghold of Ba Sing Se. Seemingly a peaceful town, the city is ruled by a secret police known as the Dai Li, led by the manipulative and talented Earthbender Long Feng. The Dai Li are dedicated to keeping the peace in Ba Sing Se, so much so that they have kept the existence of the Hundred Year War a secret from the city’s inhabitants. The Dai Li and Long Feng are secondary villains the Gaang must face to seek aid from the earthbenders of Ba Sing Se.
Redemption for Several Characters in Avatar
When asked what the best storyline from the original Avatar: The Last Airbender was, 99% of fans would rush to say Zuko’s redemption. Zuko’s redemption arc truly begins in Season 2, as the former Prince of the Fire Nation finds himself wrestling between his destiny, his morality, and his toxic relationship with his father and sister. With the aid of Uncle Iroh, Zuko slowly becomes one of the best characters in the series, and his arc is easily the most memorable.
It’s not just Zuko who gets redemption in future seasons of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, as the inspiring theme becomes a trademark of the series. Fans have already met the Mechanist (played by Danny Pudi) and witnessed him betray his son and his Kingdom to protect his family. While the original series spent a single episode on the Mechanist’s storyline (with the character then making brief cameos in later seasons), it seems Netflix is making him a more prominent character, and his inevitable redemption will likely be withheld for future seasons.
Uncle Iroh, always filled with inspiring quotes, doesn’t just help Prince Zuko (and everyone around him); he also begins forming a new life in Books 2 and 3 of the original show. The ‘Dragon of the West’ feels his allegiances changing from supporting the Fire Nation to wholeheartedly supporting Zuko and helping him escape his oppressive father’s influence. In the process, Iroh hilariously opens a tea shop in Ba Sing Se, trying to begin a life of peace and love before rejoining the White Lotus group to help turn the tide of the war.
Darker Storylines in Future Seasons of Avatar
Netflix’s version of Avatar: The Last Airbender is controversially darker than the Nickelodeon original. With a 12 rating, Netflix has been able to show a lot of violence and death, which could only be implied in the original show. However, there are still some incredibly dark storylines from the original that Netflix could have a field day with.
How Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Learned From M. Night Shyamalan’s Mistakes
While Shyamalan botched a crucial element of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Netflix made sure it nailed the franchise’s most inspired concept.
Just like combustionbending and metalbending, waterbending has its own special offshoot. However, its version is far more horrific. When the Gaang run into an old waterbender in Book 3, Katara is excited to learn from her. That excitement quickly turns to horror as the waterbender, Hama, showcases her unique waterbending ability… bloodbending. The art allows Hama to control the flow of water molecules inside a person’s bloodstream, essentially making them a puppet to her will. Katara is forced to learn the art of defeating Hama but instantly hates using it and vows never to manipulate someone with bloodbending again. The episode is commonly considered the show’s darkest by fans, though it is one of the best episodes of the series.
If there’s one character who was sadly underutilized in Netflix’s version, it’s Appa. The flying bison saves the Gaang more times than they can count in Nickelodeon’s original, with many fans claiming him to be the true hero. In Book 2 of the original show, Appa is the centerpiece of his own episode, one of the saddest in the show (tied with ‘The Tales of Ba Sing Se’). Aptly titled ‘Appa’s Lost Days,’ the episode followed Appa’s journey after being forcibly kidnapped from the Gaang and sold to a firebender circus troupe. The episode sees the iconic character forced to survive on his own and is a gut-wrenching episode from an otherwise comic children’s show.
Netflix could follow all of these storylines and more, assuming Avatar: The Last Airbender is renewed for Season 2 and beyond. For now, Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.
