After myriad failures, Netflix finally seems to have learned the formula to successfully translate anime and animated features into live action, as seen from their recent adaptations of classics like One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Alice in Borderland. The streaming conglomerate’s latest venture, the newly released adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, is another step in that positive direction, which, albeit not flawless, has the potential to carry forward the Avatar universe, spanning through various spin-offs and print media continuations.
One of the major factors that acts both as an advantage and a drawback in the case of such adaptations is the chance of tweaking the original structure while retelling a narrative, which is occasionally done to include hints for an upcoming storyline. In an attempt to do something similar, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender has jam-packed its first season with a number of teases, including Easter eggs, which will branch out later. As the positive reception of the first season has indicated a high chance of upcoming installments getting greenlit, we will take this opportunity to discuss how the hinted plot points are going to be explored in the future.
Spoilers Ahead
Journey Of The Legends: Aang And His Friends
The end of the first season of Netflix’s Avatar mirrored the first season finale of the original series, with Princess Yue sacrificing her life to revive the Moon Spirit and an Ocean Spirit possessed Aang decimating the Fire Nation’s fleet to save the Northern Water tribe. This is merely the first step of Aang’s globetrotting journey, as in order to truly become the peacekeeper of the four nations and stop the Fire Nation’s reign of terror, Aang needs to learn all four disciplines of bending. Also, he needs to get better at controlling his Avatar state at the same time, before the Fire Nation gets stronger and annihilates whatever little resistance is standing in their way of their total world dominance. While Katara, who has come a long way since her days at Wolf Cove and is a Master Waterbender in her own right, can help Aang with water bending technique, the disciplines of fire and earth bending remain unknown to the young airbender. Although Aang has made amends with his old friend, Bumi, the king of the Earth Nation stronghold, Omashu, the chances of him learning the discipline from him are slim as Omashu has been conquered by the Fire Nation by the end of the first season. Additionally, with air and earth being natural opposites, Aang is going to have a hard time learning something totally in contrast to his usual agile and evasive maneuvers of airbending. This allows the space to introduce (major spoiler) one of the most intriguing characters of the series, Toph, whose assistance will be of great importance in Aang’s upcoming future.
Additionally, Aang’s connection to the world of spirits will be explored in the upcoming season, as the Avatar had previously promised to fulfill his duty as the mediator of the human and spirit worlds.
The Prodigal Son: The Fate Of Zuko
The conflicted psyche of the disgraced Fire Nation Prince Zuko was very well reflected in the series’ first season. Zuko’s journey from a kind-hearted boy to a wounded warrior seeking to earn his penance by capturing the Avatar to a disillusioned, seemingly hopeless individual—all in the span of a season—has made the character a fan favorite in no time. Throughout Zuko’s journey, Uncle Iroh has remained by his side to act as his moral compass, protector, and source of unwavering support. But even Iroh wasn’t able to comfort Zuko when the prince learned about the heartbreaking truth of his banishment—that he was merely a pawn in the game his father, Fire Lord Ozai, was playing. The opportunity that was dangled in front of him in the form of becoming the rightful heir to the throne by capturing Aang was a fantasy, and as soon as it breaks, Zuko finds his life to be without a purpose. Already exiled to begin with, Zhao’s falsification has now made Zuko a fugitive as well, and he has no one to turn to except uncle Iroh and the loyal crew of his ship. It will be interesting to see what fate has in store for the prince, and we are hoping that Zuko will be able to find his life by moving beyond the intrigues and trappings of his warmongering nation and family.
Fire Nation’s Aggressive Conquest Continues
Every good story needs a villain, and the Fire Nation has every shade of one of them. Ranging from a reluctant, doomed antagonist like Zuko to the resolute, brutal, fearsome leader Ozai, and the cunning, malevolent, spiteful warrior Azula, the discriminatory supremacists have everything in their arsenal to give the good guys a run for their money. Just like how the first season began with a misdirection, it ended in a similar vein, as Ozai’s attack on the Northern Water tribe was a guise to cover his true plan, which gets fulfilled by Azula—the conquest of Omashu. This will serve as a major blow to the insurrectionists and rebels across the world, and it will certainly keep the Avatar and his friends on their toes. Azula’s rise to power was teased across the first season, which will take effect in full swing during the events of the second season, which might lead her on a conflicting course with her elder brother, Zuko. More importantly, the Fire Nation’s fierce, unchallenged dominance will increase manifold with the return of Sozin’s comet. The cosmic event previously gave a massive boost in the abilities of the Firebenders during the genocide of Airbenders, and needless to say, with Ozai at present hell bent on obliterating the presence of resistance and the Avatar, the return of the Comet poses an immense threat for the rest of the world.
Aside from the aforementioned plot points, the past Avatars and their influence will prove to be instrumental for the series’ future. Kyoshi’s determined, grim demeanor, Roku’s connection with Sozin, Kuruk’s past—all the interesting aspects of former Avatars will be explored in great detail, as Aang still needs to learn much more about what it takes to become one.
