I have been an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan since it premiered. I was there when it took over a year for Book 3 to come out, which was really unheard of for a cartoon. I was there when The Legend of Korra got moved to streaming. And I own all the comics that continue the story. And considering how much I like the live-action adaptations of One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin from Netflix, I was hyped for them to adapt the beloved animated series into live-action.
But Then I Saw the Trailer
Monday, January 22, 2024, we were teased with the Avatar: The Last Airbender cast reacting to the official trailer. Then amidst Oscar nominations and snubs, Netflix dropped the official trailer for their highly anticipated live-action series. And I was floored.
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The series looks absolutely incredible! In seconds, the bad taste left from M. Knight Shaymalan’s insulting attempt finally faded. The hopefully, yet reserved judgement I had from the stills and teaser trailer turned into full-on hype and support. But there’s one problem and how I know Netflix done messed up…
Netflix’s Glaring Mistake
How are we supposed to be rooting for Aang after seeing this? The world is just supposed to act like they want some punk kid to ruin everything this man has built? No one is Team Avatar, everyone is 100% Team Daddy- I mean Team Ozai. Netflix cast this statuesque badass as the series’ ultimate bad guy, but not one person who saw the trailer sees a bad thing about the Firelord! People are even saying Zuko probably deserved the scar! (By people I mean my thirsty friends)
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Many of us know the whole story of Avatar: The Last Airbender by heart. But Daniel Dae Kim as Firelord Ozai is making OG fans question if we actually watched the original series correctly. Is it really wrong to unite the world under one banner? Did Ozai actually do anything wrong when he punished Zuko for dishonoring him on “Bring Your Kid to Work Day?” Is Aang evil for taking away Ozai’s bending? That is not a natural thing in the world of platypus bears and cabbage cart vandalism.
There’s no way the series is going to be the series we know and love when now we are all sympathizing with the villain. Yes, we know better. Ozai is evil! But, now we want to understand. It’s not right. I do not think anyone was looking for a villain redemption series. No one wanted a Maleficent or Cruella-like version of Avatar. So what the hell Netflix?
But Really Though
Real talk, if you’ve made it this far down the article, kudos for keeping the written word alive. I hope you realize I am joking. My tweet only got one retweet, so instead of taking the “L” I decided to expand on the joke and also protect myself from the brilliant minds who do not get I am joking. I appreciate your time and hope you think this is mildly amusing. I am 100% hyped for the series and from everything shown of the series so far, highly expect it to be a smashing success.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender will premiere exclusively on Netflix on February 22, 2024.
About Avatar: The Last Airbender
Premiere Date: February 22, 2024
Episodes: 8 episodes x 1 hour
Executive Producer / Showrunner: Albert Kim
Executive Producers: Jabbar Raisani, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, Michael Goi
Cast: Gordon Cormier, Ian Ousley, Kiawentiio, Dallas Liu, Ken Leung, with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Daniel Dae Kim
Synopsis
Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.
But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka (Ian Ousley) and Katara (Kiawentiio), siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.
What did you think of the Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer? Has Netflix found the secret to making live-action adaptations work? Was it a good joke, or was it too much trolling? Let us know what you think on Discord!
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