The Last Airbender’ Prequel Would Be Better Than Another Sequel

Summary

A new Avatar sequel series, Seven Havens, is in development, centered on twin earth-bending Avatars post-Korra.
However, potential plotlines for a prequel, including exploring the lives of past Avatars and a pre-bending society, could be better than a sequel.
The decision to keep the new Avatar series animated in 2D is a wise choice, ensuring creative freedom and adherence to the original charm.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra arguably represent some of the finest television products American animation has ever produced. What started as a simple adventure series in 2005 has morphed into a mini-franchise, with a cult following, ratings, and awards to show for it. Thus, one can only imagine fans’ joy when news broke that Nickelodeon was developing another Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series.

After the success of The Legend of Korra, there’s no doubt over any new material coming from franchise creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. However, a prequel that digs into the lives of previous Avatars like Kuruk, Kyoshi, and Yangchen or even a pre-bending society might be even more intriguing. A pre-modern Avatar world, one even less developed than Avatar Aang’s, where there is relative political peace and more of a greater existential threat could be a world worth exploring.

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Another Avatar Animated Series Sequel Is in the Works

Prepare for Twin Earth-Bending Avatars in ‘Avatar: Seven Heavens’

In the last week of February, few fandoms were happier than the “Avatarverse” fans (not you, James Cameron nerds). A press release from Nickelodeon at the 20th anniversary celebration of Avatar: The Last Airbender, read that a new Avatar animated series was in development at the four-year-old Avatar Studios, titled Avatar: Seven Havens. From the official logline, Avatar: Seven Havens would put a new perspective on the Avatar cycle, centering on a pair of earth-bending Avatar twins, living in a post-Avatar Korra world. It reads thus:

Set in a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm. A young earth-bender discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra – but in this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity’s destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.

With a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an IMDB rating of 9.3/10, Avatar: The Last Airbender is among the highest-rated animated TV shows ever and is widely regarded as the best of all time. Its sequel, The Legend of Korra, expanded the lore in bold and unexpected ways. It received slightly less praise, but it’s an arguable case of being a victim of its predecessor’s success. In other words, Avatar: The Last Airbender set an extremely high bar that The Legend of Korra struggled to clear, although it can be argued that it was better in some respects.

Avatar: Seven Havens is a long, long way from release, and the trio of Konietzko, DiMartino, and Nickelodeon certainly understand the intense pressure from fans to deliver.

It’s the Perfect Time for an Avatar Prequel

What Would a Pre-Bending World Look Like?

The Avatar universe can handle another sequel, but its lore is rich enough to demand a prequel. Previous Avatars whose acts had a significant impact in their lifetime deserve much more than being glanced at through flashbacks during various points in the shows. Looking into these eras could give fans a better understanding of the Avatar cycle and the struggles these iconic characters faced.

Take Avatar Kyoshi for example, whose era was characterized by social unrest and political conspiracy. An orphaned servant, she grew to become one of the most powerful Avatars in history — as told in the Rise of Kyoshi novels — and the most powerful heroine. Add this to her unyielding sense of justice, and it is clear a Kyoshi-centered show begging to be born. Avatar Kuruk had a bit more screen time in The Legend of Korra and Neflix’s live-action adaptation, but not nearly enough to satiate fans. Then there is Avatar Yangchen, known for her wisdom and diplomacy, who existed in a time of relative peace, but even then, the world was not peril-less.

Even better, there could be an entire season on the origin of bending! How cool would it be to see the first earth-benders learn from the Badger moles, the first water benders from the moon and the tides, and the first fire benders from the dragons? Not to mention the political dynamics of a pre-bending society and how that would differ from the politics fans are used to from the franchise. The lack of a grumpy Fire Lord and his imperialist goals don’t mean a lack of conflict between tribes. Human history shows that societies are bound to have large-scale conflicts after a long time of relative peace and there’s no reason the ancient pre-bending societies are any different.

2D Animation Remains The Right Choice For Avatar

A Live-Action Avatar Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Idea, But…

The decision to keep the new series animated — and in the classic 2D — is a good one, especially in an age of needless live-action remakes of animated classics such as How to Train Your Dragon and Snow White. Not only does 2D animation allow for a level of creative and visual storytelling freedom that 3D animation and live-action struggle to imitate, but it’s also the best kind for manipulating the elements, like in the Avatar franchise. There’s no need to go far searching for an example – Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series exists. It received criticism for failing to capture the original’s charm and flexibility. Thus, it’s only natural that any future prequel series will be animated as well.

Despite this postulation, a live-action Avatar prequel — or any Avatar film for that matter — still has odds of succeeding. Imagine a story set during the Hundred-Year War about a group of rebels fighting against the Fire Nation, a movie describing Iroh’s journey from Fire Nation general to a wise tea-loving uncle, or one about how the first benders terrorized the non-benders. Now imagine equipping it with a $100 million budget and getting a legend like Steven Spielberg on board. The hype train would be out of control.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Release Date: 2005 – 2007
Showrunner: Michael Dante DiMartino
Directors: Dave Filoni
Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino

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