‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ first aired in 2005 and quickly became one of the most beloved animated series ever, still cherished by its fans to this day. However, in 2010, a live-action movie adaptation was released, and it didn’t go down well with audiences, leading to a general disappointment.
Now, Netflix has brought us a new live-action adaptation, but this time as a series that sticks closely to the original story, with a few tweaks here and there. The story revolves around Aang, a boy who inherits the powers of the Avatar, allowing him to control all four elements: earth, fire, water, and air. As war looms, he becomes the last hope for restoring peace.
The original Nickelodeon series has three seasons and 61 episodes.
It’s true! According to Screen Rant, he was one of the last characters to be added. Initially, the writers had planned for the Fire Lord to be the main villain throughout all three seasons. However, they soon realized that having only the Fire Lord as the antagonist wouldn’t make the story as engaging, so they decided to introduce Zuko’s character instead.
You might recall the ‘Cabbage Man,’ a merchant always struggling to protect his wagon full of cabbages. He first popped up in season one when his cart was wrecked by some earthbenders. Initially meant as a one-time funny moment, fans loved him so much that the writers kept bringing him back as a running joke. And now, he’s even in the live-action version.
MY CABBAGEEEEEEEES pic.twitter.com/V4d8Iu6RLy
— Netflix (@netflix) February 26, 2024
But don’t feel too sorry for him just yet. In the follow-up series, The Legend of Korra, the Cabbage Man actually has a happy ending. He ends up running a hugely successful company called ‘Cabbage Corp’.
The original plan for ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ was to set it thousands of years into the future. This would have resulted in significant changes to many characters, turning them into elements of science fiction. For instance, Appa might have been represented as a flying car, while Momo could have involved robotics instead of being the half-bat, half-lemur creature we know
Appa and Momo Avatar: The Last Airbender pic.twitter.com/wWz3RM6UiX
— Orion D. SM4 Hype (@GalaxyOrion20) February 28, 2024
Netflix released the original series in its platform in May 2020 in the United States. According to WatchMojo, Avatar quickly became the most-watched series on U.S. Netflix within a week of its debut. By July 2020, the series had set a new record for the platform, consistently appearing on Netflix’s daily Top 10 chart for the longest duration.