Netflix’s Biggest Last Airbender Change Would Work Better For A Live-Action Legend Of Korra

Summary

• Netflix’s
  Avatar: The Last Airbender
  adaptation makes significant changes, and its shift in tone is arguably the biggest.
• The darker tone of the Netflix adaptation misses the humor and lightheartedness that made the original iconic.
• A more serious approach could benefit a live-action
  Legend of Korra
  , catering to the sequel series’ more mature themes.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender makes one significant change to the original series, and it would have worked better for a live-action Legend of Korra. The streamer’s Avatar: TheLast Airbender adaptation debuted in February 2024, and it was quickly renewed for two more seasons. Although Netflix’s ATLA keeps the characters and major plot points from the original Nickelodeon show, it makes significant changes to the source material — some of which have been better received than others.

Among the biggest changes Netflix’s Last Airbender makes to the original series are reworking Aang’s backstory and altering the main characters’ flaws. Changes to Sokka‘s and Katara’s characters have received a lot of backlash, but they aren’t even the most jarring elements of the Netflix adaptation. The live-action series diverges from the original ATLA in an even bigger way. And while this might have worked for a live-action Legend of Korra remake, it doesn’t land nearly as well for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Netflix’s Last Airbender Had A Darker Tone That’s Perfect For The Legend Of Korra

The ATLA Adaptation Misses What Makes The Original So Iconic

The original Avatar: The Last Airbender is known for its humor and lighthearted tone, and those are aspects of the Nickelodeon show that Netflix’s adaptation doesn’t recapture. While there are a few attempts at recreating ATLA‘s comedy, they mostly fall flat — and many of the original jokes are removed altogether. The Netflix series also does away with the lighthearted tone, leaning into the darker aspects of Aang’s journey. Those dark themes are present in the original, but as it’s aimed at a younger audience, they’re much less pronounced.

The original Last Airbender balances its more mature themes with optimism and humor, and those elements of the show are largely what make it so iconic. Moving away from these aspects of The Last Airbender is a questionable choice for the Netflix series. However, given the sequel series’ older characters and more adult themes, it could have worked for a live-action Legend of Korra.

Why A Darker Tone Doesn’t Really Suit Avatar: The Last Airbender

It Forgets What Made The Original So Iconic

At its core, The Last Airbender is a story about overthrowing a tyrannical regime, so it’s easy to understand why Netflix wanted to lean into the violence and loss that accompanied the Fire Nation’s takeover. However, one could argue that the original Last Airbender gets these points across just as well without making a spectacle of them. It’s a testament to the writing that viewers feel Aang’s loss without seeing the attack on the Southern Air Temple and understand the fear the Fire Nation invokes without watching people be burned alive.

That balance is largely responsible for
The Last Airbender
‘s enduring popularity, and the Netflix adaptation misses the mark by leaning too far in one direction.

Additionally, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a story about hope, friendship, and love, and its upbeat tone reflects how those things can help overcome adversity. The Nickelodeon show strikes the perfect balance, highlighting the pain the Fire Nation causes while showing that the characters can still find joy in spite of their situation. That balance is largely responsible for The Last Airbender‘s enduring popularity, and the Netflix adaptation misses the mark by leaning too far in one direction. Some moments benefit from a more somber approach, but others fail to land without the tone of the original.

How A More Serious Tone Would Benefit A Live-Action Legend Of Korra

The Last Airbender’s Sequel Series Is Already A More Serious Show

While a more serious approach to The Last Airbender doesn’t always work in its favor, a live-action Legend of Korra could easily benefit from Netflix’s tonal changes. The Legend of Korra contains much of ATLA‘s signature humor, but it’s scattered throughout a more serious narrative. The characters in TLOK are older teens and young adults, and their story is aimed at a more mature audience. Because of this, the sequel series digs more deeply into topics like PTSD and generational trauma. It also doesn’t hold its punches when it comes to the violence its villains inflict on their victims — including Korra herself.

With The Legend of Korra already having a more serious tone than Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s easy to imagine it utilizing Netflix’s live-action formula. The Legend of Korra‘s villains, in particular, would shine in such an adaptation, as they’re responsible for some of the franchise’s darkest moments. Likewise, Korra losing her connetion to the previous Avatars and struggling with PTSD would hit even harder in a more mature iteration of the story. The Legend of Korra seems perfectly set up for a live-action Netflix series — more so than The Last Airbender — though it’s unclear if one could ever happen.