The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender can explore untold stories. One Kyoshi Warrior story can strengthen an arc from the original animated show.
Summary
- The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series has the opportunity to explore untold stories from the Avatar universe, including characters like Suki.
- Suki's imprisonment in the graphic novel "Suki, Alone" adds depth to her character and highlights her mental strength and vulnerability.
- Developing Suki's character in the live-action series can strengthen some main plot points and provide a deeper understanding of her growth and involvement in helping others.
Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender has the opportunity to include one character-building story the animated series couldn't include. Following the Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer, there's more hope that the series can correct what the live-action film wasn't able to do, such as replicate the various bending styles more accurately. From the CGI on animal hybrids like Appa and Momo to the elaborate locations like Omashu, the live-action series seems to be checking a lot of boxes, even though it's confirmed the story will be reimagined to some degree.
Numerous live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender characters have been confirmed, such as Suki and Azula. Additionally, the Avatar universe is brimmed with stories from the graphic novels, like Zuko learning about his mother in The Search, and lore from the subsequent animated series, The Legend of Korra. This provides space for multiple untold stories to be explored in the live-action series, which would tie into the idea of reimagined narratives.
Netflix's Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender Has 1 Huge Advantage Over The Original ATLA
Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender has one huge advantage over the original ATLA animated series that it needs to use.The Suki, Alone Avatar Comic Expands On The Last Airbender’s Boiling Rock Episodes
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Suki is first introduced in Book One when Team Avatar first arrives at Kyoshi Island. As one of the strongest female characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Suki's expansive fighting skills, confidence, and chemistry with Sokka make her a likable character fairly quickly. In Book Three, her presence is much more frequent and starts with her imprisonment on The Boiling Rock. This ordeal takes place over two episodes and is mainly a reveal resulting from Sokka and Zuko's mission to hopefully find Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father.
However, in the graphic novel, Suki, Alone, Suki's capture and time at the prison is explored. An integral element of the story is that it adds context to Suki's line in The Boiling Rock Part 1 when she tells Sokka she knew he would come for her. In the graphic novel, Azula taunts her, asking if she has a message for Sokka about how desperately she needs him to rescue her. At the time, Suki denies that she needs help, only to later break down while in isolation, showing clear feelings of abandonment. Suki, Alone expands on her mental strength and focus, while also showing her more vulnerable side.
9 Side Characters We Can't Wait To See In Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1
Season 1 of Netflix's remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender should include nine of the original animated series' most lovable side characters.How Suki’s Imprisonment Echoes Her Past On Kyoshi Island
Suki, Alone's story switches back and forth between Suki's memories of Kyoshi Island and her time at The Boiling Rock. In her memory, she's with a friend, Mingxia, who leaves the island after her idea to break their isolation from other nations was rejected. In prison, Suki instigates collaboration with prisoners, namely Biyu, in order to better their situation by planting dumpling weed, as she used to with Mingxia. This highlights how Suki's original view that Kyoshi wanted her and her fellow Kyoshi Warriors to stay hidden from other nations has changed to align more with Mingxia's hope of sharing resources.
However, after leaving solitary confinement due to Biyu outing her planting operation to a warden, Suki is once again alone. Biyu explains she doesn't need others, whereas Suki needs a community. This echoes Suki's decision on Kyoshi Island to leave in order to help others and the Avatar after the Fire Nation's attack, indicating her hope to collaborate and aligning her with Mingxia. When at an all-time low and feeling immense loneliness, a vision of Avatar Kyoshi reassures her that she hasn't been abandoned and that her friends love her. This can easily be included since Kyoshi's been cast in the live-action with Yvonne Chapman taking the role.
Netflix's Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender Casting Sets Up A Perfect Spinoff
With plenty of content to adapt beyond the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, this confirmed casting lends itself to the perfect spinoff.Why Developing Suki’s Character For Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Is Important
Suki's emotional journey in Suki, Alone outlines her personal outlook in a way that better explains her active involvement after her rescue. By addressing her complexity more directly, it can benefit her character and add to what makes her compelling, such as her loyalty. Taking the time to explore her story, even if only briefly, can strengthen the main storyline too, since it adds weight to how much she's grown and draws attention to how her opinions about her purpose have evolved to include more active involvement in helping others. This includes her fighting alongside Zuko and Sokka at the prison and helping find Aang later in Book Three.
Additionally, the graphic novel juxtaposes the strong, always-ready Suki that is mostly shown in the original series with a more uncertain and vulnerable Suki. This could add to Suki's character development even more in Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender without straying from the main plot points too much, since the Fire Nation attack on Kyoshi Island and the Boiling Rock rescue both occur in the original series. Using secondary stories to strengthen characters can help make the live-action's story arcs more grounded and give more voice to fan-favorite supporting characters.
The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres on February 22, 2024, on Netflix.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live-Action)
Release DateFebruary 22, 2024CastGordon Cormier , Dallas Liu , Kiawentiio , Ian Ousley , Daniel Dae Kim , Paul Sun-Hyung LeeRatingNot Yet RatedStory ByMichael Dante DiMartino, Bryan KonietzkoWritersAlbert Kim , michael dante dimartino , bryan konietzkoShowrunnerAlbert Kim Related Topics About The AuthorWith a BA in screenwriting, film and TV, and media studies, Kelly has explored storytelling from academic and pop-culture perspectives. She has 5 years of experience editing localization for TV shows and theatricals, ranging from Apple TV+ to Universal content. Since leaving localization, Kelly has written and edited dozens of articles on various topics, from entertainment to business. In her free time, you can find Kelly working on screenplays, playing story-based PS games, and watching TV shows like The Walking Dead.
ncG1vNJzZmirk6eyprrRmqWtZpOkunCt1ZqrmqpdqMKstYyao6imlWKwsLnInKpmq6Skv7p5y6KtnmWRmMGqu81o
