Me: So you remember in the ALTA finale when Aang gets slammed against a rock in JUST the right spot so his chakra is unblocked and it realigns his whole spirit & body and he is able to reach his full potential as the avatar?
My Chiropractor: What?
Zuko: Please talk to him, Aang would throw himself in front of a moving car for you.
Katara: Aang would throw himself in front of a moving car for fun.
prince zuko got you all out here thinking every dark haired antagonist boy is gonna do right in the end when zuzu was the exception not the rule
I really wish it weren’t though? I think it’s really telling that a lot of people like redemption arcs because we want to see people be good despite their pasts. The fact that there are so little redemption arcs in media is very upsetting because it just sends the message that people can’t change which we know is not true. I absolutely don’t mean this for characters like Kylo Ren though lol
Redemption arcs are hard and Zuko’s was successful for a couple of reasons:
1) Zuko wasn’t the worst character in the Fire Nation. From really early on it was shown that, compared to Zhao, Azula, and other Fire Nation leaders, Zuko was consistently more noble. He tried to be a good person and do the right thing, even when doing so led to him suffering for his actions.
2) Zuko suffered for his mistakes. He suffered when he turned away from Iroh, he suffered when he betrayed Iroh, and he suffered even after his face turn. There were consequences for his mistakes; he didn’t get off scot free because his childhood was hard. He was still held accountable by the narrative and made to take responsibility for the wrongs he did.
3) Zuko made tangible amends to the people he hurt. He rescued Hakoda, helped Katara get closure, and became Aang’s firebending master. He put in work to make up for the things he did and rebuild bridges with his new allies.
Most redemption narratives fail because the guilty party is guilty of much greater crimes than failing to capture the hero, never works to make amends, and never suffers for their mistakes. You wanted to see Zuko redeem himself because he had the capacity, wanted to do the work, and paid dearly for his mistakes.
i know Mike and Bryan are working on the Avatar live action series. Which bodes well for it considering the bar was set incredibly low in 2010. But the continuing idea that animation is a lesser way of telling a story that and that live action remakes are “how it was meant to be seen” just don’t sit well with me.
even with the most cutting-edge CGI, you’d be able to tell when a Fire Nation airship sorely stands out or when Appa has been superimposed in a shot. Every frame of the original show is so beautiful and animation made EVERYTHING feel like this world was completely realized. To date I’d argue it’s one of the most perfect examples of a well told and contained story. Everything felt fleshed out and lived in. What does live action bring to the table that was lacking 13 years ago? I dunno, man.
BIG NEWS. Very excited to be able to share this. And very excited to be working with Mike again on this simultaneously new and old adventure. Give him a follow too if you haven’t already, as we chronicle this journey: @michaeldantedimartino
Here’s our quote from the press release:
“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. We can’t wait to realize Aang’s world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone’s great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action, and world-building. Netflix is wholly dedicated to manifesting our vision for this retelling, and we’re incredibly grateful to be partnering with them.” — Bryan Konietzko & Michael DiMartino
Hence why Toph Beifong is my favorite badass character ever. Followed by Zuko of course. 😝
I love that Toph believes that she is one of the most badass people ever to exist in the Avatar universe, is not shy about saying so, and is absolutely correct.
Shit, just watch the way she curbstomps Korra without even trying.
The reason Toph Beifong has lived so long is that death is rightly afraid of trying to claim her ❤
Zuko’s scar is different than the typical villain’s scar bc it’s not an ambiguous sign of past violence but an explicit symbol of his father’s abuse – rather than making him seem tougher for no reason it shows that at his heart he’s just a traumatized child and not a villain at all. In this essay I will
Molly's Monsters 