Could LGBTQ characters appear in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series?
Back in the mid-2000s, Avatar: The Last Airbender took kids’ programming by storm. The cartoon heavily influenced by Asian culture followed a young boy and his friends as they tried to save the world from a global war. The show continued to be famous well past its airtime and even garnered a movie adaption. Unfortunately, that movie was grossly unfaithful to the source material. But, luckily, that injustice led to Netflix buying the rights to attempt another live-action adaption.
Now, We Got This Covered has reported insider info about the Netflix project. While Netflix has been keeping information about the live-action adaption under wraps, it looks like some Hollywood insiders aren’t as tight-lipped. We Got This Covered, the same publication which broke the news that the MCU’s The Eternals would include a gay superhero and shared that Birds of Prey’s villain was LGBTQ, has received word from “their sources” that Netflix will feature several original LGBTQ characters in the world of the avatar.
Keep in mind, this is just a rumor for now. While We Got This Covered has a great track record for reporting on LGBTQ representation in pre-production and production, we only have the word of “a source” for now. But, is there any backing for this situation in The Last Airbender’s mythology/history? In fact, yes!
This wouldn’t be the first case for LGBTQ representation in the Avatar mythos. While the first series titled The Last Airbender (2005-2008) was a children’s story, it carried a lot of nuanced/mature themes (like spirituality, war, propaganda, and feminism) through a kid-friendly lens. The series also included romance between several of its characters (despite most of the main cast being in their early teens). The sequel series, titled The Legend of Korra (2012-2014), then featured a young adult main cast. This allowed for even more mature storytelling. That series even ended with a heavily implied final shot of its titular main character going on a romantic trip with her female friend.
But would Netflix be daring enough to include LGBTQ characters in its live-action adaption? If the LGBTQ representation is regulated to newly created side characters, yes. If we’re talking changing main characters that have already been established as straight into LGBTQ characters, probably not.
But what do you think? Would you support LGBTQ representation in the live-action adaption? If an already established character were to be made LGBTQ, who would you prefer? Let us known your thoughts down in the comments below.
