‘Avatar: The Seven Havens’ and Korra’s legacy
It’s never easy living up to an icon. Many, including myself, grew up with Aang and discovered the world of Avatar through his journey. From being found in an iceberg to fighting Fire Lord Ozai and ending the war during Sozin’s Comet, we saw his growth from an unwilling hero to a savior who never compromised his values for the sake of winning. We fell in love with his youthful whimsy and appreciated him for his patience, kindness, and compassion.
Compare that with Korra—the hot-headed descendant who preferred to punch her way through her problems—it isn’t rocket science why she’s less favored than the hero who brought the world together.
Ammunition for the haters
Aang, despite occasional setbacks, had a relatively flawless run as he ended the Hundred-Year War, mastered all four elements by age 12, and established the United Republic of Nations. Meanwhile, Korra, despite defeating powerful opponents such as Amon, Unalaq, and Kuvira, had her ass occasionally handed to her, for lack of a better term.
Aang was simply a legendary hero. And Korra, while a fearsome fighter in her own right, as well as a bending prodigy, was constantly living in his shadow—both figuratively and literally, for viewers.
Still, debates surrounding who’s better or worse remained a matter of preference and lacked any semblance of objectivity—that is, until the teaser for “Avatar: Seven Havens.”
The upcoming show follows Pavi, a young earthbender and the new avatar after Korra. Immediately we see a world unlike what we’d gotten to know so far: shattered by an unknown cataclysm and on the brink of collapse.
In this new world, Pavi isn’t seen as the hero an avatar typically is—but rather a threat that brought the world to ruin. In fact, in “Avatar: Seven Havens,” Pavi is on the run from both human and spirit enemies, all while searching for a way to save the world.
How does this affect Korra’s legacy? Well, Aang ushered in world peace and brought civilization to industrialization. Meanwhile, it was during Korra’s watch that the world fell into ruin—the trailer also suggests that she is heavily blamed for it, perhaps even the one who caused it.
From Korra to Pavi
At the end of the trailer, Vaatu, from the second season of “The Legend of Korra,” is seen emerging from the ground and is hinted at as the show’s potential main villain. For those unfamiliar, Vaatu is the spirit of chaos and darkness—the opposite of Raava, who is the spirit of light and peace and the source of the avatar’s power.
In season two of her show, Korra is able to defeat Vaatu. However, it is revealed that neither Raava nor Vaatu can actually die—instead, whoever is defeated simply has a remnant of their essence live on in the other, where they can recover and revive after a few thousand years.
Raava resides in Korra, and so does Vaatu. But how is it possible for it to be free at the time of “Avatar: The Seven Havens”? Perhaps Vaatu took control of Korra and laid waste to the world above? Who knows?
Either way, without the rest of her past lives (Aang, Roku, and Kyoshi)—whom Korra lost her connection to—Pavi, the inexperienced avatar, only has Korra to look to for spiritual guidance. And from what we’ve seen so far, the entire world hates Korra for her shortcomings, just as fans of the franchise see her as less than Aang.
But like Pavi, should we hear her out, maybe we’d also learn about what truly transpired, and find greater appreciation for everything she’d done. Korra had her time, but through Pavi, it’s not too late for us to see her as the hero she truly is—hopefully.
“Avatar: Seven Havens” premieres on Paramount+ on Oct. 9. The upcoming show will consist of 26 half-hour episodes that are divided into Book 1 (13 episodes) and Book 2 (13 episodes)
