Summary
Avatar: The Last Airbenderfans have been vocal about the folks in charge toning down how sexist the character Sokka will be. Many weren’t fans of that reported change, and not for the reasons people are usually angry about less sexism. But the star behind the character has his view on the situation.
Avatar: The Last Airbenderearned some cautious attention from audiences when its live-action adaptation was announced, mainly due to the infamously poor reception the last time this was attempted via M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Last Airbenderfilm. This time around, it seems Netflix wants to correct the mistakes of that movie. But the thing is, it looks like it will still make some significant changes. Fans criticizedNetflix’s change to Sokka’s sexist views for removing one of his prominent points for character development.
In a recent interview withMetro, Sokka actor Ian Ousley finally spoke out about his thoughts on the changes to his character. Fans were understandably concerned that taking away that initial aspect of Sokka would remove some of the most satisfying character development from the originalAvatar: The Last Airbenderseries. But according to Ousley, that hasn’t changed the character like fans think it will. “I think that the essence of the character that Sokka is, is 100% the character that is portrayed in the live-action version of the show,” the actor reassured.
“I think the fans are a little worried that there’s going to be changes in who Sokka is, and I don’t really think that’s been the case at all in our show. Obviously it’s different from an animation show to a live-action in those ways, but the heart and soul of the animation show is the breath that we’re all playing into.”
In theoriginalAvatar: The Last Airbenderseries, Sokka began as a brash and ignorant character, carrying overtly sexist opinions and often belittling the efforts and capabilities of his sister, Katara (despite her obvious aptitude). Sokka often found himself humbled by capable female characters throughout the series, and that’s what slowly and ultimately made him change his closed-minded views. But it looks like much of that had to be compressed due to the live-action show’s much shorter run. “I think that we’ve turned those in different directions in the way that… we can’t fit every single arc of every single thing from the animated show,” Ousley admitted. “But the essence of him is still there.” Ousley added:
“[He] definitely still gets humbled in ways and learns that women can be powerful. I’m just excited for people to watch it and get their own take on that particular thing that I know that people are worried about.”
Sokka isn’t the only one getting an altered treatment. For similar reasons,Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbenderis changing Aang, the show’s young lead. In the new series, the excitable Aang will no longer get sidetracked quite so easily from his main quest to reach his full potential as the Avatar of the elements. This ended up being just as controversial a revelation as Sokka’s changes since Aang’s status as a bit of a reluctant hero was a big part of his character development in the original show. Between these two characters and the shorter runtime, it’s easy to see why fans are so wary of the adaptation.
But despite so much beingremoved from Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbender, the absolute worst-case scenario, at the very least, won’t erase the original from existence. While it’s satisfying to have adaptations that adhere close to their predecessors, it can also be good to let them try new things with the formula to see what happens. No matter how it turns out, it will drive people to watch the animated series for one reason or another. That’s a nice silver lining.
Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbenderdrops its full 8-episode run on July 05, 2025.
