When Avatar: The Last Airbender came to an end, fans couldn’t help but yearn for more. The story they had associated with for so long, a character whom they dearly loved was at the end of his journey. No wonder that the show got a sequel. Avatar: The Legend of Korra was a genius move, building on the hype and the magnificent lore of the world. But the tone was very different. And so were the characters.
Years down the lane, the creators of the show Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko reflect on some of their controversial choices – including making a dictator their big villain.
What made Avatar: The Legend of Korra tick?
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko distinctly remember how it felt like when they were working on Avatar: The Legend of Korra. And it wasn’t easy at all. Making a sequel that enthralls fans as much as the original can be quite a task. And they came up with quite a solution!
In an interview with Polygon, DiMartino and Konietzko opened up about how they made the sequel tick – by making it something entirely different altogether. You can’t expect to match the bar you set with the original everyone loved. But who said you can’t change the bar itself?
Avatar: The Legend of Korra was a result of the bold calls taken by its makers
Bryan Konietzko rightly said,
“The last thing we wanted to do was make the same series all over again, even if a lot of fans of ATLA might have felt that is what they wanted from us.” (Polygon)
And it did have its benefits. They had a clean chit to explore so much. Continuing, they said,
“That provided so many new opportunities with the stories and character dynamics.”
Korra’s character was made possible by this approach only. She was not at all like Aang, an aspect which made her the sensation she was. This was the result of the bold calls taken by them.
What prompted DiMartino and Konietzko to choose the antagonist they did?
The series which started airing in 2012 will be remembered for many such calls, be it the characters, the grand mecha-fight in the finale, or their choice of villain. Truly ahead of its time, Avatar: The Legends of Korra was all about taking those bold and unconventional calls.
This wasn’t one of those works where they chose a villain and built their story around him. Opening about how the finale was planned, they said,
“About midway through production on the series we knew we wanted to have a military dictator as our final villain, so we started aiming towards that, laying the foundation for Kuvira in Book 3.”
What made them stick with the call was the fact that she would have been the perfect foil for Korra. She continued,
“She not only provided a stark contrast to Zaheer for variety’s sake, but she was also a great foil for a version of Korra that could have come to be — one who was consumed with her power. It helped show how much Korra had grown as an Avatar.”
In the end, their plan worked out comfortably well.