Avatar: The Last Airbender – 7 Mistakes The Netflix Remake MUST Avoid

Konietzko and DiMartino crafted a rich world when they created Avatar. Drawing heavily from East Asian mythology and lore, the result was a fictional land which felt as layered as Middle-Earth or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Fans identify with this setting just as much as with its inhabitants. That being said, the show’s vast world could overwhelm newcomers if not presented (and exposited) in bite-size doses.

Shyamalan took the absolute worst approach to this matter: using characters as mouthpieces to relay all the crucial facets of the worldbuilding. Everything from the origin of the Hundred Years War and the nature of the Avatar Cycle, to esoteric details such as the Library of Wan Shi Tong to Twi and La, the twin ocean spirits of the Northern Water Tribe – all exposited in the dullest manner possible.

The creators had it right in the first place, by placing pithy 30-second summarizations at the beginning of each episode. These narrations by Katara outlined the show’s central premise, reminding the audience of their heroes’ quest, while the rest of the pertinent details about the world were conveyed in a natural and compelling way. Aang’s discovery of the Air Nomad Genocide, and the trauma which accompanied it, was a particularly effectively example.

As long as first-time viewers are eased into the worldbuilding, this shouldn’t be an issue.