Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender original series were terrified by the firebending assassin Combustion Man, who consistently pursued Aang to end his life. He was a silent bounty killer hired by Zuko to eliminate Aang. He was given his nickname by Sokka, as the assassin terrorized the group with his unique combustionbending ability. One Reddit theory presented several supporting points to establish that Combustion Man was indeed of Air Nomad descent.
They also posited this theory for another combustionbending criminal, P’Li, who appeared in The Legend of Korra. Both Combustion Man and P’Li could project and detonate large explosions from their third-eye tattoo, something similar to the tattoos of an airbending master.
Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Combustion Man Was An Air Nomad – Theory
Combustion Man made at least four attempts on Avatar Aang’s life. He did not stop the fourth time even after Zuko asked him not to continue with the mission. While Combustion Man proved a real threat to the Last Airbender’s life, one fan theory suggested that he could be a firebender of Air Nomad descent. The Reddit user, u/lnombredelarosa, found several clues to come to this conclusion.
Firstly, the fan noted that several of the Combustion Man’s characteristics were strangely similar to those of the Air Nomads. He noted that both Combustion Man and P’Li’s appearance with their hairstyles, strange third-eye tattoos, and tall physiques, all resembled Air Nomads.
Their bending techniques also depended on focus on concentration and peace of mind as well as the moving energy of the air, which were characteristic of an Air Nomad. Moreover, Combustion Man was a traveler like Air Nomads.
The fan also based his theory on another existing theory about lavabending. This theory suggested that lavabending was developed by earthbenders of Fire Nation descent. Two known lavabenders in the Avatar universe, Sun and Bolin, were heavily implied to have Fire Nation descent.
By this theory, the fan suggested that just like lavabending results from superheating the earth, combustionbending results from superheating the air. According to the theory, only a true Air Nomad has the peace of mind to combine airbending with firebending skills, which possibly contributed to Combustion Man’s unique bending process.
Combustion Man’s Air Nomad Descent May Have A Darker Backstory
Combustion Man shared a hatred towards Avatar Aang, which eventually resulted in his careless death. After three nearly successful attempts on Aang’s life, the assassin breaks into the Western Air Temple and unleashes destruction. When he is about to use his third eye, Sokka’s boomerang hits the eye causing Combustion Man to unleash a point-blank explosion that kills him.
P’Li also had a similar goal and posed a threat to the new Air Nomads in The Legend of Korra. The theory suggests that both these characters’ hatred arises from the dark backstory of what happened to the Air Nomad survivors of the war. Combustion Man could be a descendant of survivors who sneaked into the Fire Nation and hid their airbending qualities.
These survivors may have carried scars from the genocide that affected them for life, making their descendants into assassins and criminals. The theory also suggests that these surviving airbenders did not get the Air Nomads tattoo. However, Combustion Man could’ve learned from the texts of these ancestors and developed the third-eye tattoo, which he used to focus his spiritual energies just like airbending masters.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is now available for streaming on Paramount+ and Netflix.
