Avatar: The Last Airbender is set to hit Netflix in a few days, but fans are worried about the live-action adaptation after several revelations from the cast. In an earlier interview, Ian Ousley, who plays Sokko, and Kiawentiio, who plays Katara, shared that Sokko’s sexism from the animated series was mostly removed in the Netflix adaptation. After receiving backlash for the comments, the actors are now trying damage control, revealing that Sokko’s essence is still there in the series.
Fans of the original series believe that Sokko’s sexism is crucial to his character development in the series. Ousley revealed in his recent interview that fans who fear any drastic change in his character in Avatar: The Last Airbender should not be worried.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Star Explains Sokka’s Storyline After Fan Backlash
Fans were not happy with the news of Netflix toning down Sokka’s sexism in the upcoming series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, two of the main casts, Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley, informed fans that Sokka’s sexism in the series was deliberately cut away to avoid offending people. Kiawentiio told EW:
“I feel like we also took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was. I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy.”
Ousley agreed with his on-screen sister, sharing:
“Yeah, totally. There are things that were redirected just because it might play a little differently [in live action].”
Fans of the animated series couldn’t help but roll their eyes at this decision. Fans collectively believed that the decision to cut the sexism out was neither faithful to the original story nor Sokka’s entire character arc. In the original series, Sokka’s sexism causes Katara to get so mad, and she goes on to reveal Aang in the iceberg in the first place. The topic was once again brought up during Metro UK’s chat with the four main cast.
When Ousley was asked about the debate surrounding his character, the 13 Reasons Why actor revealed that fans should not worry about any drastic changes. He revealed that the essence of Sokka was still portrayed in the live-action version, and his attitude will evolve as the series progresses. Ousley explained to Metro UK:
“He’s an overprotective older brother, and that’s kind of shown in the way that he doesn’t really trust Katara maybe at the beginning, feeling like he’s the in-charge guy of Southern Water Tribe. [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.”
Ousley’s assurances about Avatar: The Last Airbender did not manage to convince the fans. Many believe that the actor was trying to do damage control and protect the series from the fan backlash.
Fans Are More Worried After Avatar: The Last Airbender Star’s Explanation
Ian Ousley’s comments did not help the case of Avatar: The Last Airbender with OG series fans. Many still believed that any kind of dilution in Sokka’s storyline was going to impact the whole series’ viewing experience. Another set of fans suggested that the cast should not engage in any more discussions surrounding Sokka’s topic as it only made things worse.
After Live Action Series, Avatar the Last Airbender to Also be Adapted into a Multiplayer Video Game
One fan did not understand Ousley’s explanation as they questioned the point in Sokka learning that women are powerful if he never doubted them in the first place. However, a few fans are still hopeful, with one fan expecting that the changes in Sokka’s characterization upgraded him from the animated series and did not spoil him. Some fan reactions read:
Everything I hear about this just gets worse
— Endymion (@EndymionYT) February 17, 2024
Make things stronger… not weaker…
Watered down story is not the way to make things better.
— MrPaladin (@MrPaladinYT) February 17, 2024
What's the point of him learning that women are powerful if he never doubted that they were powerful?
That would be like if Scrooge started out as a nice guy, and then ended the story even nicer. It's not satisfying development.
— Brooksie C. Fontaine (@BrooksieCFonta1) February 17, 2024
Most of the die hard fans won't be happy about this.
— Stanley tamz (@StanleyTamz) February 17, 2024
But leaving out the most important parts is just not it 🙁
— Derya (@deryamelodyy) February 17, 2024
I just hope they don’t spoil Sokka in any way. These changes better upgrade him.
— Purp? (@purpyisgreat) February 17, 2024
There are a few other changes to the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender from the animated version. The series will travel through the timeline differently than what the original series did. The series will also feature some mature scenes that the animated series avoided, like the genocide of the Airbender people and the rise of the Fire Nation.
Avatar: The Last Airbender will be released on Netflix on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
