Avatar: The Legend of Korra and its predecessor Avatar: The Last Airbender draw a lot from real-world politics for a kid’s show. Dealing with issues like genocide, propaganda, and war, it is not a surprise that the show took inspiration from real-world political figures to talk about the themes it explores in its sequel series, The Legend of Korra.
There is a particular reading of the villain for the first season of Legend of Korra that equated him with Joseph Stalin, the leader of the former USSR. The similarities between their philosophies, which focused on the democratization or eradication of unequal social structures is something that fans have pointed out, with Amon’s goal being towards equality, which manifested in him taking away bending from benders.
Amon’s idea of equality might have had a lot in common with Stalin’s ideas of communism
Amon was a water bender who used his bloodbending abilities to take away people’s bending, an idea that he worked with in the name of equality. Due to this supposed ability that the character had, he amassed a huge number of followers among non-benders, those who believed that they were oppressed by the more powerful class of people in society, which was usually benders.
This idea of a leader who capitalized on the struggle between classes is very reminiscent of Stalin, and something that a slew of fans have pointed out as being a possible direct inspiration for the character and his actions. However, despite how likely the idea is, there is no confirmation that this was the case.
However, it must be noted, that despite his calls for equality, it never became so that the character was willing to give up his bending. His actions were put in stark contrast to that of Aang during his fight with Fire Lord Ozai, who was similarly depowered for his atrocities against weaker sections of the world.
Amon’s actions might have put him in a sympathetic light if he wasn’t so extreme in Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Avatar Korra was able to restore the bending of those who had it taken away by Amon’s action. While Amon’s cause was a noble one, it needs to be realized that wealth and bending are fundamentally different, given that bending has a fundamental connection to human spirituality and biology, and is inherent to those who are born with it.
While there was a disparity in what benders could achieve as compared to non-benders, Amon could have been a leader who made it easier for non-benders to achieve what benders could, rather than tearing the latter down in traumatic displays of his power.
Given how closely the world of Avatar deals with spirituality, a leader who made it easier for people to relate to the spirit world could have made more of a difference in the fight against equality, something Korra was able to achieve with he help of her friends.
