Following the huge success of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko released a sequel to the series The Legend of Korra. Set 70 years after the original series, it follows Korra, Aang’s successor from the Southern Water Tribe. Given the significant time leap, the series needed to incorporate various elements into its storylines, such as platinum’s immunity to metalbenders and advancements in technology over the years.
However, one of the most challenging aspects was integrating the presence of airbenders into the series after the events of The Last Airbender. However, the creators devised a method to reintroduce airbenders as the show progressed, with pieces eventually falling into place seamlessly.
The Legend of Korra on the Surprising Addition to the Series
In the Avatar world, bending abilities are often tied to specific nations or lineages. Airbenders were thought to have been nearly extinct after the events of The Last Airbender, with Aang being the last known Air Nomad.
The Legend of Korra introduces his son Tenzin, the oldest living airbending master, and his children as the only airbenders before the show reintroduces airbenders through the Harmonic Convergence, a cosmic event that occurs every ten thousand years in the Avatar universe.
When asked about a surprising addition to the Avatar world’s mythology they initially found surprising or unexpected, Michael Dante DiMartino shared that they had doubts that they would “find an organic way to bring back Airbenders” beyond Aang’s decedents.
However, as the show progressed, it seemed a storyline could be developed to make their return seem credible. “But with the season 2 storyline, the pieces all fell into place in a way that seemed plausible in the realm of the Avatar universe,” he told Polygon in an interview.
Bryan Konietzko further shared that while working on Book 2 of The Legend of Korra, they found that the backstory aligned well with the themes and plot. It allowed the creative exploration in art direction, with different palettes and background styles.
Creators Found Korra the Most Challenging Character to Work With
During their conversation with Polygon, Michael Dante DiMartino shared insights into the challenges of working with Korra’s character. He shared that the character posed the most difficulty due to her departure from the traditional hero archetype.
“She didn’t fit the mold in many ways,” he said before adding, “I remember early on trying to figure out who or what would challenge her the most.” DiMartino further recalled the early stages of brainstorming, where they grappled with identifying who would challenge Korra the most in her journey.
The breakthrough for the same came when they realized that characters like Tenzin and Lin Beifon could actually hinder Korra’s growth in her journey to master airbending. “And coming up with Amon solidified everything,” he shared, explaining that an antagonist opposed to bending philosophy provided the perfect obstacle for her character development.
The Legend of Korra is available to stream on Netflix.
