While Netflix did a decent job with Avatar: The Last Airbender, it is no doubt that the show left a lot to be desired, when it came to the standards set by the IP. Given that Paramount and Nickelodeon are gearing up to expand the franchise with a dedicated studio, there is one way that the original creators of the show can lead up to its big releases, bringing the IP back into the mainstream conversation.
Before the decision to expand the franchise in animated form was made, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko told more stories set in the times of Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra via the Dark Horse publication, writing comics that were able to expand on the journeys of our beloved characters.
This is something the creators could do again, to hype the fandom up about the upcoming launches, and to divert attention from the Netflix adaptation, which might damage the image of the IP if allowed to color the perception of fans.
Avatar as an IP could focus on telling stories between its big-budget entries
The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender has been expanded via comics and novels, where the creators of the show have been able to explore the times of Avatar Aang right after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai and Avatar Korra, right after she took down Kuvira and the Earth Empire. Further, the novels were able to explore the times of avatars past, such as Kyoshi and Yangchen.
However, as Michael Dante DiMartino mentioned in an interview with The Mary Sue in 2015, comics and other media can be used to drum up the fandom by telling stories about the same characters who are to feature in upcoming and past properties, allowing fans to get familiar with the cast of characters that they would be seeing on screen, while also getting them excited for what’s to come. He said:
Thanks to the influence of other writers and artists along the way, we were inspired to explore themes and stories we never could’ve imagined when we first created the show.
But looking back, I feel like we were able to tell Aang’s story in a cohesive, unified way. And now with the Dark Horse comics, we’re able to tell some new stories with the same characters.
The focus here is very much on telling stories about characters that are going to get a presence on the big screen and on streaming, to allow audiences to interact with their stories leading up to the big release. This would allow creators to inject their characters of note back into the mainstream, generating interest for more installments of the IP.
2025 will see The Last Airbender return to theatres with brand-new content
Avatar: The Last Airbender is going to make a comeback in 2025, releasing an animated feature in theatres, starring Dave Bautista as an antagonist. This film will be the first in a trilogy that will feature the adult Gaang and tell a new story, never before seen in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
2025 is also rumored to be the release date for the next Avatar in the series, following the Avatar after Korra. This Avatar will be the Earth Avatar, as is dictated by the Avatar cycle. The show will allegedly take place about a hundred years after the events of The Legend of Korra, which makes the appearance of any characters from the previous show quite unlikely.
As Paramount taps the Avatar IP to become a bigger part of its media library, the hope is that the Avatr Universe will soon rival the likes of Star Wars and the Wizarding World, or even A Song of Ice and Fire as an IP of its own, something that the Paramount can reliably bank on to invest heavily in and have guaranteed returns.
A focus must be put on the main installments of the IP, given that a rival product will also try to dominate the same space, over at Netflix.
