In the original show, Aang and Katara end up being together. However, fans have often wondered, if it was the plan to begin with, following the undertones in her and Zuko’s bond. Despite starting off on the wrong foot by living on opposite sides of the war, Katara did eventually start to see good in Zuko, but the original show never overtly inclined towards establishing a romantic bond.
But with the live-action series moving forward for two more seasons, the showrunner of the first season refused to indulge if the show will expand upon their bond.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Showrunner Refused to Comment on Zuko and Katara’s Future
In Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s case, showrunner Albert Kim clarified that instead of translating the animated series to the small screen as it is, they’re aiming to be true to the show’s spirit. This reasonably opens the door for more changes moving forward, as long as they are authentic to the characters and the show’s roots.
But when the showrunner was asked about the possibility of exploring a potential romance between Zuko and Katara, who are often shipped by the fandom, he refused to comment on it.
He said:
“You’re not going to lure me into that debate! But in terms of what was set in stone, it’s more about understanding what the spirit of the original was and keeping faithful and true to that. I think there are certain elements of the characters that we all knew were never going to change, so we paid attention to that. The thing I’ve talked about in the past is that our byword for the whole production was authenticity, and that meant being authentic to the original source material, authentic to the cultures that inspired the stories, and authentic to the characters.”
Although it’s reasonable why he didn’t want to engage in this debate. After all, the story is still in its early stages with two more seasons to go, and Kim will no longer be the one to helm the upcoming seasons.
Albert Kim Stepped Down as Showrunner for the Upcoming Seasons
Similar to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who were initially hired to helm the live-action series, Albert Kim has stepped down as showrunner from the Netflix adaptation.
Jabbar Raisani, who served as an executive producer in the first season, will replace Kim moving forward, joining Christine Boylan as the showrunner for the upcoming seasons.
With Kim no longer onboard as a showrunner, who will serve as an executive in seasons 2 and 3, it can’t be said for sure if the bond between Zuko and Katara will be explored more in live-action. But while fans have long been wanting to see the two get together, per the original creators, the two were never intended to be in love.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream on Netflix.
