The Final Airbender Season 2 Makes A Large Change To Zuko’s Backstory

Way back, the 4 nations lived collectively in concord. Then every part modified when spoilers for Season 2 of “Avatar: The Final Airbender” attacked.

The second season of Netflix’s live-action “Avatar: The Final Airbender” remake is an enormous enchancment over its predecessor, which was a group of best hits and little else. The primary season felt prefer it could not determine if it was aimed toward grown-up followers of the unique animated collection looking for an edgy, violent model, or new children who hadn’t but found the unique and have been experiencing the whimsical fantasy journey for the primary time. Season 2 finds a greater tonal stability. Positive, we nonetheless have some nice moments of levity, like Sokka (Ian Ousley) hallucinating after consuming cactus juice or partaking in a haiku battle, however for probably the most half the present goes all-in on being darkish and dramatic.

It is par for the course, contemplating “E-book Two: Earth” of the animated “The Final Airbender” was when that story went darker, with larger and extra private stakes. It was after we obtained among the best, and definitely the heaviest and most emotional, episodes within the collection, “The Tales of Ba Sing Se.” It’s also in “E-book Two” that we be taught Zuko’s much more tragic backstory — that of his mom’s disappearance. It is a pivotal second for the character, and one which modifications considerably within the live-action remake.

Within the live-action present, we get flashbacks exhibiting Zuko (Dallas Liu) and Azula’s (Elizabeth Yu) childhoods rising up within the Fireplace Nation. One night time, Zuko is woke up by his mom, Ursa, who decides to run away from the palace and take her kids together with her. Sadly, she is stopped by palace guards and her husband, Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim), who take her away.

This can be a moderately large change to Zuko’s backstory, even when it does not really feel like one initially. Within the animated collection, we see Ozai communicate out of flip and recommend he ought to take over his older brother Iroh’s declare to the throne. To punish him, the Fireplace Lord, Azulon, duties Ozai with killing his personal son, Zuko, so he’ll understand how Iroh feels. We then get a scene of Ursa waking Zuko up in the course of the night time, telling him that she loves him and every part she’s completed has been to guard him. That is the final time Zuko sees his mom, who disappears into the night time. Her destiny is a lingering query that “Avatar: The Final Airbender” co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino vetoed from being revealed within the present.

Nonetheless, a graphic novel titled “The Search” informed the total story. The night time she disappeared, Ursa (who had been pressured into marrying Ozai and despised his household) determined to save lots of Zuko by conspiring with Ozai. She offered her husband with a poison to homicide Azulon, permitting Ozai to take the throne. She was then banished from the Fireplace Nation (presumably as a result of Ozai did not need her to try to do the identical to him).

Season 2 of Netflix’s “Avatar: The Final Airbender” skips the Azulon storyline. As an alternative, it retains issues targeted on Zuko’s quick household and his dad and mom’ tumultuous relationship. Right here, Ursa’s hatred for Ozai is way clearer, and he or she calls him a monster to his face. Seeing her try to escape the palace life altogether together with her kids makes for a distinct, but nonetheless impactful storyline. Since the unique creators of “Avatar” aren’t concerned with the Netflix present, there isn’t any veto in opposition to followers doubtlessly studying Ursa’s destiny in Season 3.