Netflix recently brought back Avatar: The Last Airbender to widespread acclaim, but as is the case with most good things, there was a downside. That downside being that the release has reignited the debate among fans about the original series versus the creative direction taken by the show's successor series, The Legend of Korra.
The short version of the argument is that there are a number of Avatar: The Last Airbender fans who are upset that The Legend of Korra picked up 70 years after the first series. The main characters were only tangentially related to the original characters, which angered some who wanted to see a show that continued Aang's story in earnest. Amid the back and forth on the merits of The Legend Of Korra, Netflix jumped in to defend the series and try to put an end to the renewed discourse.
Netflix defending The Legend of Korra on its "NXOnNetflix" account may have been done with the best intentions, but the tweet only kept the arguments rolling. The tweet did net over 49,000 likes as of this writing, but has also gotten a lot of responses that show that there's still a lot of anger about The Legend of Korra years later.
The tweet also brought out an uglier side of the Avatar: The Last Airbender vs. The Legend of Korra debate. While there are those who dislike the fact the series didn't follow Aang, there are others who disliked the focus on inclusivity in The Legend of Korra. This included the ending, which revealed that Korra was bisexual. Some praised the decision, and others thought it was done to pander to the fandom or get the series more attention.
Amid the anger and trash talk against The Legend of Korra, there were also those that maintained the series was superior to Avatar: The Last Airbender. For all the positive things one can say about Aang's adventure, there's an argument to be made that the villains on the original show, compared to those on The Legend of Korra, weren't nearly as good.
In reality, Netflix seems to have done a lot to stir the pot rather than quell the drama. That may be a good thing for the streamer, however, as there's now a whole Twitter thread of fans complaining about the things they did and didn't like from both shows. Those are helpful notes, considering that Netflix is developing a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and how many mistakes the last live-action outing of franchise made.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently available to stream on Netflix. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for updates on the live-action adaptation, and for the latest news on all things happening in the world of television and movies.
