It’s been over a decade since its disastrous first attempt to hit the big screen, but enough time has passed that it’s at least worth givingAvatar: The Last Airbenderanother shot at cinematic glory. Next fall sees the release ofThe Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, a (thankfully) animated spin-off and continuation of one of the greatest animated series of all time. Plot details are scarce at the moment, but it’s been confirmed that the film will focus on the original show protagonists, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko, in their early adulthood.
Maybe the most surprising announcement has been that all of these voice roles have been recast, as creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (who will serve as producers) wanted to honor the characters’ ethnic and racial backgrounds. Korean singer/actor Eric Nam will voice Aang, with Jessica Matten (Dark Winds) as Katara, Román Zaragoza (Ghosts) as Sokka, and Dionne Quan (Kimi fromRugrats) as Toph. Yet by far the biggest get isSteven Yeun, confirmed totake the role of Zuko, and who’s actually anAvatarveteran.
Steven Yeun Is a ‘Last Airbender’ Veteran
Thanks to his breakout role as Glenn inThe Walking Dead, his Oscar-nominated performance inMinari, and his Emmy-winning role in Netflix’sBeef,Steven Yeun has been a star on the risefor at least a decade. However, he also took a recurring role in theAvatarsequel series,The Legend of Korra, as a key figure in the franchise’s mythology.
InThe Legend of Korra’s second season two-parter, “Beginnings,” Yeun voiced Wan, an ancient firebender who became the first Avatar, almost 10,000 years before the events of the original series.As the episodes detailed, Wan was born into poverty and spent most of his life envying the Chou family, the wealthy elites who ranked among the most powerful in his city.
Eventually, he decided to steal food from the Chous for his friends, and, under the guise of joining a hunting party, convinced his city’s Lion Turtle to teach him the power to create fire to defend himself in the forest. However, he almost immediately broke his promise and used his powers to try to steal from the Chous, leading to his banishment from the village.
Wan relocated to the forest, where he lived among the spirits, who accepted him. A dragon taught him the means to control his new powers,thus making Wan the first firebender.As he mastered the art, his fellow villagers soon realized they could use the power to fight back against the Chous and steal fire from the Lion Turtle,forming a new community that would later become the Fire Nation.
Wan Is a Key ‘Avatar’ Figure
Over the years, Wan traveled the world, one day encountering a battle between Raava, a spirit of light, and Vaatu, a spirit of darkness and war, who clashed every 10,000 years to determine the fate of the world. Vaatu was able to trick Wan into using his firebending to free him from the grasp of his enemy,subsequently unleashing darknessand chaos upon the world at large, and leaving Wan to reckon with his mistake.
Unable to face Vaatu on her own, Raava joined forces with Wan, helping him journey to other Lion Turtle cities, where he’d convince the ancient guardians to teach him control over the other three elements.Quickly learning to bend fire, air, water, and earth, Wan became the first Avatar, preparing to face off against Vaatu in an event known as “Harmonic Convergence,” during which the north and south spirit portals would merge for a brief period.
During the battle, Vaatu quickly gained the upper hand, leading Raava to convince Wan to merge with her, allowing him to draw upon the power of the spirit world, and creating what would later become known as the “Avatar State.” Wan emerged victorious and trapped Vaatu inside the spirit world. The final scenes in “Beginnings” depict an elderly Wan, near death and regretful that he was unable to completely restore peace to the world.Raava promises that when Wan dies, she will be reborn into a new human host, thus beginning the Avatar cycle of reincarnation, which Aang and Korra later become part of.
“Beginnings” easily stands as the high point ofThe Legend of Korra’s lackluster second season, which spent time spinning its wheels and generally relied too much on coincidence in its plot developments. However, these two episodes filled in some fascinating gaps in theAvatarmythology and benefited immensely from Steven Yeun’s voiceover work.
He brilliantly captured Wan’s simultaneous arrogance and kindheartedness, along with his emotional growth, and it’s that range that makes him a perfect choice to take over the role of Prince Zuko. While it’s admittedly disappointing that Dante Basco won’t be returning, we have no doubt that Yeun will prove a more than worthy successor, thanks to his already legendary status in theAvatarfranchise.The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbenderis in theaters on August 04, 2025.
