The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is rich and constantly expanding. After Aang’s (Zach Tyler Eisen) story concluded, the beloved series got a sequel, The Legend of Korra, which explored the next incarnation of the Avatar, Korra (Janet Varney). And the universe is set to expand once again with the announcement of a new series focusing on the Earthbender following Korra. Though little is known about the upcoming series, Avatar: Seven Havens, it promises a very different world for the next Avatar. Set in a “world shattered by a devastating cataclysm” where the Avatar is not regarded as the hero it once was, the new series will be unique, much like The Legend of Korra‘s 1920s-inspired city set it apart from its predecessor.
Despite these changes, Avatar: Seven Havens will be deeply connected to the series that came before it, particularly The Legend of Korra, as it will pick up shortly after her era ends. Most importantly, the new series will have to build off of one of the biggest tragedies in The Legend of Korra. While Korra ushered in a lot of change, not all were positive, and one particularly negative development during her series was the destruction of her connection to her past lives. The loss would impact not only the rest of Korra’s time as the Avatar but every Avatar who follows her, especially her immediate successor, as she is the one who must pick up where Korra left off without the benefit of connecting to generations of past Avatars.
Korra’s Battle with Vaatu Has Major Repercussions in ‘The Legend of Korra’ Season 2
Season 2, subtitled “Spirits,” may not be the most popular season of The Legend of Korra, but it has a profound impact on Korra’s journey. Now that she is able to bend all four elements, Korra’s story grows darker. This season features the growing unrest of the spirits as Korra’s uncle, Unalaq (Adrian LaTourelle), plans to release the dark spirit Vaatu (Jonathan Adams), which ultimately leads to Korra’s loss. The story explores the origins of the Avatar, showing Wan (Steven Yeun) as he becomes the first Avatar by bonding with the light spirit, Raava (April Stewart), to beat Vaatu at Harmonic Convergence. This flashback is especially relevant because, after 10,000, Harmonic Convergence is happening again, and Korra must defeat Vaatu to determine the fate of the world for the next 10,000 years.
During the battle, Korra is separated from the Avatar spirit, Raava, which cuts off her connection to the previous Avatars. The series shows the former Avatars disappearing one by one as Unalaq attacks Raava until even Wan is gone. While this could have been the end of the Avatar entirely, Korra manages to fuse with Raava again, but the connection to her past lives is severed permanently, and throughout the two seasons and the several graphic novels that follow, she never restores that connection. The loss is not entirely Korra’s fault. She did what needed to be done to save the world, and part of that was a brutal fight against Vaatu. Yet, when weighing her actions as an Avatar, this is undoubtedly a failure that will linger for generations.
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Korra Marks a New Beginning for the Avatar
It is fitting for the next Avatar to exist in a completely different world because Korra instigated so much change for the Four Nations. Korra, in many ways, was the rebirth of the Avatar cycle. Her journey reflects Wan’s, though she makes different choices that set up new developments in the universe. Like Wan, Korra fought Vaatu during Harmonic Convergence, setting the tone for the next era. After that, Korra sets into motion a major change by reopening the spirit portals, which Wan chose to close. This brings the humans and spirits together, making the world a little more like the time before the Avatar, but it also changes the Avatar’s role. An important part of the job is serving as a bridge between the spirit and human worlds, which Korra makes obsolete.
Because of Korra’s actions, the second 10,000 years of the Avatar will be very different, and with Korra playing a role similar to Wan, the next Avatar will have the challenge of being the second, who must find their footing as the Avatar after a major upheaval. And she will have to do so without being able to call on the generational wisdom of past Avatars. Korra losing her spiritual connection to her past lives is a fresh start for the Avatar cycle in an area where it would have been better not to start from scratch.
‘Avatar: Seven Haven’s New Avatar Will Have to Deal with the Fallout of Korra’s Loss
The new series will have the chance to show how the lost connection will impact the future incarnations of the Avatar. Each new Avatar inherits issues from its predecessor. Aang had to end a war because Roku (James Garrett) failed to stop Sozin’s plan to conquer. Kuruk (Jim Meskimen) spent his lifetime battling angry spirits because Yangchen (Tress MacNeille) prioritized humans. While the next Avatar’s journey isn’t entirely clear, she will be impacted by this loss. Assuming things continue as they did before, she will only be able to call upon Korra to answer her questions.
Korra always struggled with the more spiritual aspects of her job and spent little time talking to her past lives, but Aang relied on the wisdom and guidance of former Avatars throughout his journey. When he was lost, he would talk to Roku, Kyoshi (Jennifer Hale), Yangchen, and others about his different situations to seek their advice, and having so many to choose from gave him a well-rounded perspective. However, Korra’s successor will not have the same option, which will be especially difficult as she is learning. Each Avatar is different, so the things that came naturally to Korra may be a struggle for her successor, and Korra will not be able to help her through. The lost connection to the past Avatars represents a loss of knowledge, which would help the new Avatar. Whatever she has to face, with only Korra’s experience to learn from, things will be a lot harder as the poor Earthbending avatar is about to find out.
The Legend of Korra is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
