This year, Avatar: The Last Airbender celebrates its 20th anniversary, and it’s doing it in style at SDCC by reuniting most of Team Avatar.
Twenty years ago, Avatar: The Last Airbender, came out, and the world was made a little better for it. The critically acclaimed fusion of eastern and western cultures is considered one of the greatest shows ever made, and it’s been undergoing a renaissance in recent years. While a new generation of fans has been introduced to the world of Avatar thanks to streaming, the OG fans are now adults who are able to give the franchise the hype it deserves. With more projects on the horizon, Nick seems to have decided now was the perfect chance to cash in, hence why at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, it got multiple panels. However, the first panel was arguably the biggest. Not for any big news (though there was some), but because reunited most of the core protagonists, Team Avatar.
Team Avatar is (Almost) Back
For those who dont know, Team Avatar is the in-universe name that Sokka gives the group of heroes, and since then, it’s more or less stuck. The cast has had reunions at convnetins and online in the past, but, to the best of my knowledge, this is most recent in which most of the voice actors were present. The reason why this is noteworthy is because this reunion includes Zach Tyler Eisen, AKA the voice of Aang himself. Unlike his co-workers, who continue to work as actors, Zach opted to retire after Avatar ended to enjoy his remaining childhood. He’s largely stayed out of the public eye since then, but in recent years, hes slowly started to make more appearances at events, much to the fans joy.
Sadly, the absence of Mae Whitman, the voice of Katara, kept this from being a full-on reunion, though she did leave a video message thanking fans for their support.
The upside to this, though, was that the panel was attended by Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, the creators of Avatar themselves, along with seri s composer Jeremy Zuckerman. In addition, Janet Varney, the voice of Avatar Korra, was also attending. Needless to say, the panel was packed, and the potentially thousands of people present were in for a good time.
So Many Memories!
Beyond the usual Q&A typical of these kinds of panels, there were at least three major highlights of this panel. The first was live table readings of two episodes of the show, “The Serpent’s Pass” and “The Western Air Temple.” To make it even better, the table read had visuals, courtesy of new art that Bryan Konietzko drew for the event. The drawings themselves are very chibi in appearance, which is fitting, since a.) anime is mainstream now, and b.) the chibi style just works so well with some of the show’s sillier moments.
The second big highlight was the various projects that are in the works for the Avatar franchise. A new novel was released the same day as this panel, and there are several more books, including a cookbook and guide to the animals of the world of Avatar, that are on the way. However, there were two big projects that everyone has their eyes on: an Avatar movie as well as the next series in the franchise.
The movie, titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, has been in the works for years. Taking place years after the events of the original series, its supposed to be about the members of Team Avatar in their young adulthood. Sadly, the original cast wont be reprising their roles, as Bryan and Michael want to promote talent from the ethnic and cultural groups the Team’s nations are based on. Its sad, but giving new talent a chance to shine can be a good thing. As for the film itself, it now has a release date of October 9th, 2026, and it promises to be visually breathtaking.
Seven Havens is coming soon
More importantly, though, was that we got our first official look at the upcoming sequel to Avatar: The Legend of Korra. First announced back in February of this year, the sequel, titled Avatar: Seven Havens will follow the next Avatar after Korra, a young earthbender named Pavi. However, if fans thought Korra had it rough, then that’s nothing compared to what Pavi will go through. In her time, the Human and Spirit Worlds have been shattered by a great cataclysm that, for reasons we still know, has left the entire world hating the Avatar. Pavi will be on the run from both humans and spirits as she tries to find her long-lost sibling and uncover both their origins. As for the series itself, it’s slated for two seasons, thirteen episodes each, and promises to be more fantastical than either of its predecessors. And while the implications are that something really bad happened to Korra and that the world we know might be gone, I’m still looking forward to seeing this.
Looking at this panel, I wish that I had had the chance to go to SDCC this year. I love Avatar so much, and I want the best for it, and this makes me hope for the best for it. But what do you guys think about it? Let us know!
