Avatar's Original Plan Would've Ruined Last Airbender's Perfect Ending
Avatar: The Last Airbender originally had a fourth season planned, but continuing with that story would've ruined the show's perfect ending.
Avatar: The Last Airbender's original plan to tell its story over the course of four seasons would've been worse, and it could've ruined what is otherwise a perfecting ending. Originally airing on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a cohesive and satisfying story that begins with Aang's awakening and ends with his defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. Over 10 years after the show ended, the finale remains one of the greatest endings of all time - and anything afterward would have been unnecessary.
Set in a fantasy world where some people can manipulate the elements - air, water, fire, and earth - by bending, Avatar: The Last Airbender tells the story of the lost Avatar, Aang: a power bender who can control all four elements. After being found in a glacier 100 years after his disappearance, Aang must master all four elements and defeat Fire Lord Ozai to end the war. The series also follows the redemption arc of Prince Zuko, Ozai's exiled son, as he turns away from his family and forges his own destiny with the help of his uncle, Iroh.
Avatar: The Last Airbender told a satisfying, meticulously plotted story in three seasons spanning from Aang's awakening to his mastery of the elements, and ending with his defeat of the Fire Lord. The four-part series finale, "Sozin's Comet", was universally acclaimed when it aired, but the thing is, it originally wasn't supposed to be the series' true ending. Avatar: The Last Airbender was envisioned as being a four-season story. widely regarded as one of the best finales of all time.
Avatar head writer Aaron Ehasz confirmed that season 4 would have explored the consequences of Aang taking Fire Lord Ozai's bending, the climatic moment of the "Sozin's Comet." In an interview with Den of Geek, Ehasz said, "My feelings about that was like there's always a cost, right? There's always some balance. You can't just be like I'm the Avatar, taking your powers away. It's a great power, but part of you just took all this evil into you. To take it away from someone else, you're holding onto it to protect the world." Aang's mercy to Ozai in the finale was the perfect ending for the show; it let Aang stay true to his pacifist ideals while still ending the war.
On Twitter, Aaron Ehasz revealed that the original plan for season 4 revolved around a redemption arc for Zuko's sister, Princess Azula. By the series finale, she had reached her lowest point, and Azula became an irredeemable villain - but Ehasz wanted to focus on her return to the light with the help of her brother, Zuko. In a parallel to Zuko's own redemption arc, he would have stuck by his sister despite the hurt she caused him, mirroring his path with Uncle Iroh. Avatar: The Last Airbender season 4 also would have explored Iroh and the spirit world, and a mysterious airbending child that could be the reincarnation of Aang's mentor, Gyatso.
But Avatar season 4 never happened. Although co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko had envisioned the three-season arc that ended up airing, they were exploring the possibility of season 4 to round out the series. However, M. Night Shyamalan's live-action movie The Last Airbender took precedent, and that scrapped season 4 entirely. Unfortunately, The Last Airbender movie ended up being a disaster - and fans may have been disappointed to learn they could've had another season of the animated series instead.
Avatar: The Last Airbender succinctly wrapped up multiple plot-lines while still honoring the arc of every major character. A fourth season would have diminished the show's legacy, and anything that happened after "Sozin's Comet" would have been extra. By airing the four-part finale as a single piece, it gave the story an operatic and satisfying ending, one that concluded the story that began with Aang's reawakening. By the end of season 3, Aang's fulfilled his duty as the Avatar - but that wasn't all.
One of the major conflicts in "Sozin's Comet" is the final battle between Prince Zuko and his sister, Princess Azula. By ending Zuko's incredible redemption arc with the duel against his sister, not his father, his redemption is contrasted against Azula's descent into madness, representing the person Zuko would have become if he hadn't left the Fire Nation. His willingness to save Katara is ultimately what helps him defeat his sister, when Azula is distracted by her rage and focus on defeating her brother. Ending the show with Zuko's redemption contrasted against Azula's disgrace completes both storylines perfectly, and aligns with one of the central themes of Avatar: The Last Airbender - the importance of staying true to one's self.
The rest of "Sozin's Comet" focuses on the central conflict of the show: Aang's pacifist upbringing as a monk and his moral opposition to taking Ozai's life. Aang must balance the weight of ending the war, and saving countless lives from the tyranny of the Fire Nation, against the personal cost of taking a human life. He eventually learns energy-bending from the Lion Turtle, and takes Ozai's bending away instead of killing him. Referencing a recurring theme in Avatar: The Last Airbender of balance, Aang is only able to take away this power because of the purity of his soul. By ending the series with Ozai's defeat without sacrificing Aang's pacifist nature, the show ends on a perfect note.
While the original Avatar: The Last Airbender series ended after three seasons, the announcement of a live-action Netflix show, and the return of both original co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Kotnietzko, provides another chance to use the ideas planned for season 4. With the announcement that the Netflix series won't be a direct adaptation, but a reimagined take on the story, the creators have the opportunity to revisit weaker moments and flesh out underdeveloped plot points. Incorporating the unused season 4 ideas in the Netflix series would strengthen the storytelling, while still maintaining the perfect ending the series is known for.
Extending Avatar: The Last Airbender into a fourth season centering around Azula's redemption arc may have diminished the ending of the original series, but incorporating her planned storyline would improve the live-action Netflix series. Transforming Azula from an unforgivable character into a morally complex one would deepen her development, and add additional layers to her dynamic with Zuko. Uncle Iroh's story would also be improved by using Aaron Ehasz' storylines in the Netflix Series. Iroh's journey into the spirit world is hinted at in Avatar: The Last Airbender, but not confirmed until season 2 of Legend of Korra. Expanding Iroh's relationship with the spirit world, and potentially linking that journey to the death of his son, Lu Ten, would expand his character and deepen our existing understanding of Uncle Iroh.
Avatar: The Last Airbender was a critically acclaimed animated series that dealt with serious issues through a fantasy world, and managed to tell a complete story in three perfect seasons. While a planned fourth series would have potentially deepened the mythology of the show, additional episodes would have ruined the perfect ending that Avatar: The Last Airbender has become famous for.