Fans React to Major Character Change in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender'
Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender will reportedly tone down Sokka’s notorious sexism. The character began the series by making remarks like, “Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting,” before eventually changing his tune as the show develops
As played by 21-year-old Ian Ousley in the reimagined series, the boomerang-wielding member of Team Avatar will possess a more positive and inclusive attitude towards women. Kiawentiio, who plays Katara, told Entertainment Weekly that the decision was made as part of a general effort to tone down some of the broader aspects of the original series, which premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005.
“I feel like we took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was,” she said. “I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy.”
“Yeah, totally,” Ousley replied. “There are things that were redirected just because it might play a little differently [in live action].”
Avatar fans far and wide have decried the sanitization of Sokka’s character, with many saying it’s ill-advised.
“By doing this, they essentially destroy Avatar’s explicitly anti-sexist message,” @TheViewFromMyR1 wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Sokka’s misogyny early on not only led to extraordinary character growth, but also made every subsequent female fighter seem even more impressive by contending in a world where sexism is so prevalent.”
User @YongYee agreed, writing in his own statement: “Sokka's sexism in the Avatar animated series wasn't played for jokes or malice, it was part of his development, a character flaw from which he grew and matured as he encountered incredibly capable and powerful women who made him realize his ignorance. Why take this away?”
“Avatar ‘fixing’ Sokka’s sexism makes me feel really damn bleak about how bad our societal literacy has gotten in like, the last five years alone even,” @WaferBiscuits opined.
One Reddit user concisely summed up the controversy: “Yes, Sokka has a poor attitude towards women/girls,” user Wookins92 said. “The fact that he improves over time is called character growth and is in fact one of the signs of good storytelling.”
Sokka’s sexism represented a huge part of his development across the original show. The Netflix series seemingly missed a ripe opportunity to update that storyline, arguably more timely than ever, while twisting it in a way that would redeem, rather than demean, Sokka’s character. With the show set to debut in a few weeks, exactly how the topic is handled remains to be seen.
Avatar: The Last Airbender begins streaming on Netflix on February 22.