It's conspiracy time, so get your tinfoil hats ready. Join me in my self-indulgent analysis of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation and the question that remains after season 1: Are they going for Zutara?
First of all, good news: the question whether Netflix is really going for Zutara will be answered eventually. Avatar has been renewed for Season 2 and Season 3! But now, let's get into it, shall we?
Back in the day when Avatar: The Last Airbender was "only" a cartoon and as fans were eagerly awaiting the finale of the epic tale, the so-called shipping wars were relentless. Who would Katara end up with? With the Avatar himself, or the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation?
Kataang or Zutara? That was a question with the potential to ruin friendships for those who were obsessed with Avatar during its original run. Just to get everyone on board: Kataang was the "ship name" for Katara and Aang, Zutara the name for the pairing of Katara and Zuko.
While yes, today we know better – Katara is more than a price to be won at the end of a show and the romance wasn't the focal point anyway – the live-action adaptation by Netflix has made a few suspicious changes that could point towards another, way bigger change.
Spoiler warning: if you're not yet done watching Avatar, both the cartoon and live-action show, you might want to leave now and catch up.
Is Zutara Going To Be A Thing In Netflix's Avatar?
Before everyone loses their minds, let me preface the following: this is mere speculation based on what the live-action Avatar on Netflix changed in comparison to the original. And we all know who got the girl in the original – the Kataang shippers won the battle.
But, and hear me out, there are a few changes Netflix made that are suspicious. And it already starts with Aang waking up in Katara's arms in the original, with the Avatar looking up at her as if she had hung the stars in the sky herself and directly asking her the most important question: Do you want to go penguin sledding with me? Romantic!
That's something that simply doesn't happen in the live-action version, as well as numerous other scenes where, in the cartoon, Aang seems awfully keen on having Katara's attention. It's obvious from the get-go the Avatar has a crush on her, even though she's oblivious to his affections for a pretty long time.
Season 2 – or rather Book 2: Earth – ramps up the romantic tension for the first time with The Cave of Two Lovers and the iconic fade-to-black where nobody was really sure if Aang and Katara really kissed and just never talked about it again or if they chickened out. And here's where Netflix's changes get painfully obvious.
In the live-action show, it's Katara and Sokka in the cave. Aang didn't even get a chance to shoot his shot, but as far as we're concerned, the live-action Aang wouldn't even mind – there's not a single scene with him and Katara where his little crush he had back in the original showed.
Book 2 was also the time many people got into the Zutara-side of things – Zuko started his redemption arc, becoming one of the greatest characters ever and let's be honest, who isn't into the whole "opposites attract" thing? Fire and water and all that? Yeah, you get the idea.
There was even a rumor around (back in pre-historic 2008) that Zuko and Katara were supposed to end up together instead of Katara and Aang, an idea that was supposedly scratched last minute – sorry to disappoint you, but that rumor was completely false. Like I said, shipping wars were ruthless, and spreading rumors was a common thing.
Which leaves us with... nothing but speculation, to be honest. Netflix could also just ditch any romantic subplot and let Sokka have all the action, and at this point, there's nothing left to do but wait for season 2. But I'm calling it: the second season will either make or break any possible romance, may it be with Zuko or with Aang.