Avatar: The Last Airbender: Every confirmed change to Netflix's remake
9. Sokka and Katara's family trauma
According to Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley, who plays Sokka, the live-action version of Avatar will put more emphasis on the trauma Katara and Sokka share as siblings. Their mother Kya died long before the story of the show begins, and their father Hakoda took the men of their tribe to help fight the Fire Nation, leaving Sokka and Katara to help look after their village in the Southern Water Tribe. "I do feel like it's [lingering trauma] a recurring theme," Kiawentiio told EW. "It's such a big part of their lives."
The original show certainly addresses the siblings' feelings about this stuff, but not until much later in seasons 2 and 3 when they reunite with Hakoda, who will appear in the first season of the remake played by Joel Montgrand. Kya will also appear, played by Rainbow Dickerson, possibly in a flashback. Moving those elements up could be a great way for audiences to bond with the characters and to show just how devastating the war can be on everyday people. Katara's anger towards Hakoda was introduced and wrapped up in the span of a single episode in the original show, but I think drawing that out over multiple seasons could be interesting for her character.
Hakoda's absence in the village also put a lot of pressure on Sokka, who became the default protector as most of the other people left were women, children and elderly people. That's also a plausible reason why Sokka might have developed some backwards views about men and women early on, because he's forced into a patriarchal role before he's mature enough to handle it, but as discussed, the show is dropping that aspect of his character. "He's dealing with what it means to not have his father and try to maybe lead when you're not fully capable," Ousley said.
Much later in the show, we find out Kya sacrificed herself so the Fire Nation wouldn't figure out that Katara was the last waterbender in the South Pole. I'm not sure if the Netflix show will include this information early on, but knowing that would certainly make things much more traumatic for Sokka and Katara.
dark. Next. atla actors. Every actor in Netflix’s Avatar: the Last Airbender remake (and who they’re playing)
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