Pictures: Nickelodeon
Netflix has renewed its live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender until its conclusion. The second season is expected to begin production in September 2024, with many of its ensemble cast returning and, of course, plenty of new characters.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 will see Team Avatar foray deeper into the Earth Kingdom, most notably to the capital of Ba Sing Se, where Aang will seek to master the skill of earth-bending. On their travels, they will continue to be pursued by Prince Zuko and find trouble around every corner — including the rotten core of Ba Sing Se itself. Meanwhile, Princess Azula has claimed Omashu, and Bumi is imprisoned. All the while, Sozin’s Comet, a rare cosmic event, lingers in the background.
Ahead of the new season, which is still some time away, let’s take a look at what we can expect from our returning characters and which new faces will appear.
Returning Characters from Season 1 to Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Gordon Cormier as Aang
First Look Aang Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender Jpg
In season 2, Aang will continue his quest to master all four elements, continuing his Earth Kingdom adventures by flying Appa to Ba Sing Se. The next batch of episodes will focus on him mastering the skill of earth-bending. He’ll also learn more about the Avatar State — the Avatar’s unique power, allowing him to encompass the powers and knowledge of all former Avatars.
Kiawentiio as Katara and Ian Ousley as Sokka
Avatar The Last Airbender 5 Scenes We Can’t Wait To See
It’s not an Avatar adventure without Water Tribe siblings Katara and Sokka. In season 2, their characters will further develop, adjusting to their new lives, continuing their adventures to assist Aang and help him find an all-important earth-bending teacher. Some episodes involving Katara and Sokka I can’t wait to see play out in live-action include Avatar Day and The Library.
Dallas Liu as Zuko and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh
Avatar The Last Airbender Netflix Zuko Season 2
Prince Zuko is the son of Ozai, desperate to impress his father and prove himself worthy of being a future Fire Lord. In season 1, having been given the task of capturing the Avatar, he failed spectacularly. Avatar Aang and his friends were always one step ahead of him, finding themselves in some narrow escapes.
In season 2, Zuko and his Uncle Iroh are outlaws, but still they continue to pursue the greatness of capturing the Avatar. Plus, now his sister Princess Azula is out-shining him, things are that much more personal.
Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai
Avatar: The Last Airbender. Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai in season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Cr. Robert Falconer/Netflix © 2023
Given that season 2 will include his wife Ursa, we may see a much deeper backstory for Ozai in season 2. Season 1 explored characters and events that aren’t covered in season 1, or at all, in the original show. The possibility of a detailed backstory for Ozai, including his history with the Avatar, Iroh, and Ursa, in the new episodes is very exciting. Nothing is really covered in the animated show until Book 3: Fire, where we get The Avatar and the Fire Lord.
Elizabeth Yu as Azula
Avatar The Last Airbender Netflix Azula Season 2
After Zuko’s numerous failed attempts at capturing the Avatar in season 1, Azula is around to prove it’s not as hard as he’s making it. Azula doesn’t even appear until season 2 of the animated show; her involvement in season 1 of the Netflix series was a deliberate move to fully establish her character. By the end of season 1, Azula had conquered Omashu and imprisoned King Bumi.
She’s one of the most important characters in season 2. Her battles against Aang are some of the best the show has to offer. I can’t wait to see the standoff against Aang and Zuko in The Chase. Season 2 is all set up to be the season of Azula, and I’m here for it.
Maria Zhang as Suki
Maria Zhang as Suki in Avatar: The Last Airbender
Suki instantly won the hearts of fans in season 1. As the head of the Kyoshi Warriors, she’s a strong and powerful leader. I really hope the writers expand her story for season 2. She only appeared once in season 1. And in Book 2: Earth, she isn’t a mainstay, but she does make appearances in episode 12, The Serpent’s Pass and episode 16, Appa’s Lost Days.
Of course, Suki becomes a significantly more prominent figure in Book 3: Fire. The Boiling Rock is one of my favourite storylines in the entirety of Avatar, but we’ll have to wait until season 3 for that.
Other characters we can expect to see in season 2 include Mai, Ty Lee, King Bumi, Avatar Kyoshi, and so on. These characters are not officially confirmed to appear, but we can pretty much confirm they will. However, as we saw in season 1, Netflix’s remake isn’t afraid to completely change things. It’s entirely possible that we may see surprise appearances and expanded roles.
Confirmed New Characters To Feature in Season 2 From The Nickelodeon Series
We can now confirm six new characters who will make their first appearances in season 2. This includes three brand new characters.
Toph
Toph Beifong in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
For Avatar fans, Toph needs no introduction. But for those of you unacquainted, Toph — also known as the Blind Bandit — is one of the most popular characters from the entire series. Introduced in Book 2: Earth, Toph becomes the newest member of Team Avatar. Despite being blind, she is one of the world’s most talented earth-benders, and she even invents metal-bending.
She’s witty, cheeky and stubborn. Toph’s personality blends perfectly with the rest of the team. As you may have heard over the summer, Netflix has been running an open casting call for the role of Toph.
Ursa
Ursa an ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
One really exciting new character confirmed to be involved in season 2 is Ursa. She plays a big role in the Fire Nation’s backstory. The Netflix show appears to be honing in on the Fire Nation and developing it much more than the animated counterpart did. In fact, Daniel Dae Kim (Ozai) has previously hinted about an episode covering the complex family history.
“What is the relationship between the two of them when the second son supersedes the first? And how does Iroh feel about all of that? We never really see that explored,” he told Teen Vogue. He also went on to express his interest in the show detailing the fate of Ursa.
We currently do not know who’s playing Ursa in season 2. We can expect Netflix to make casting announcements during Geeked Week later this year.
Long Feng
Long Feng in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
As the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, Long Feng the leader of the Dai Li. While on the surface he appears pleasant and charismatic, he hides his true colours as a power-hungry, manipulative leader. Although Kuei appears to be the figurehead leader of the Earth Kingdom, Long Feng is actually the one pulling the strings.
New Original Characters for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2?
Among characters we’ve been told Netflix has been casting for the new season, we’ve got three brand new characters who aren’t in the Nickelodeon show. They could be codenames, but for the moment, we’re in the dark.
General Song
General Song is not a character in the original show. Chances are, they are a completely new character. Perhaps they are an ancestor of General Song, an officer of the Metalbending Police Force in Republic City from The Legend of Korra.
General Tran
Likewise, General Tran is not a character in the original show. Season 1 of the Netflix show had L.t. Dang, a character original to the Netflix show. I suspect General Tran is similar.
Bone Saw
I’d be very surprised if someone named ‘Bone Saw’ turned out not to be a villain. They sound almost like a blood-bending master. But who knows? Your guess is as good as mine.
Netflix Synopsis: "A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save a world at war -- and fight a ruthless enemy bent on stopping him."
