The Avatar franchise is experiencing a major comeback — and no, we’re not talking about the James Cameron version.
Years before Cameron’s blue-skinned Na’vi made their big-screen debut, a completely different media franchise, boasting a very similar name, was collecting fans. These fans flocked to an animated series titled Avatar: The Last Airbender, which first started airing on Nickelodeon in 2005.
The popular show soon spawned a sequel series, titled Avatar: The Legend of Korra, as well as a live-action film from M. Night Shyamalan. The former of these was incredibly well received, but the latter was so bad as to nearly ruin the fandom. We’re not even being dramatic here – the first live-action attempt at this popular animated story genuinely rocked the fandom, and not in a good way.
Thankfully, time heals all wounds, and Shyamalan’s attempt is officially far enough in the past that fans are starting to move on. This was helped immensely by the announcement of a new live-action attempt — this time a series — which is currently underway at Netflix. Fans are still voicing apprehension at the thought of another botched attempt, but we want to see the delightful series adapted badly enough that we’re holding out hope for a solid translation from animation into live-action.
On top of news about a live-action series, fans recently discovered that an animated film is currently in development. The news of several upcoming Avatar projects is bringing the series back into the mainstream, as new fans discover it and longtime viewers return for another rewatch. As we head into a new era in the franchise, fans are taking a look back on what’s come before. Here’s a look at every series and film in the franchise, ranked from worst to best.
5. The Last Airbender (2010)
Shocking, I know, but the almost universally-reviled 2010 film tops our list as the absolute worst Avatar offering out there. Y’all, I’ve never walked out of a theater in my life, and I departed this film less than halfway through. In the years since, the hurt has healed enough to finally let me finish Shaymalan’s absolute eyesore of a film, and it got no better on a rewatch. This film takes everything we loved about the animated series and wrecks it — and the action isn’t even cool enough to make it worthwhile. Unless you’re a big fan of bad movies — and not good bad movies like The Room — we recommend you give this film a wide berth.
If, for some reason, you still want to assault your eyes with this sorry excuse for an Avatar film, viewers can track down The Last Airbender (a film that well earned an utterly embarrassing 5 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) with a subscription to HBO Max, or you can rent it from Amazon Prime.
4. Avatar: The Last Airbender (live action) (TBA)
It’s not entirely fair, considering this show hasn’t even gotten a trailer yet, but we can’t help but feel apprehensive about yet another live-action attempt at this animated gem. The primary reason for concern comes in the departure of original show creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. They were initially tapped to serve as executive producers for the series, but stepped back in 2020. Their choice to depart the project casts real doubt on how it will connect back to the original, but we’re still holding out hope. Let’s just pray the series remembers how well liked the OG was, and leans hard on its influence.
We still don’t have a release date for the live-action Netflix series, but it did wrap production in June of 2022. This likely leaves fans with at least another year to wait, as the show enters post production and is prepped for official release, but hopefully the final product will be worth the wait.
3. Untitled animated film
Once again, this feels a little unfair, but we’re standing firm. An untitled animated project is currently underway, and is set for a 2024 release. It will follow the Gaang during their young adulthood, in the years after the war with Firelord Ozai and before Avatar Korra was born.
The project is almost guaranteed to be a slam dunk, given Konietzko and DiMartino’s involvement. The pair are returning for the project — along with two other animated films — and fans couldn’t be happier. We don’t know much about the plot or direction the story will take just yet, but any fresh Avatar offering is well worth it in our books.
2. Avatar: The Legend of Korra (2012 – 2014)
It’s a hard task to choose between the stellar Legend of Korra and the series that started it all, but the internet has spoken, and we’re going to listen. Both shows have shining reviews online, where fans gush over the characters, storylines, visuals, and thrilling bending battles.
The Legend of Korra is set 70 years after the events of the original Avatar release, and follows the next Avatar in the lineup. The story is a bit more mature than Aang’s, as it follows a slightly more mature Avatar and leans into societal unrest and takes a far closer look at the mystical Spirit Realm. On Rotten Tomatoes, the four-season series has a strong 89 percent Tomatometer score, one that still manages to pale in comparison to the story that started it all. Legend of Korra can be enjoyed in its entirety on Netflix.
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005 – 2008)
The very first entry in the Avatar: The Last Airbender saga remains the most popular among audiences. The story follows Avatar Aang in his adolescence, following his release from the icy prison that kept him contained for a century. He returns to a world torn asunder by war, and is faced with the monumental task of freeing the remaining nations from the iron-clad grip of the Fire Nation.
The series is an enduring part of many viewers’ childhoods, and remains a stunning bit of nostalgia that hasn’t aged a day since its 2005 release. Its storyline is a bit more youthful than that in Korra, due in large part to Aang’s attempts to live some semblance of a childhood before plunging into war, and remains a charming, funny, and truly captivating series. Audiences online agree with my assessment, providing the series with an almost unheard of 100 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Like Legend of Korra, The Last Airbender exists in its entirety on Netflix, but can also be enjoyed on Paramount Plus.
