Netflix’s ‘Avatar’ Show Reveals First Look at Fire Nation Characters

Netflix published five new photos on Tuesday showcasing the Fire Nation in its live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. We got our first look at Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh, Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula, Ken Leung as Commander Zhao and a new image of Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko. The show is clearly drawing closer, but we still don’t have a release date except that it will come out sometime in 2024.

Netflix set a blaze on social media by unexpectedly dropping five new photos from Avatar: The Last Airbender on social media. The post read: “The Fire Nation has arrived,” hinting that there might be more posts on the way showcasing the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes and the Air Nomads. This drop was accompanied by a press release where the company emphasized how faithful this Netflix original series will be to the original Nickelodeon animated show.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender live action I feel like is going to bring everything you know and love about the original series back to life,” said star Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang. “And hopefully [it will] just bring a bunch of new fans who have never heard [of] the show before into this universe, and to me that’s pretty exciting. I’m a fan of the show personally, and I’m just excited for this as you guys are.”

For those that missed it, we previously got our first look at Cormier in costume over the summer, and a different shot of Liu wearing a Fire Nation helmet. We have also seen Kiawentiio as Katara and Ian Ousley as Sokka, but the biggest sights in the Avatar world are yet to come. The show will take its heroes across a vibrant fantasy world on the back of a gigantic flying bison in their familiar quest to restore balance to the planet.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of the most beloved series of its generation – all the more so because its serialized format and dramatic premise seemed out of place alongside the more light-hearted fair that Nickelodeon typically airs. However, the first attempt to adapt the show into live-action was disastrous, and has become infamous even outside of the fandom in conversations about adaptation between mediums.

Whether Netflix’s show hits the mark or not, there are plenty of things to look forward to in the Last Airbender franchise. The show has spawned many comic book sequels and spinoffs to continue the story or fill in details, while a prequel novel about the Avatars before Aang and Roku is ongoing. The fourth installment, The Legacy of Yangchen, was released in July. For most fans, however, the biggest thing on the horizon is Avatar Studios.

Avatar Studios is a new division within Nickelodeon run by Avatar: The Last Airbender co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino. They have announced an animated theatrical movie about Aang and his friends. That movie is due out in October of 2025, with two more movies to follow. So far, details on the plots of these projects are scarce, but many fans are eager to see new material.

For now, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is the next thing fans can expect to see on screen. It will be released sometime in 2024.