What’s The Next ‘Avatar’ Series? How to Continue Your Journey After ‘Korra’

Thanks to Netflix’s latest acquisition of The Legend of Korra, fans are diving deeper into the world of the Avatar. Learning more about what happened to Aang and the gang after the Hundred Year War is always a blast. But Korra’s four seasons speak to something about this franchise that’s always been possible and exciting. There are a lot more stories about the Avatar out there; you just have to know where to look.

Wondering how you can see more of the Avatar after Korra’s final moments? Curious where this universe could go and is going from here? Fear not! =We have the answers, and a whole lot of theories.

What Will Be the Next Avatar Series?

That would be Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the classic Nicktoon. The series was first announced in September of 2018 to much fanfare. Series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were originally brought onboard to showrun the adaptation, but earlier this month the creators revealed they had pulled out of the project. Both hinted that the separation was due to creative differences. Netflix has yet to announce a release date or even a timeframe for the upcoming series, but based on the events of last week it seems as though this new take on a great cartoon is still very much happening.

Has Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Cast Been Announced?

Sadly, there’s been no news on this front. But not all hope is lost. Dan Lin, who has worked on beloved projects such as The Lego Movie and It, will be executive producing the project. Also it seems as though Jeremy Zuckerman, the composer who originally worked on Avatar, will be returning for the live-action remake. Even DiMartino and Konietzko’s disheartening departure from the series comes with a sliver of hope. In both of their posts about leaving the series the creators noted that they had hired several talented people that they trusted to work on the live-action version. Here’s hoping that talent will preserve the magic of this series.

Did Korra End the Avatar Cycle?

Not exactly. Book 3 revolves around Korra’s face-off against the Red Lotus. Led by the anarchist airbender Zaheer, the goal of the organization was to kill Korra, thereby ending the Avatar cycle. They were halfway successful with that master plan. By gravely injuring Korra with mercury poisoning they were able to trigger her Avatar State, slowly killing her past lives as Zaheer killed her. But you can’t keep the Avatar down for long.

In Book Four Korra came to terms with the depressing reality that she could no longer connect to her past selves. Yet instead of marking the end of the Avatar, Korra’s recovery marked a new beginning. Much like Wan, the first Avatar, Korra became the first of a new line of Avatars. The Avatar will continue to exist and be reborn after Korra’s death, but instead of accessing Wan, Aang, Kyoshi, or Roku, her successors will have to rely on Korra’s wisdom for guidance. Considering how much Korra grows between Books One and Four, it would be hard for the world to ask for a better mentor.

Does Avatar‘s Story End with Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra?

Don’t worry, there are more options if you need more Avatar adventures in your life. It all comes down to how desperate you are. If you’re willing to wait, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender should be released at some point. The question for that adaptation is “when.” If you’re not so willing to wait and you kind of hate yourself, there’s always M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 live-action movie, The Last Airbender, to explore. The movie exists and is currently streaming on Netflix. But before you press play know that the acting is terrible, the bending is hilariously bad, and the CGI animals look mildly terrifying. You’ve been warned.

Your best bet in continuing the world of Avatar is to explore its comics. From Dark Horse, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra’s comics are official continuations of Aang and Korra’s stories. There are a total of eight graphic novels that continue Aang’s story: The Promise, The Search, The Rift, Smoke and Shadow, North and South, Imbalance, Katara and the Pirate’s Silver, and Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy. Those graphic novels are a combination of standalone short stories and a collection of the serialized comic. There have also been four shorts released during Free Comic Book Day — “Relics”, “Rebounds”, “Shells”, and “Sisters” — as well as two anthology books. The Lost Adventures and Team Avatar Tales contain the short stories from Free Comic Book Days as well as a few new one-off stories.

The Legend of Korra‘s comic offerings aren’t nearly as bountiful as Aang’s. There are currently two Korra short stories, “Friends for Life” and “Lost Pets”, and just as many graphic novels. Both Turf Wars and Ruins of the Empire are trilogies that take place right after where Korra leaves off. If you’ve ever wondered what happened between Korra and Asami after that revolutionary ending, that’s all in there.

How Could Avatar‘s Story Continue?

The coolest thing about this particular franchise is that it can go practically anywhere. Fans already know a ton about Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra’s lives, but there have been 623 other Avatars. Every one of them had to master the elements and somehow save the world from ruin. And if they’re in DiMartino and Konietzko’s universe, you know they made some of the sweetest, funniest, and most interesting alliances to achieve their goals.

Though both Avatar and Korra give fans a glimpse into the lives of past Avatars, there’s so much more to explore. What did Wan the first Avatar do after becoming the bridge between the Spirit and Human worlds? Was he hated by his people or eventually respected? How did Kyoshi create her refined and battle-ready society after separating from Chin the Warrior? What was her life like transitioning from a slave and the daughter of criminals into the most glorified figure in the world? What was Kuruk’s first battle with the Dark Spirits like, facing a foe no one had never seen before? What difficult decisions did Yangchen make while dealing with battles between the Human and Spirit worlds? And what drove her, a woman raised by spirit-respecting Air Nomads, to always take humanity’s side?

Each one of these figures is fascinating in his or her own way. Kyoshi was a fearless warrior who had no qualms about killing her enemies, an unusual trait for a savior of peace. She was also bisexual and would regularly unleash her wrath on homophobes. Kuruk is one of the few Avatars we know who all but abandoned his duties to drink and party. Szeto neglected the world and focus almost exclusively on his home, the Fire Nation. And that’s only looking to the past. As mentioned before, Korra triggered a whole new line of Avatars. There are still hundreds of stories to tell about her successors.

Glimpses of these stories can be seen in the series as well as the comics. But the point is there’s no limit to amount of Avatar stories that can be told. It seems like the only limits are DiMartino and Konietzko’s imaginations and the budget of whatever network is smart enough to pony up the money for another Avatar spinoff.

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender

Watch The Legend of Korra