No one would argue that Avatar: The Last Airbender ranks high on the list of Best Shows Ever, but the same can’t be said for its sequel, The Legend of Korra. It’s the angsty older sibling that a lot of Avatar fans are happy to nitpick — if not for its brash lead or its modern setting, then for the divisive changes Korra made to the status quo. From its treatment of the adult “Gaang” to its destruction of the Avatar cycle, the series went a little too far, too fast when it came to advancing the saga. And it didn’t help that not even Nickelodeon believed in what Korra was doing: it shuffled the final season to digital platforms after declining ratings and middling reviews. As the franchise moves on to the next Avatar in this new cycle, it has to contend with everything Korra introduced. At least, that’s what most assumed we’d get from Avatar: Seven Havens. However, the upcoming show seems to be getting as far away from its predecessor as humanly possible.
Thanks to Seven Havens’ first trailer, we know that the new Avatar, Pavi, is inheriting a world far more broken than we’ve ever seen it. In flashbacks we see a much older Korra in the Avatar State, smiling a not-so-trustworthy smile. Apparently, she was responsible for the cataclysm that brought the world back to a pre-industrial age. That choice, however detrimental to Korra’s reputation, allows Seven Havens to reverse one of Korra’s more divisive aesthetic changes: its 1920s-inspired setting.
