Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Will Tone Down Sokka’s Sexism

We are less than a month out from Netflix’s release of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The adaptation promises to bring the hit series into a new era, and of course, netizens are as excited as they are wary. Hollywood doesn’t have the best history adapting animated titles into live-action, and Avatar has been burned before. Now, the new show’s cast is breaking down its biggest changes to Avatar, and they admit the Netflix series tones down Sokka’s sexist side.

The revelation came to light this week courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. The magazine shared its feature on Avatar, and it was there stars Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley broke down their characters. The pair, who plaY Katara and Sokka respectively, dug in deep to their roles. But when it came to Sokka’s sexism, the show’s team overall decided to tone it down.

“I feel like we also took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was. I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy,” Kiawentiio shared.

“Yeah, totally,” Ousley responded. “There are things that were redirected just because it might play a little differently [in live action].”

Obviously, adaptations are not one-to-one of their original works, and it goes without saying that sexism is awful. The belief couldn’t be more outdated. However, when it comes to Avatar, fans admit Sokka’s sexism when the series starts is important. The character grows out of the immature belief as Avatar continues, but when the story begins, Sokka is left grappling over his own strengths. His sister is a powerful water bender, and Sokka finds himself further challenged when the Kyoshi Warriors knock him down. Thanks to his upbringing, Sokka lashes out with sexist remarks, but Avatar follows the fighter as he grows into a solid feminist. So for now, we will have to see how Netflix’s adaptation tracks Sokka’s growth given this change.

If you are ready to check out Avatar: The Last Airbender, no sweat. The series will drop on Netflix come February 22. In the meantime, you can find the original animated series streaming on Paramount+.

What do you think about this change to Avatar: The Last Airbender? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!