The first concept art for Avatar: Fire and Ash debuted at D23 Brasil last week, and fans are increasingly concerned with its apparent similarity to the other Avatar franchise – The Last Airbender. There are five new images of Pandora, featuring new flying organisms and Na’vi settlements. However, after the presentation fans are beginning to feel like these movies are encroaching on the elemental themes and motifs of The Last Airbender.
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Avatar introduced us to the forest-dwelling Na’vi, and The Way of Water showed us how they live on the coast as well. The concept art for Fire and Ash gave us our first glimpse of the the “Ash People,” which director James Cameron called a “reflection of the worst side of Na’vi.” Their home seems to be built on an ashy terrain, surrounded by bare stone with dragon-like creatures roosting overhead. Cameron teased “New cultures and settings and biomes and more of Pandora,” but some commenters complained that this was similar to Aang’s tour of the four great nations.
Much of this commentary was tongue-in-cheek, with fans still feeling bitter that Cameron’s blockbuster franchise took the title Avatar and overshadowed Nickelodeon’s fantasy franchise. After that, any other similarities are bound to cause some eye-rolling, and this exploratory format hits a little too close to home. Seeing various tribes of Na’vi living in different settings with cultures built around their natural elements reminds fans of the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes and Air Nomads.
It sounds like Fire and Ash may introduce us to the Na’vi equivalent of the air nomads as well. Two concept images show giant creatures flying through the sky – apparently through a combination of balloon-like appendages and wings. So far, the details of the plot are under wraps, so there’s no telling how these various nations will interact. Commenters are speculating about what will draw Jake Sully and Neytiri away from the Metkayina clan in the first place. The Way of Water showed that leaving the forest for the sea was a huge adjustment for their family, and apparently an unusual one for the Na’vi.
While Cameron’s franchise is finally moving along, The Last Airbender franchise also has some big news on the way. Original series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino are heading up Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon to create animated series and movies in the Avatar universe. Their first project is a movie with the working title Aang: The Last Airbender, which will feature adult versions of the main characters Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka. Dave Bautista has signed on to play the antagonist. The movie currently has a release date of January 30, 2026.
That’s not long after Avatar: Fire & Ash, which is slated to premiere on December 19, 2025, only in theaters. Hopefully, fans will be able to keep all these settings straight in their heads.
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