The second batch of episodes from the 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' sequel series pumped the brakes on the 'Legend of Korra' hate train in one of the best ways possible.
At the outset, Avatar: Seven Havens felt like it signaled a bad time for defenders of Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series The Legend of Korra. Seven Havens is set 225 years after The Legend of Korra, and it takes place in a post-apocalyptic future in which Korra is regarded as humanity’s ruiner, having caused the cataclysm that sent the world into chaos, according to shoddy history books. Art imitates life, and Korra is in dire need of some good PR. Thankfully, the latest batch of Seven Havens episodes did just that (in the most asterisk way possible) by giving Korra and her girlfriend, Asami, justice.
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| © Avatar Studios/Paramount+ |
In the fifth episode of Seven Havens, “The One Left Behind,” twin avatars Pavi and Nisha stumble upon a hidden door inside the office of the Order of the White Lotus and the commander of the Bending Brigade, Karthik. Alongside acting as a surrogate father to Nisha, Karthik also moonlights as a collector of artifacts in the Avatar universe. Key among his trinkets are a Blue Spirit mask, a Republic City-era radio (which plays a major role in plot developments related to other Havens), and action figures. Evidently, Korra’s bob cut was so iconic that her era produced several action figures of her. While Nisha scours the room for investigative purposes, Pavi grabs Korra and Asami action figures and makes the two kiss. And just like that, Korrasami had their first on-screen kiss in the Avatar universe.
Granted, this cute little moment, punctuated by kissy sound effects from Pavi, is the biggest caveat of all time. Still, that doesn’t stop it from being cathartic, even in the smallest way. While The Legend of Korra was airing, its fourth and final season could only innocuously tease that Korra and Asami were into each other. A few quick blushes here, a bunch of letters exchanged there; the show kept things extremely innocent. In the show’s final scene, the pair hold hands and walk into a spirit-world portal for a long-needed vacation. Instead of a kiss like Katara and Aang in The Last Airbender‘s finale, Korra and Asami just stared deeply into each other’s eyes as the show faded out. Series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko confirmed “Korrasami” as canon, but in 2014, the show didn’t show an on-screen queer kiss between the two. It got to the point that fans animated a Korrasami kiss to make up for the show not doing so.
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| © Michael Dante DiMartino/Irene Koh/Killian Ng/Dark Horse Comics |
The series later expanded on Korrasami’s relationship in the post-show comic book run. In The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars, the graphic novel series depicts their vacation, confessions that left no room for misinterpretation, Bolin dragging Mako for being salty about his exes getting together after he fumbled them both, and a cathartic kiss drawn by artist Irene Koh. Obviously, times are different now with queer relationships being front and center instead of read between the lines. Case in point, in Seven Havens, Pavi and Nisha’s big brother figure, Jae, is a gay man in a very public relationship. Although Seven Havens‘ action-figure kiss pales in comparison to the comic book run, its fandom counts it as one of several wins Korra’s been receiving lately from DiMartino and Konietzko.
After New York Comic Con, DiMartino and Konietzko have kept busy on the Seven Havens press tour. They’ve made podcast appearances with Korra voice actor Janet Varney and appeared in Teen Vogue videos, answering hot-button questions like “Do you hate Korra?” Key takeaways from their appearances were the series creators echoing the sentiment of “Korra defenders” that much of the lampooning of her among the fandom is a mix of sexism and homophobia. Amidst their more lukewarm takes, like Korra being the most powerful avatar when pitted against Aang, they also dismissed the claim that she’s responsible for destroying the connection with past avatars as patently false. DiMartino and Konietzko pointed out that Vaatu and Korra’s uncle, Unalaq, destroyed her spiritual connection with her past lives.
Hopefully, as Seven Havens progresses in its four-book (aka season) run, fans will see Pavi and Nisha commune with Korra and learn the truth behind the cataclysm. With any luck, the show will also depict flashbacks to Korra’s era and a fully animated kiss between her and Asami to make up for lost time. If all else fails, we have a Korra comic trilogy in the works.
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