Once regarded as their world’s greatest hero, the Avatar is now the target of a witch hunt.
This likely wasn’t the legacy generations of powerful benders envisioned. Yet it is the reality facing the newest Avatar, Pavi, as society challenges the very existence of the figure who was once expected to protect it.
Sure, past Avatars had their feats, but Pavi has an entirely new set of challenges awaiting her in this world and as the next bender to inherit the Avatar legacy.
Aang was still a child when his journey began, but Pavi is even younger and seemingly entering a much harsher world. And there are clearly some familial mysteries making things even murkier.
Now, we’re inching closer to the beginning of a new book with the first trailer for the long-awaited next entry into the world of “Avatar.”
While fans have already been treated to some key visuals and basic character details, the trailer finally gives us our first real look at this new world—the Seven Havens.
And what a stunning first look it is.
There is something immediately striking about seeing this new era of “Avatar” brought to life, from the environments of the Seven Havens to the fluid bending and action filling the trailer. The animation comes courtesy of La Chouette Compagnie, a studio BSCKids readers might already recognize as the team behind another recent action-packed series, “Dragon Striker.”
If “Dragon Striker” showed just how much energy the studio can bring to fast-moving action, “Avatar: Seven Havens” already looks poised to push that even further. There is a cinematic quality to the environments and movement here that helps establish that, while this is undeniably the world of “Avatar,” we’re entering a very different era of it.
Things might seem relatively calm at first glance, but anyone familiar with this long-running franchise knows better.
This is a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm, with the Seven Havens serving as civilization’s remaining strongholds. More importantly, people have seemingly been taught to fear the Avatar rather than look toward them for salvation.
The previous Avatar, Korra, is said to have destroyed the world, leaving the Avatar’s history shrouded in fear and resentment rather than admiration and praise.
Of course, that raises another major question: Is that really what happened?
Things are already shifting with the newly aware Pavi. She can bend more than a single element at her young age and is clearly capable. But despite being just a girl, the leadership of the place she finds herself in shows no ounce of kindness or regard for her age. Instead, punishment is threatened against anyone found hiding the Avatar.
But their ruling system isn’t the only thing beginning to spiral.
So is the Spirit World.
We have yet to know exactly how long these disturbances have been happening or what role Pavi’s emergence as the Avatar may play in them. But no matter the cause, danger is growing, and this young Avatar is going to need some allies.
Thankfully, we quickly meet some of them in the trailer.
Most notably, there is Pavi’s look-alike and long-lost twin sister, Nisha.
There seems to be a great deal of mystery surrounding both Pavi and Nisha’s pasts. These are secrets the sisters will likely have to push through together, alongside uncovering the truth about the world they inherited and what really happened during the time of the previous Avatar, Korra.
But something already signals that there is much more brewing beneath the surface.
Could the twins eventually represent some kind of spiritual duality? Could there be something more significant behind why these two sisters were separated in the first place?
There is already plenty of groundwork being laid for something bigger.
While the Seven Havens themselves are intriguing, perhaps the biggest hook of this new series isn’t simply watching another young bender learn what it means to become a great Avatar.
We’ve watched Aang grow into that responsibility. We’ve watched Korra struggle against everything that came with already embracing it.
Pavi’s journey appears poised to ask something different.
What happens when the Avatar inherits not only the responsibility of saving the world, but the consequences—and perhaps the secrets—left behind by the Avatar who came before her?
According to the official synopsis, Pavi is a young Earthbender who discovers she is the new Avatar after Korra. But in this dangerous era, being the Avatar marks her as humanity’s destroyer rather than its savior.
Hunted by enemies from both the human and spirit worlds, Pavi and her long-lost twin, Nisha, must uncover the mystery surrounding their origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s remaining strongholds collapse.
Saheli Khan leads the voice cast as Pavi, with Aishu Devan as Nisha, Akshay Khanna as Karthik, Major Curda as Jae, Sakina Jaffrey as Agam, Darren Barnet as Daemin, Dianne Doan as Zi, and Dee Bradley Baker as Geet and Ruhi.
“Avatar: Seven Havens” comes from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who also serve as executive producers. Ethan Spaulding serves as executive producer, with Sehaj Sethi as co-executive producer. The series is produced by Avatar Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
And fans won’t have too long to wait before they can begin uncovering these mysteries for themselves.
“Avatar: Seven Havens” Book 1 will premiere globally on Paramount+ on Friday, October 9, with its first three episodes. Episodes 4-6 will follow on October 16, episodes 7-9 on October 23, and the remaining episodes 10-13 will arrive on October 30.
Details about Book 2 will be revealed at a later date.
With Pavi and Nisha’s mysterious origins, Korra’s controversial legacy, enemies emerging from both worlds, and a cataclysm that reshaped civilization itself hanging over this new era, “Avatar: Seven Havens” may ultimately be as much about uncovering the past as it is about saving the future.