See Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Cast vs. Their Animated Counterparts (PHOTOS)
For years now, the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender has enchanted fans across various media, but Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation promises to be the most immersive version yet.
Like the animated Nickelodeon series that started it all back in 2005, the Netflix production follows Aang (Gordon Cormier) on his quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar’s latest incarnation and unite the world’s four nations in peace following the Fire Nation’s aggression. And flesh-and-blood actors bring new realism to the story.
“VFX technology has advanced to the point where a live-action version can not only faithfully translate what had been done in animation — it can bring a rich new visual dimension to a fantastic world,” showrunner Albert Kim wrote in a note to fans two years ago. “We’ll be able to see bending in a real and visceral way we’ve never seen before.”
Ahead of the Netflix series’ February 22 launch, check out the side-by-side photos below to see how the new Aang and his friends and adversaries compare to their counterparts from the Nickelodeon series.
Gordon Cormier as Aang
This 14-year-old, who played Joe in the Paramount+ series The Stand, stars as Hang, a young Air Nomad and the last of his kind.
Kiawentiio as Katara
Kiawentiio, an alum of Anne with an E, portrays Katara, one of the Southern Water Tribe members whom Aang befriends.
Ian Ousley as Sokka
Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh
Lee, who starred as Appa in the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience, plays Iroh, a retired Fire Nation general who mentors nephew Zuko.
Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai
Kim, an alum of Lost and Hawaii Five-0, stars as the Fire Lord Ozai, tyrannical ruler of the Fire Nation, Iroh’s brother, and Zuko’s father.
Ken Leung as Zhao
Leung, another star of the ABC hit Lost, has joined the Avatar cast as the calculating and ambitious Fire Nation Commander Zhao.
Maria Zhang as Suki
You’ll see Zhang, who got a start in the 2018 short film Continuum, in the part of Suki, one of the show’s Kyoshi Warriors.
Elizabeth Yu as Azula
Yu, also seen in this year’s Netflix film May December, portrays Azula, Ozai’s daughter, an enemy of both Aang and Zuko, her older brother.
