Movies

Netflix’s Avatar: Major Character Changes Revealed for Season 2!

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Netflix’s live-action adaptation of its second season has finished filming, and to mark the occasion, they revealed some fresh faces joining the cast for seasons two and three. Many of these characters were expected by fans as they also made their debut in seasons two and three of Nickelodeon’s animated series. However, two names caught everyone’s attention – Madison Hu playing Fei, and Terry Chen portraying Jeong Jeong. Interestingly, there was no character named Fei in the cartoon, suggesting she might be an original character. Similarly, while Jeong Jeong is a well-known character from Avatar, he appeared in the first season of the animated series, not the second or third.

In the live-action version of Avatar, fans initially presumed that Jeong Jeong’s absence during the first season meant they would bypass his storyline entirely. However, recent casting news suggests that instead, his story will be moved ahead in the series timeline. It’s worth noting that the live-action Avatar often alters events and character appearances compared to the original cartoon. For instance, some characters were introduced earlier than in the original series.

However, Jeong Jeong presents a unique challenge due to significant parts of his storyline being dependent on events from the first season, which have already transpired in the live-action version. Consequently, it’s expected that Jeong Jeong’s role in the second season of Netflix’s Avatar will significantly deviate from his portrayal in the cartoon.

Jeong Jeong Was Aang’s Firebending Teacher — But Not For Long

In the 16th episode of the animated series “Avatar,” titled “The Deserter,” we were introduced to Jeong Jeong, a renowned master in firebending who had defected from the Fire Nation military. Aang and his companions came across this legendary figure, and they discovered that learning firebending was against the Avatar’s usual sequence of mastering waterbending and earthbending. Despite this, Aang saw an opportunity to learn firebending since most firebenders were aligned with Firelord Ozai and thus considered enemies of the Avatar. Initially reluctant, Jeong Jeong felt that Aang was not yet prepared to handle such a perilous element due to his lack of discipline.

Water has a calming and refreshing quality, while earth is solid and reliable. However, fire exhibits life and dynamism – it seems to breathe and expand. If a rock doesn’t move on its own, it won’t roll; but fire can spread and consume everything in its wake if not tamed. That is its essence. You are unprepared! You lack the strength!

In my humble opinion as a movie reviewer, then it was subtly hinted that Jeong Jeong had mastered the art of firebending countless times across numerous lives. Facing such dire predicament, he felt compelled to deviate from the conventional path. And so, with some hesitation, Jeong Jeong consented and started instructing Aang in the ancient skill of firebending.

According to Jeong Jeong’s forecast, Aang wasn’t prepared to learn firebending yet. Eager to advance quickly, he ended up accidentally burning Katara’s hands during training. Overwhelmed and ashamed by his actions, Aang vowed never to use firebending again. However, he eventually learned it from Zuko in the third season, but by then, he had already become proficient in waterbending, earthbending, and, most crucially, self-control. Jeong Jeong resurfaced in one of the series’ concluding episodes, “Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters.” This episode unveiled that he was a part of the same order as Iroh, Bumi, Pakku, and Piandao. He clarified, “The White Lotus has always been about wisdom, aesthetics, and truth, but around a month ago, we received a call to action for something crucial.” With the firebending abilities granted by Sozin’s Comet, Jeong Jeong played a significant role in freeing Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation’s grip.

Some Scenes From “The Deserter” Cannot Happen in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender

In the live-action adaptation of Avatar, there are two significant alterations needed for Jeong Jeong’s storyline:

1. Since Zhao perished at the end of the first season in Netflix’s series, it wouldn’t be plausible for him to engage in a fight scene with Aang as he did in the cartoon. Instead, another antagonist might emerge, but none would possess the personal connection to Jeong Jeong that Zhao had in the original storyline.

2. In the animated series, the final battle between Aang and Zhao was preceded by a revelation that Jeong Jeong had once been Zhao’s firebending teacher, which explained why Jeong Jeeng was so strict with Aang. This connection could be replaced or reimagined in the live-action series to accommodate a different antagonist.

In the animated series, Katara discovers her ability to heal using waterbending after Aang accidentally burns her. She then submerges her hands in a river to cool them, and miraculously, her wounds start glowing with soft white light and disappear. Jeong Jeong observes this and acknowledges that she has healing powers. In the live-action series, Katara has already learned about healing from someone else, so this scene may depict her first experience healing an actual injury, rather than just a dummy.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Could Combine Jeong Jeong’s Story With Other Plotlines

In the animated series Avatar, it is possible that Toph had already joined Aang’s group by the time they met Jeong Jeong. The show introduced her early in its second season and she continued to teach earthbending to Aang for the rest of the series. Although an episode with Jeong Jeong might have occurred before this, due to the live-action series’ limited runtime, it may be more likely that Toph appears in many episodes. In such a scenario, Aang could learn both earthbending and firebending simultaneously. Instead of focusing on Aang learning earthbending and firebending separately, Netflix’s Avatar might explore the contrasting teaching methods between Toph and Jeong Jeong. In the original show, Toph challenged Aang before he was ready, whereas Jeong Jeong took a more gradual approach.

It could happen that the live-action series omits the storyline from “The Deserter” entirely, focusing solely on Jeong Jeong as a member of the White Lotus. This might be disheartening since one of the enjoyable aspects of the cartoon’s White Lotus was discovering intricate connections between seemingly unrelated characters across various episodes. However, it may be necessary to streamline the story for time constraints. Some viewers found the first season a bit slow, and this issue could worsen if the second season attempts to adapt the cartoon’s second season and fill in missing storylines from the first. Despite Jeong Jeong being an intriguing character, he only appeared in four episodes of the original Avatar series, with speaking lines in just half of those. Given this limited screen time, it’s possible that Netflix’s writers will focus on characters who had more extensive roles, which is a difficult choice any adaptation must make.

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2025-05-25 01:10

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