Netflix's Avatar Producer Says Fans Are Wrong About 1 Aang Power In Season 1 (Exclusive)

By Russ Milheim Posted:
Avatar: The Last Airbender Netflix live-action Aang

A producer behind Avatar: The Last Airbender clarified how fans were wrong regarding one of Aang's powers.

Despite being an airbender, Aang does not have the power to fly in the original animated series. He’s always gliding, so he has a glider and is riding on Appa’s back.

However, in the first episode of the live-action Netflix show, many fans thought they had seen Aang gracefully flying instead of sticking to falling with style.

[ Avatar Netflix Season 2: Dallas Liu Reveals His Big Hopes for Upcoming Episodes (Exclusive) ]

Can Aang Fly in Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Aang in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender
Netflix

While on the red carpet at Paleyfest 2024, Avatar: The Last Airbender Seasons 2 and 3 Executive Producer Jabbar Raisani admitted to The Direct’s Russ Milheim that one key fan misconception surprised him: Aang cannot fly.

The producer confirmed how some fans were wrong, and that "Aang can’t fly" and is instead "falling with style:"

"Yes, there is one thing that surprised me. There was this common thread that Aang could fly. And I was like, 'No, Aang can't fly. Aang is falling with style.' I want to do a diagram to show exactly that he's always falling. It's the opening sequence mainly."

He joked about how he was going to make "a YouTube video" to make it clearer:

"I was like, 'No, that was, like, very clearly designed,’ obviously, not clearly enough. But to make sure that he's always falling, and I was like, 'No!' I'm gonna do a YouTube video, like he's not flying, he's falling.'"

Why Aang Carries a Glider

It’s hard to fault audiences for thinking Aang was flying, especially as it was portrayed in Episode 1’s flashback. It feels certain Jabbar Raisani will do his best to avoid fueling that misconception.

However, in Season 2, Aang might be busy learning both waterbending and earthbending, so his time to goof around with his airbending might be limited.

Fans should feel confident that Raisani is paying attention to details like that, particularly in places where the show could have done better. The ability to publicly acknowledge hiccups like that and learn from them is not something every producer has.

While Seasons 2 and 3 will undoubtedly be challenging to adapt faithfully, fingers crossed that the fixation on details like that will only benefit the final product.


Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix.

Read more about Avatar on The Direct :

Avatar: The Last Airbender Zuko’s Live-Action Vs. Animation Differences Explained by Dallas Liu (Exclusive)

Avatar Star Dallas Liu Explains Zuko & Katara's Rivalry In Live-Action Show (Exclusive)

Who Is Sebastian Amoruso? 5 Things to Know About Avatar's Jet Actor from Netflix Live-Action Series

- In This Article: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Release Date
February 22, 2024
Platform
Actors
Dallas Liu
Gordon Cormier
Ian Ousley
Kiawentiio
- About The Author: Russ Milheim
Russ Milheim is the Industry Relations Coordinator at The Direct. On top of utilizing his expertise on the many corners of today’s entertainment to cover the latest news and theories, he establishes and maintains communication and relations between the outlet and the many studio and talent representatives.