How Avatar: Seven Havens Expands Meaningful Representation In Fantasy

Forbes

7 days ago

The Avatar Universe encompasses a world where people, using martial arts, can 'bend' the elements of water, earth, fire, and air. Every generation, one person with the ability to bend all four elements is born, earning them the title of 'Avatar.'
Back in the early 2000s, before the term 'DEI' became the popular buzzword it is today, the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was engaging in inclusive storytelling, a move that few other intellectual properties dared to make at the time. It maintained a consistent focus on a world influenced by non-Western cultures and included disability representation that never felt forced or shoehorned in. Now, with the newest iteration in the franchise, Avatar: Seven Havens, Avatar Studios, led by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, along with Nickelodeon, are expanding the world of the Avatar universe and reaffirming their commitment to inclusive storytelling, which has always been a key part of the series' success.
Despite the controversies surrounding DEI in recent years, diversity isn't just about moral obligation. For example, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the first entry in Nickelodeon's Avatar series, draws from cultures that aren't solely Western, with East Asian, South Asian, and Indigenous cultural references being a key part of how the story's themes are conveyed. Even concepts like Yin and Yang, which are often simplified into the 'good vs evil' trope in Western thinking, more accurately represent a 'push and pull' or balance between two equal but opposing forces and are thoroughly explored and explained through multiple characters and ideas. From the very beginning of the show's use of these tropes, audience members can engage with a story that differs significantly from media catering to a specific audience, with the Avatar franchise highlighting cultures and tropes that aren't often focused on or showcased.
Seven Havens, scheduled to premiere in 2026, features a new Avatar who is disabled, with a still from San Diego Comic-Con showing her missing one of her legs. This decision has already sparked debate on social media, with some questioning whether a physically disabled character can truly embody the 'traditional' strength of the Avatar, which is considered in the story to be the most powerful person in the world. However, this view diminishes the characters of the series as a whole and grossly misunderstands the importance of accessible storytelling. Since its inception, the Avatar universe has defined power beyond physical ability, demonstrating how it can be strengthened through spirituality, intelligence, and creativity. That much has always been clear for the able-bodied and disabled characters alike.
Before Seven Havens, the previous Avatar series, The Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra, both explored disabilities in a way that the mainstream hadn't done before, as multiple disabled characters played a key part in the story. For example:
Toph Beifong, a blind earthbender, lived a double life when the cast first met her. Because of her disability, her family and peers saw her as fragile and too helpless to do anything for herself, someone in need of constant surveillance and protection. Despite how they treated her, it was revealed that her blindness gave her a unique connection to her element that allowed her to develop a 'seismic sense' where she could 'see' through the vibrations of the earth, ultimately making her one of the most powerful earthbenders in the world.
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Teo, a boy in a wheelchair, lost the use of his legs after a devastating flood. Still, through his community, specifically his father who was a scientist, Teo was able to access areas that would often be inaccessible for wheelchairs because the people around helped clean the temple he was living in of debris so that he could explore it, and even attached a glider to his wheelchair so that he could temporarily fly around in the air.
Zuko, a burn victim, was a banished prince from the Fire Nation and the main antagonist of the first season of the show. Much of the promotional art featured his face, which had a burn mark that covered a large portion of his face, partially affecting his eye and ear. Rather than hiding it, the story delved into the physical and generational trauma that resulted in the scar. Even when there was a chance to remove it permanently, he kept it, and the scar that he once viewed as a source of shame and trauma became a symbol for empathy and growth.
Ming Hua, a villain from The Legend of Korra series, developed a unique style of waterbending despite having no arms. While her lack of arms was never explained, she was portrayed as a dangerous and formidable foe, requiring her to be locked away for nearly a decade without water in her immediate vicinity, a testament to how those who imprisoned her actively feared her ingenuity.
Through Pavi, the new Avatar in the upcoming series Seven Havens, and her disability, Avatar can continue its path of inclusive storytelling in a way that most fantasy genres can't do without seeming insensitive or making the characters feel like they're included as representatives but still unimportant to the story. Pavi, like the many disabled characters in the Avatar universe that came before her, can serve as a reminder that inclusivity isn't harmful to good storytelling but is a key part of it. Her disability is showcased because it isn't a limitation to the narrative; it's a part of her that shouldn't be ignored, ridiculed, or treated as an obstacle for her to overcome. Instead, it's a part of her that provides opportunities to explore her creativity, spirituality, and strength, just like the characters before her.
With companies like Disney, Netflix, and Amazon investing heavily in animation and the returns they earn from viewers, Avatar Studios is uniquely positioned to lead the next generation of animated storytelling, not just through action-packed fight scenes or smooth animation, but through storytelling that is inclusive and uniquely theirs. As further proof, the world-class storytelling they first engaged with back in 2005 remains both appealing and narratively essential for international partners, new and returning fans of the franchise, and anyone seeking meaning and representation.