Avatar Studios is expanding the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise with new stories set across different periods of its fictional world. However, choosing which Avatar to follow is not necessarily the first step in developing these projects. Co-creator Michael DiMartino has explained that he and fellow creator Bryan Konietzko begin by establishing the state of the world in a particular era before deciding which character’s story could best explore it.
In an exclusive interview with ComicBook, DiMartino discussed the creative approach behind the studio’s expanding slate, including Avatar: Seven Havens. The upcoming sequel series introduces a new era of the franchise with two central characters, Pavi and Nisha, following the stories of Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra in The Legend of Korra.
The creators also want each project to establish its own identity rather than repeat the same storytelling approach. With Avatar: Seven Havens exploring a dramatically changed world and another project centered on Avatar Kuruk in development, that philosophy could help the franchise explore different sides of its established mythology.
AVATAR STUDIOS WANTS EVERY NEW SERIES TO OFFER A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE
DiMartino explained that developing several projects simultaneously required the creators to distinguish each series through its genre, tone, and storytelling style. He told ComicBook,
“We were very conscious of making sure each project felt different in genre and tone style and everything.”
This approach gives Avatar Studios room to explore different types of stories without making every installment feel like a variation of its predecessors. Instead of simply introducing another Avatar and repeating an established formula, the creators can use each era’s circumstances to determine what kind of adventure would suit that period.
The distinction is particularly important as the franchise expands beyond its original series and The Legend of Korra. According to DiMartino, the creators generally establish the world’s condition before developing the Avatar who will lead the story.
“We usually start with what’s the state of the world now when we talk about different eras of the Avatar, and then usually the Avatar character comes out of those discussions,”
he explained in the ComicBook interview.
WHY SEVEN HAVENS INTRODUCES TWO AVATARS
The creators applied this philosophy to Avatar: Seven Havens, which takes place hundreds of years after The Legend of Korra. The sequel explores a world transformed by a devastating cataclysm, with civilization surviving across seven havens. Its central characters, Pavi and her twin sister Nisha, introduce a new dynamic to the franchise’s familiar Avatar mythology.
DiMartino said the team wanted the sequel to feel substantially bigger than its predecessors. “It had to feel big, it had to feel epic, had to feel like something we had never done before,” he explained.
The idea of the Seven Havens emerged from the decision to dramatically transform the world. The creators subsequently developed the concept of two Avatars, which DiMartino said could open up new storytelling possibilities. The unusual premise gives the sequel a different foundation from Aang and Korra’s individual journeys.
The distant-future setting was also an early creative decision. DiMartino explained that the creators had considered what the Avatar world might look like in the future and wanted to give the series a stronger fantasy atmosphere.
AVATAR KURUK EXPANDS THE FRANCHISE INTO ANOTHER ERA
Avatar Studios is also developing Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos, an animated prequel following a teenage Kuruk on adventures to master the four elements. According to Paramount+’s official announcement, the series will explore Kuruk’s rebellious approach to his responsibilities as the Avatar.
With Seven Havens exploring a distant future and Wave of Chaos revisiting an earlier period, Avatar Studios is expanding the franchise in different chronological directions. Both projects provide opportunities to examine how the world and its central figure change across generations.
The creators’ stated approach suggests that the franchise’s future will depend on more than introducing new Avatars. By establishing each era’s circumstances first, DiMartino and Konietzko can develop stories with distinct conflicts, tones, and settings while preserving the mythology that connects them.
