Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar Legends, is an American multimedia franchise created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The franchise began with the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The franchise is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world in which some people can telekinetically manipulate (or "bend") one of the four classical elements: air, water, earth, or fire. Only the titular "Avatar" can bend all four elements and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world.
Avatar is a franchise spanning works in various forms of media. A sequel animated series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, ran from 2012 to 2014. The storylines of both animated series have been continued in comic book form. Other franchise tie-ins include novelizations, art books, companion books, video games, and home media releases. In 2010, the first season of the original animated series was adapted into a live-action film titled The Last Airbender. A live-action television remake of the original series, also named Avatar: The Last Airbender, was co-produced by Netflix and premiered in 2024.
In February 2021, Nickelodeon announced the formation of Avatar Studios, a division dedicated to the creation of Avatar projects. The first project, an animated sequel film titled Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, released in July 2026. A new series, Avatar: Seven Havens, is set for release in October 2026.
Premise The franchise is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world that is divided into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, the Air Nomads, and the Earth Kingdom. People of each nation are capable of telekinetically manipulating (referred to as "bending" in the franchise) one of the four elements: water, earth, fire, or air.
The titular "Avatar" is the only person who can bend all four elements, and they are responsible for maintaining spiritual and physical balance in the world. After an Avatar's death, the Avatar Spirit, Raava, is reborn into a new person of a different nation, who is the new Avatar and who must master the bending arts of the four elements, and take on their Avatar responsibilities.
Television series
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)
The first series in the franchise, Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the young Avatar Aang as he attempts to end the Fire Nation's war of conquest against the other three nations. Aang, who is the last surviving Air Nomad due to a genocide perpetrated by the Fire Nation, is joined by a teenage waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara, her non-bending brother Sokka, and later the young blind earthbending prodigy Toph, as he journeys to master bending the elements so that he can defeat the Fire Nation's leader, Fire Lord Ozai, and restore peace throughout the four nations. The series also depicts the journey of Prince Zuko, Ozai's disgraced and exiled son, as he tries to restore his honor. When Ozai exiled him, he sent him on a quest to find the Avatar, a task thought impossible at the time. Zuko stays devoted to capturing Aang throughout the first season, but would go on to join Aang’s group later in the series.
The Legend of Korra (2012–2014)
Set 70 years after the original series, The Legend of Korra follows Aang's successor as the Avatar, a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra, who moves to the new, multi-ethnic Republic City to learn airbending from Aang's youngest son, Tenzin. She befriends a firebending and earthbending pair of brothers, Mako and Bolin, and the industrial heiress Asami Sato, and contends with a series of political upheavals, including a rising anti-bending movement, a civil war in the Water Tribes, an anarchist conspiracy, and the rise of an authoritarian government in the Earth Kingdom.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024–present)
Produced by Netflix in partnership with Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action adaptation of the first series by Albert Kim. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, originally set to be the showrunners, abandoned the project due to creative differences. The first season was released on February 22, 2024, on Netflix, and consists of eight episodes. On March 6, 2024, the series was renewed for a second and third season, with it set to conclude with the latter.
Avatar: Seven Havens
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Nickelodeon and Avatar Studios have announced Avatar: Seven Havens, a new 2D animated series. Set 225 years after the events of The Legend of Korra, Avatar: Seven Havens takes place in the aftermath of a global cataclysmic event, with civilization on the verge of collapse. The series will follow Korra's successor as the Avatar, Pavi, an earthbender who is blamed for humanity's destruction and attempts to survive with help from her long-lost twin sibling named Nisha. The series was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and Ethan Spaulding and Sehaj Sethi will serve as executive producers. Seven Havens will consist of 26 half-hour episodes spread across two seasons, or books. On December 23, 2025, it was announced the series will be released on Paramount+. On July 23, 2026, it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 that the series will premiere on October 9.
Films Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Producers The Last Airbender July 1, 2010 M. Night Shyamalan M. Night Shyamalan, Sam Mercer and Frank Marshall Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender July 25, 2026 Lauren MontgomeryWilliam Mata Tim Hedrick, Christopher Yost, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino and Kenneth Lin Maryann Garger, Latifa Ouaou, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino
The Last Airbender (2010)
The Last Airbender is a 2010 live-action adaptation of the first season of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender by M. Night Shyamalan. The film was widely panned by critics and fans of the animated series, and has since been considered one of the worst films ever made and took in $319 million at the worldwide box office.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)
In February 2021, along with the announcement of the formation of Avatar Studios, it was reported that the studio's first project would be an animated theatrical film that would begin production later in 2021. In June 2022, it was announced that Lauren Montgomery, a former storyboard artist on Avatar and a supervising producer for Korra, would serve as director. In April 2024, Paramount revealed the film's tentative title, Aang: The Last Airbender, along with the casting of Eric Nam as Aang, Dionne Quan as Toph, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, and Dave Bautista as an antagonist. The film was originally set to be released theatrically on October 9, 2026 by Paramount Pictures. In April 2025, the title of the film was announced as The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. On December 23, 2025, it was announced the film would instead be released on Paramount+. In March 2026, Montgomery revealed that production had wrapped and the final cut of the film had been screened for the entire cast and crew. Posts from the screening by Eric Nam and Román Zaragoza revealed that the film had been retitled Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. In April 2026, the entire film was leaked on social media platform X. As of April 2026, investigations are underway by Paramount Pictures to determine the source of the leak. Sources familiar with the situation say the company has determined it did not originate internally. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender was released on Paramount+ on July 25, 2026, with a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles and New York City.. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, fans, and audiences.
Critical and public response Entry Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Films The Last Airbender 5% (193 reviews) 20 (33 reviews) C Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender 90% (48 reviews) 68 (11 reviews) Television Avatar: The Last Airbender (Book 1: Water) 100% (12 reviews) rowspan="9" Avatar: The Last Airbender (Book 2: Earth) 100% (7 reviews) Avatar: The Last Airbender (Book 3: Fire) 100% (7 reviews) The Legend of Korra (Book 1: Air) 91% (11 reviews) The Legend of Korra (Book 2: Spirits) 64% (11 reviews) The Legend of Korra (Book 3: Change) 100% (10 reviews) The Legend of Korra (Book 4: Balance) 100% (13 reviews) Avatar: The Last Airbender (Season 1: Water) 62% (86 reviews) 55 (27 reviews) Avatar: The Last Airbender (Season 2: Earth) 68% (22 reviews) 68 (7 reviews)
Comics Avatar: The Last Airbender (2006–present)
TitleRelease date(s)Media type Avatar: The Last Airbender January 25, 2006 – August 6, 2008 Film comic series Published by Tokyopop Eight-part film comic of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender Republished by Del Rey Books in 2010 Free Comic Book Day issues May 7, 2011 – August 25, 2021 Mini-comic Written by Johane Matte and Gene Luen Yang, Nadia Shamas Art by Johane Matte, Ryan Hill, Faith Erin Hicks, Carla Speed McNeil, and Sara Alfageeh Published by Dark Horse Comics for Free Comic Book Day Five original stories: "Relics" (May 7, 2011), "Rebound" (May 4, 2013), "Shells" (May 3, 2014), "Sisters" (May 2, 2015), "Matcha Makers" (August 25, 2021) Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures June 15, 2011 Anthology Written by Aaron Ehasz, Josh Hamilton, Tim Hedrick, Dave Roman, J. Torres and Alison Wilgus Art by Joaquim Dos Santos, Elsa Garagarza, Gurihiru, Corey Lewis, Johane Matte, Ethan Spaulding, and others Published by Dark Horse Comics () Collection of comics previously published in Nickelodeon Magazine and the Avatar: The Last Airbender DVDs Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise January 25 – September 26, 2012 Graphic novel trilogy Written by Gene Luen Yang, with art by Gurihiru Published by Dark Horse Comics on January 25, 2012 (), May 30, 2012 (), September 26, 2012 () Collected in a library edition, released on February 20, 2013 () Sequel to the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender Dark Horse Comics' best-selling graphic novel of 2012 Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search March 20 – October 30, 2013 Graphic novel trilogy Written by Gene Luen Yang, with art by Gurihiru Published by Dark Horse Comics on March 20, 2013 (), July 10, 2013 (), October 30, 2013 () Collected in a library edition, released on February 5, 2014 () Sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Dark Horse Comics' best-selling graphic novel of 2013 Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rift March 5 – November 18, 2014 Graphic novel trilogy Written by Gene Luen Yang, with art by Gurihiru Published by Dark Horse Comics on March 5, 2014 (), July 2, 2014 (), November 5, 2014 () Collected in a library edition, released on February 11, 2015 () Sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search Dark Horse Comics' best-selling graphic novel of 2014 Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow October 6, 2015 – March 16, 2016 Graphic novel trilogy Written by Gene Luen Yang, with art by Gurihiru Published by Dark Horse Comics on September 23, 2015 (), December 16, 2015 (), March 16, 2016 () Collected in a library edition, released on September 21, 2016 () Sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rift Dark Horse Comics' best-selling graphic novel of 2015 Avatar: The Last Airbender – North and South September 14, 2016 – April 26, 2017 Graphic novel trilogy Written by Gene Luen Yang, with art by Gurihiru Published by Dark Horse Comics on September 14, 2016 (), January 25, 2017 (), April 26, 2017 () Collected in a library edition, released on October 25, 2017 () Sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow Avatar: The Last Airbender – Imbalance December 18, 2018 – October 1, 2019 Graphic novel trilogy Written by Faith Erin Hicks, with art by Peter Wartman First volume published by Dark Horse Comics on December 18, 2018 ()