Warning: this article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Of all the differences between the original Avatar: The Last Airbender and the new Netflix live-action version, the condensed and shifted timelines are among the most obvious. This means that a number of characters who only appeared later on in the animated version have turned up in the new Netflix series, most notably Azula and Ozai.
One major character that many fans will be eager to find out about is Toph, Aang’s unapologetically bristly earthbending master. A young girl from a rich family who was born blind, she is one of the most beloved characters thanks to the incongruence between her meek appearance and supreme power, and as a result many fans are keen to see how she is portrayed in this version.
Toph wasn’t in the first season of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, but will she arrive in the next season?
When will Toph be in the Netflix show?
As far as we’re concerned there’s no question we’ll be seeing Toph in season 2. While some fans may be a little disappointed we have to wait for her appearance, in terms of the show’s plotting this does make the most sense. Yes, many plotlines were brought forward or condensed into others for the live-action version, but season 1 still ended with the battle at the North Pole, so it simply wouldn’t have made sense for Toph to appear before that.
We have also seen the Fire Nation taking Omashu, and didn’t get the famous swamp episode, both of which are key factors as to how Aang ended up with Toph as his earthbending master. And, as she’s such an integral and beloved character, we doubt the showrunners are going to axe her.
Now that Avatar: The Last Airbender has been renewed for its final 2 seasons on Netflix, it is safe to assume that Toph will appear — sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t be the first time they have altered character timelines. The live-action series made the controversial choice to bring Azula in quicker than her animation counterpart. Instead of appearing at the tail-end of season 1 as a teaser for what was to come, Zuko’s sister is a prominent character in the Netflix series from the get-go.
Considering what a fan-favorite character Toph is, she could get the same treatment. Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender plants seeds as early as episode 4 of season 2 when Aang encounters visions of Toph in the swamp. After that, it is a fast trip to finding her in real life and convincing her to become Aang’s earthbending master. Since seasons for the Netflix series are truncated, we’ll likely get her much earlier. When season 2 premiers, Aang will likely find Toph early on to further his teachings. We can only hope to witness her glorious tenure in the bending ring as the Blind Bandit when she does.
Who will play Toph in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender?
Toph’s role is yet to be cast, so we don’t know who will be playing her in the live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Given that Netflix has been casting people of certain ethnicities to match the cartoon, we can guess that the actress will be a child of Asian origin. Also, considering that Netflix is good at is giving disabled parts to disabled actors, it’s likely the actor will have some kind of real vision impairment.
There isn’t an established performer that fulfils both criteria. Some fans have put forward actress Emma Ho, as she is around the right age and has previously worked on Netflix productions. However, she isn’t vision impaired. Others have suggested Nell Sutton, an actress with a vision impairment who was phenomenal in All the Light We Cannot See. However, Sutton is white and also a little too young to play Toph.
Fans eager to find out who will play Toph will just have to wait, it seems.