Somehow, despite its overall rejection by longtime fans of the story, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is performing spectacularly on the streamer. It debuted to bigger numbers than the streamer’s live-action One Piece, and that instantly guaranteed the show a renewal.
Fans aren’t quite sure what to think of Avatar‘s stellar performance, as OG fans of the animated series decry Netflix’s many unnecessary deviations from the beloved original. Its a common issue on the streamer, and despite constant pleas to treat the source material with care, it seems Netflix has yet to learn the lesson.
That doesn’t guarantee that season 2 will be as lacking as season 1, however. While it seems unlikely, given Netflix’s innumerous transgressions, there’s always a chance the team behind Avatar will learn from the feedback fans are giving them, and we’ll see a marked improvement in future seasons.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 release window
Netflix waited less than a month before officially renewing Avatar: The Last Airbender for a second and third season, which — assuming the live-action continues to loosely follow the timeline of the original — would carry it all the way through Aang’s story.
We’re still pretty far off from any official release date announcements, but we may be able to determine a release window based on the first season’s timeline. While the concept of a live-action Avatar was approved by Netflix all the way back in 2019, development and filming for season 1 didn’t begin until late 2021. Principal photography wrapped right around six months later, in June of 2022, and the show officially arrived on Netflix in February of 2024.
There were some pretty massive delays between the conclusion of filming and the show’s official debut, but there were quite a few hurdles in the way of the show’s development. Between COVID, the WGA and SAG strikes, and the expected demands of crafting such an ambitious live-action series, that timeline made sense for season 1. We shouldn’t expect the same from season 2, however, since it will (hopefully) see far fewer delays.
Season 2 is much more complicated and fast-paced than season 1, however, which may see development slow down as it works to bring cities like Ba Sing Se to life. With that in mind, viewers shouldn’t expect season 2 until mid-2025 at the earliest. Add in the common snags that shows like Avatar often hit, and a more likely release date is late 2025 or early 2026.
What can we expect from the season 2 plot?
Despite its frequent baffling deviations, season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender largely followed the events of book one in the animated series. That is likely to continue with seasons 2 and 3, which will see the story carry Aang and the Gaang through Book 2: Earth and Book 3: Fire to the story’s conclusion.
With that in mind, we’ve actually got a great idea of what to expect from season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender. If the series continues to follow the overall framing of the original, Aang and his team will return to the Earth Kingdom early in season 2 to track down an Earth bending master for Aang.
Once they find their brusque and capable Earth bending master, its off to Ba Sing Se, where the majority of the remaining season will take place. Things really ramp up in season 2 — which also contains hands down the most heartbreaking moment in all of Avatar — and set the stage for the climactic season 3.
Returning cast in season 2
We can expect many members of the cast from season 1 to return in season 2. Its obvious that the main three — Gordon Cormier’s Aang, Kiawentiio’s Katara, and Ian Ousley’s Sokka — will be making a return, but many of the people they crossed paths with in season 1 will be back for more as the story further unfolds.
So, on top of Dallas Liu’s Zuko and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Iroh, expect to see characters like Jet, Suki, King Bumi, and of course our favorite cabbage merchant to return. That’s on top of characters like Azula, Ozai, Ty Lee, and Mai, all of whom will enjoy expanded roles as the story continues.