Avatar creators address Korra hate after Seven Havens and the role of ‘homophobia’ and ‘misogyny’

Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have addressed the ongoing backlash against Korra, arguing that some of it is rooted in “homophobia” and “misogyny”.

Korra has divided Avatar fans ever since The Legend of Korra first premiered in 2012, with some criticising how the character was written and comparing her to The Last Airbender’s Aang. 

But the backlash hasn’t just been about the writing. There’s also been debate over whether prejudice towards Korra’s bisexuality has played a part.

Now, Avatar: Seven Havens has reignited the debate. The new series is set centuries after Korra’s story, in a world where she’s blamed for a devastating catastrophe and her death is celebrated. 

This has proven highly divisive, with Korra voice actor Janet Varney saying she “sobbed” through the first episode after seeing her character being portrayed as a villain. 

“I sobbed through this pilot episode. I was shattered. I cannot emphasise it enough,” she told the Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast, adding, “Watching children talk about her as if she’s a monster was heartbreaking. I mean, it really hurt.”

It’s even led to accusations that DiMartino and Konietzko themselves dislike Korra. But in a new interview with Teen Vogue, the co-creators addressed the backlash and explained why this isn’t the case. 

“The idea that we hate Korra? I would say watch the show,” said Konietzko, to which DiMartino added, “That’s definitely not true. She’s one of my favourite characters.”

They didn’t completely shut down the criticism. When asked if the hate towards Korra is justified, Konietzko replied, “If people don’t like Korra as a character, they don’t like that series, that’s totally fine. We both love Korra and I’m really proud of that series.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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But, he continued, “The idea that Korra separated her connection with the other Avatars, it’s like, her uncle did that to her. And I’m always like, Aang’s entire people were wiped out, but no one seems to hold that against Aang,” arguing that some fans tend to hold Korra to “this totally different standard”. 

And this is the reason the creators believe there’s something deeper beneath the surface when it comes to the Korra hate. “I think there’s a lot of misogyny. I think there’s a lot of homophobia,” Konietzko said. “Her story is an amazing one of resilience and repair.”

And DiMartino pointed out something interesting. While the first six episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens have now been released, there are still seven more to go – and we still don’t know the full context about why she’s being blamed. 

“The Avatars are never perfect heroes,” DiMartino said. “But there’s more to Korra’s story than you see in the first couple of episodes.”

Similarly, Varney acknowledged that “we don’t know what’s going to happen,” so this could all change. 

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Featured image credit: Nickelodeon/Paramount+