The live-action Sokka sexism issue is actually worse than you fear

The live-action Sokka sexism issue is actually worse than you fear

In the rollout for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans got a bit up in arms. This isn’t unheard of for the ATLA fandom, having already seen one live-action adaptation do them dirty and with a bit of natural defensiveness built in from many having watched and loved a show for almost 20 years. So when Kiawentiio, the actor playing Katara in the new live-action TV show, claimed the show had taken “out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was,” fans were miffed.

It didn’t help that the quote was anchored in the story by a claim that this was one of many “iffy” moments from the original show, or that Ian Ousely, who plays Sokka, was quoted in the same paragraph saying the show was bringing “more weight with realism in every way.” This is the sort of framing in a profile that does the vision of this show no favors, since it feels like they missed the point of the sexism Sokka displayed in the original episode, “The Warriors of Kyoshi.”

Unfortunately, the same issues plague the live-action episode they’re referencing, “Warriors.” Rather than add more nuance and care to the story of Sokka encountering the Kyoshi Warriors, Netflix’s Avatar opts to smooth down the edges, filing everything away until all that’s left crumbles.

[Ed. note: This episode contains spoilers for the second episode of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, and compares it with the corresponding episode (“The Warriors of Kyoshi”) in the animated series.]

In the two Airbender shows, both Kyoshi Warrior episodes start the same: Aang, Katara, and Sokka land on Kyoshi Island and promptly get ambushed by the Kyoshi Warriors. But pretty quickly, the live-action adaptation pivots from the source material, setting up Suki (Maria Zhang) as someone who feels all the weight of being a Kyoshi Warrior, and the ways in which that keeps her on Kyoshi Island. She’s skeptical of the idea that Sokka is also a “protector” of his village — after all, if he’s protecting his village, what is he doing here?

It’s a far cry from Suki’s skepticism in the original: In that version, when she meets Sokka (by tying him up), he’s incredulous that he just got captured by a bunch of girl warriors at all. And that change alters the entire tenor of Suki and Sokka getting to know each other. Rather than Suki being righteously fired up over Sokka’s chauvinism, she’s drawn in by what she sees as his worldly warrior skills. Suki keeps trying to engage him in combat, handily trouncing him and left confused as to why he sulks away. As promised, Sokka is no longer sexist, but he is still intimidated. And so the tension of their training gets shifted dramatically. Now, Sokka is out to prove himself as a warrior, and Suki is there to reassure him of his prowess.

It’s gross, honestly! Suki is still clearly the teacher and better fighter, and yet her live-action iteration’s whole plotline revolves around bolstering Sokka, rather than besting him. Sure, she gets to fight with him and be impressive — but that’s the floor with Suki! Her character has always been spunky and quick, capable and accomplished in equal measure, whether she’s stuck on Kyoshi Island, in a Fire Nation prison, or anywhere else. She doesn’t back down from a fight, physical or otherwise. And here, all those elements get stripped away, purely in service of Sokka’s development as a warrior. To have it all end with Suki being enamored of him feels beyond cheap, like she’s just one of many women falling under Sokka’s charm rather than a singular character in her own right.

When the original Kyoshi Warriors episode aired, sexism like the kind Sokka grew up in was considered somewhat expected. But it was also clearly understood to be wrong — and somehow, the original Avatar does more in 20 minutes with this plotline than Netflix’s can manage in an hour: The animated episode grabs Sokka and his obvious sexism by the scruff and puts him through his paces. Every time he speaks from a place of ignorance, Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors call his bluff, beating him again and again until he finally understands he was wrong. It’s a simple story, and one where Sokka is clearly off the mark, pays for it (by getting his ass beat), and grows.

It feels silly to yell about this at all; his development is the text! Sokka comes off as an ass in the original series because he’s being an ass, not because he’s inherently an asshole. But it’s also a clear condemnation of these values Sokka was raised in, and just one step on his path to unlearning the role he thought he had to occupy. To remove it is conflict-avoidant storytelling, and one that does both Suki and Sokka a massive disservice. Rather than feeling “updated,” it just feels like toxic positivity, reducing a woman’s role to strengthen a man’s. This is especially true when it’s a story that still rings true now — just look at Blue Eye Samurai. Its fifth episode also features a woman who can fight mistakenly thinking a man fighting with her would excite him as well. It’s good drama, and a good make-or-break for a fighting couple, especially because that Netflix program leans into the tension instead of shying away from it.

In this way, the fact that Netflix’s Avatar sees even temporary sexism as irredeemable is telling. While the creators might write this off as “some of the gender issues didn’t quite translate,” they’re missing that it wasn’t ever supposed to be a boon for Sokka to be a bigot — quite the opposite, as the story itself shows. By “updating them a little bit,” the Netflix adaptation has robbed Suki (and her temperament) to avoid risking a man looking bad for even a moment. The new series is too worried Sokka would look sexist, even momentarily seeming less than perfectly relatable, and so instead a strong girl was blanched of her own arc. By giving Suki nothing to fight against, Netflix’s Avatar makes her feel like purely a love interest not worth fighting for. And by not wanting Sokka to say anything questionable, this adaptation proves it has nothing really to add.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on the platform, alongside the original show and Blue Eye Samurai.