18 Years Later, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Gives Us 1 Team-Up We Deserved in the Original Show

Eighteen years after the original show’s ending, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender gives fans an epic team-up in Season 2 — and it’s one we deserved in the animated series. Netflix’s ATLA adaptation is officially back, and it’s already dominating discussions online. The changes it makes to the original Avatar: The Last Airbender are at the center of these conversations, as not all of them work as seamlessly as the Netflix show’s time skip. But there are a few choices that improve on aspects of the original, like giving one character on-screen closure after years. SPOILERS ahead for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2.

Another fun decision from the live-action show features a team-up between two figures who never meet in the original. The dynamics between the characters are the heart and soul of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and that’s true no matter which version you’re looking at. With the characters’ connections taking center stage, it’s no surprise that another unlikely team-up is a highlight of the newest episodes. And it lays the groundwork for one friendship to form in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 3.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Gives Fans a Blue Spirit & Painted Lady Team-Up in Season 2

While the friendship between Katara and Zuko gets proper development in both iterations of Avatar: The Last Airbender, their secret identities never cross paths in the original show. To be fair, Katara’s Painted Lady — the spirit she dresses up as to help a struggling Fire Nation village in Book 3 — only appears in a single animated episode. Since it’s such a brief part of Katara’s arc, only Team Avatar and the townspeople witness it. The Netflix adaptation brings in the Painted Lady earlier, having Katara pose as the spirit to help people of Ba Sing Se.

And during one of her excursions as the beneficent figure, she has a run-in with Zuko’s secret identity: the Blue Spirit. Zuko dons the mask of the Blue Spirit more than once in the animated show, and he continues to utilize it in the live-action series. As a result, he and Katara unknowingly fight the Dai Li together in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2, Episode 6. It’s a cool coming together of two vigilante figures with an identical desire to help people. Plus, it lays the foundation for Katara and Zuko’s dynamic going forward. It’s only a shame we never get to see the pair interact in these forms in the original.

This Season 2 Change Sets Up Katara & Zuko’s Dynamic Extremely Well

With Zuko and Katara both having alter egos and sharing a common goal in Season 2, it’s nice to see Netflix’s adaptation highlighting the parallels between them early. And it gives them something to connect over come Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 3. The two start both versions of the story as enemies, but they find mutual ground at the end of Book 2 and Season 2. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived, as Zuko regresses and joins Azula’s cause in the midst of the Crystal Catacombs fight.

Those familiar with the original series know this isn’t a permanent shift for Zuko, as he’ll continue to grapple with his morals in Season 3 — and eventually make peace with Team Avatar in a more permanent way. SPOILERS ahead for Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 and likely Season 3. Katara’s the last of the group to trust him, and that stems from their interaction in the Crystal Catacombs, which leaves her feeling extra betrayed. It’s possible the live-action ATLA will use its vigilante team-up as a bridge between the two characters, allowing them to find common ground again. It certainly feels similar to one Book 3 chapter that sees them doing just that.

One Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 Episode Shows How Good This Duo Could’ve Been

The Painted Lady and Blue Spirit’s team-up in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is compelling character work and excellent fan service, so it’s an obvious choice for the adaptation. After all, one episode from the original Avatar: The Last Airbender highlights how iconic Katara and Zuko are as a duo. It also drives home their similarities to one another. Book 3’s “The Southern Raiders” sees Katara and Zuko hunting for the man who killed Katara’s mother. It’s one of Zuko’s solo adventures, and it helps him regain Katara’s trust. It also demonstrates just how alike the two are when it comes to their anger and trauma — and the reality that they’re still genuinely good people beneath it all. Through its Painted Lady and Blue Spirit sequence, Avatar: The Last Airbender hits that note early.

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