The main character of the Avatar franchise is distinguished by their unique ability to harness the powers of all four elements and their profound connection to previous holders of the Avatar title throughout history. As anticipation builds for the announcement of a new Avatar series showcasing the next Avatar, it has become apparent that this individual will encounter a world and reputation significantly different from their predecessors. Moreover, they will face a lasting consequence that has altered the Avatar cycle forever.
The First Avatar
The exact number of Avatars over time has never been specified, although the protagonist of Seven Havens will be the tenth known by name, suggesting there have been over a hundred. It is understood that the first Avatar, Wan, attained the Avatar state approximately 10,000 years before the events depicted in The Last Airbender.
Wan achieved this during a climactic struggle between two spiritual forces: Vaatu, representing darkness, and Raava, representing light. Ten thousand years prior, during an event called Harmonic Convergence—a rare planetary alignment enveloping the world in spiritual energy—Raava successfully imprisoned Vaatu in the spirit realm, stabilizing the world. However, Wan was misled by Vaatu and inadvertently severed the bond between Vaatu and Raava, unleashing chaos.
Determined to rectify his mistake, Wan embarked on a journey with Raava’s spirit, mastering manipulation of the four elements to assist Raava during the next Harmonic Convergence. During their battle with Vaatu, Wan merged his spirit with Raava, thus creating the Avatar state and enabling him to wield all four elements simultaneously. After defeating Vaatu, Wan sealed the dark spirit again and resolved to separate spirits from the physical world, acting as the sole intermediary between realms.
The Avatar Cycle
Despite their connection to Raava, Avatars remain mortal. Upon Wan’s death, Raava assured him that his responsibilities would be inherited by future generations, initiating a cycle of spiritual reincarnation known as the Avatar Cycle. This cycle dictated that when an Avatar perished, they would reborn, carrying a connection to their past lives and Wan’s elemental mastery.
Wan and Raava’s journey established a reincarnation pattern, designed to maintain harmony among the physical and spirit worlds as well as the four elemental nations. Following the order Wan learned the elements—Fire, Air, Water, Earth—the Avatar would reincarnate through each nation in that sequence.
Although born with an inherent connection to Raava and previous Avatars, the new Avatar would only become fully realized upon mastering all four bending arts, which conferred control over the Avatar state. Avatars traditionally traveled through the nations, mirroring Wan’s path, to learn each bending art, serving as diplomats and spiritual leaders.
The Cycle’s Disruption
The Avatar Cycle persisted uninterrupted for 10,000 years, each Avatar contributing to a spiritual legacy connecting ancestors and descendants. However, this cycle was disrupted during Avatar Korra’s era, when her uncle, Unalaq, plotted to release Vaatu and reshape the world.
Unalaq merged with Vaatu to create the Dark Avatar. During Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu extracted and destroyed Raava from Korra, severing her from her predecessors. Although Korra and her allies eventually restored Raava, re-establishing her ability to connect to Raava at least, the traditional cycle concluded, marking a new cycle with Korra as its origin.
Implications for Avatar: Seven Havens
With Vaatu’s threat diminished, Korra, restored to Raava but beginning a new cycle, chose to reopen the spirit portals sealed by Wan. She declared that spirits and humans should together maintain harmony, with the Avatar guiding this peace.
However, the world witnessed upheaval following Korra’s time. In Seven Havens, a new, unnamed Earthbender Avatar, born after Korra’s death, faces a world altered by cataclysm. This has left the titular havens as civilization’s remnants and stigmatized the Avatar role, perceived as a harbinger of destruction by both humans and spirits.
As Seven Havens unfolds, it is anticipated that Korra’s spirit may appear in the series, possibly assisting the latest Avatar in understanding and navigating the post-cataclysmic world. Though unable to connect with Avatars before Aang, the new Avatar should connect with Korra, the sole spirit of the new cycle, as the story explores the impacts of these transformations.