It’s been almost twenty years since Avatar: The Last Air Bender first aired on Nickelodeon and became an instant classic, and there are so many parts of this story that have stuck with us all that time.
A world of elemental magic thrown out of balance by the violent colonialism of the Fire Nation, Avatar: The Last Air Bender sees Aang, child monk, last surviving Air Nomad, and current Avatar—the reincarnated soul who can master all four elements, and whose duty it is to ensure peace and balance is maintained among the four nations—emerge from the melting iceberg he’s been trapped in for a hundred years into a world in desperate need of saving. Accompanied by friends from the other three nations, the show follows Aang’s journey to mastering earth, fire, and water bending, attaining his Avatar state, and the final victory over Fire Lord Ozai and his ruthlessly expanding empire.
Who did Zuko marry?
Prince Zuko, disgraced son of Fire Lord Ozai, started the show as an antagonist, traveling the frigid Southern waters on what was intended to be an impossible quest: finding and capturing the Avatar that’s been missing for a hundred years. But he and Aang came a long way together. From hunting Aang and his friends in a desperate bid to restore his honour Zuko became first an uneasy ally, then Aang’s personal fire-bending teacher, and finally a deeply trusted and beloved friend to Aang and his companions.
Though many viewers assumed Zuko and Katara, the last Southern water bender and daughter of the Southern Water Tribe’s Chief, would end up together that’s not how things played out. Instead, the series ended with Aang and Katara getting together while Zuko went on to rekindle his relationship with his childhood sweetheart Mai.
Mai and Zuko’s relationship was turbulent from the beginning. A childhood friend of Zuko’s sister, the sadistic Princess Azula, Mai had spent the original series alternating between fighting Zuko and fighting alongside him as his alliances and priorities shifted, finally ending up in prison as she turned on Azula for Zuko’s sake. Though the two of them appeared to have found their happily ever after at the series’ close, the comics reveal a different story. After only a year together, Mai broke up with Zuko because she couldn’t trust him, saying that he loved her but “he loved his secrets more.” Still, she remained loyal to Zuko, working to defend his interests as both ruler of the Fire Nation and an individual, eventually breaking up with her new partner because of her lingering feelings for Zuko.
While that seems like the obvious setup for a reconciliation the comics never actually followed up on it, leaving it an open question as to whether or not Mai and Zuko ever got back together. We know he married and had a daughter, Izumi, who would be Firelord after he eventually abdicated in his old age, but it’s never confirmed who Izumi’s mother actually is. Most likely the answer is Mai, but it’s possible that future canon will still surprise us with an entirely different relationship later.
(featured image: Nickelodeon)
