Tenzin, the uncle we all wish we had. He’s only one of the best characters in all of The Legend of Korra. He’s the only airbending child that the late Avatar Aang ever had (until the third Spirit Gate opened that is). After his father’s death, he was the only living airbender in the entire world until the birth of his children.
But who is Tenzin, really?
Tenzin is many things. He’s arguably one of the most complicated characters in Avatar. Unlike his goofy-til-the-end father, Tenzin had a serious and thoughtful temper ever since childhood. He inherited the entire legacy of the Airbending Nation and grew up under the titanic shadow cast by his world-famous father. After his father’s death, the entire future of the Air Nomads rested on his shoulders. Talk about pressure. Subject to such heavy expectations, along with an often absent father, Tenzin had to grow up fast. He’s technically the baby of the family, but he sure doesn’t act that way.
As a politician, he’s an idealist, embracing the peacekeeping tenants of his father and his nation. As a husband and father, he’s a stalwart fount of love and support for his family. As a teacher, he’s impatient. His prudent nature causes him and the impulsive Korra to butt heads often. Despite his monastic background, he often lacks patience. He had to succumb to enormous pressure and responsibility as a child. Why shouldn’t everyone else? As a bender, he’s a certified badass. He is, without a doubt, the greatest airbender in the world, save for the Avatar herself. He managed to hold out against airbending genius Zaheer and would have beaten him had the rest of the Red Lotus not shown up. He’s also like… totally ripped. Great beard too.
Who could possibly voice such a majestic character?
The only man qualified for the job is the equally majestic J.K. Simmons. Many remember him for his iconic performance as the cantankerous newsman J. Jonah Jameson from the early 2000s Spiderman films with Toby McGuire. He rose to full-blown internet fame with his performance as Terence Fletcher in the psychological music drama Whiplash. “NOT MY TEMPO” sound familiar? He has also carved out a name for himself in animation, appearing in Gravity Falls as the (spoiler alert) long-lost brother of Grunkle Stan and the villain-turned-anti-hero Omni Man from Invincible.
The casting is flawless. Wise. Commanding. Overbearing. Conflicted. J.K. Simmons masterfully portrays Tenzin in all of his beautiful complexity, and the show is all the better for it.
(featured image: Nickelodeon)
