Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? While there’s no indication that the team behind Echo were fans – or even aware – of Avatar: The Last Airbender, one Marvel fan has spotted an eerily similar parallel to how both shows ended.
Spoilers for the Echo ending and Avatar: The Last Airbender follow.
In Echo, Maya harnesses her newfound Choctaw powers to ‘heal’ Kingpin of his trauma after a showdown between her and her ‘uncle.’
As Reddit user Dominicsjr pointed out, there are similarities in Avatar: The Last Airbender’s finale, which saw Aang use energybending to remove the Fire Lord Ozai’s ability to bend. In a beat that will be familiar to those who watched Echo, Ozai asks what Aang did to him because he could feel a fundamental change in his being.
Did anyone else notice these similarities during the Echo finale?from r/marvelstudios
Where Ozai lost his bending abilities, however, it appears that Kingpin’s mental state was the thing that changed. As of the end of episode 5, he seems more empathetic and less full of anger, hate, and pain. The Echo post-credits scene may be setting him up as a mayoral candidate, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be the fully-fledged villain of years past.
While this is a reminder of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s peak fiction, it’s also worth remembering that there’s an exciting future ahead for fans of Aang and company.
A live-action Netflix series is set to debut on the streamer on February 22, while plans are in place for three new animated movies by the show’s original creators.
For more, check out our breakdown of Echo’s powers. Then see the 50 best Netflix shows you should be adding to your watchlist.
