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Daniel Dae Kim Joins The Cast Of Avatar: The Last Airbender As Fire Lord Ozai

Daniel Dae Kim in Hellboy Lionsgate
By BJ Colangelo/

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. 

My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked ... and then Daniel Dae Kim was cast as Lord Ozai and now we welcome our Fire Nation overlords with open arms. 

Netflix has been working on the live-action adaptation of the mega-popular Nickelodeon series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" for what feels like a lifetime, and many have been skeptical following the universally panned live-action film from M. Night Shyamalan. That said, today's announcement of Daniel Dae Kim being cast as Fire Lord Ozai, the merciless leader of the Fire Nation and Prince Zuko's father, is sure to bring serious joy to anyone who wasn't already hyped about the casting announcement of Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko. Daniel Dae Kim is known to most for his roles on "Hawaii Five-O," "Lost," the "Divergent" series, and "Hellboy."

The new Netflix series is being showrun by Albert Kim ("Sleepy Hollow," "Nikita," "Leverage") after the original "Avatar" creators left the project due to creative differences. As perfect as this casting announcement is, this isn't Daniel Dae Kim's first adventure in the world of "Avatar," having voiced General Fong in one episode of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," and Hiroshi Sato in seven episodes of "The Legend of Korra."

Who is Lord Ozai?

Firelord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender Nickelodeon

Fire Lord Ozai is one of the greatest villains in all of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The relentless leader of the Fire Nation, Ozai sets impossible standards for his people and family to meet, and is especially harsh on his son, Prince Zuko. Ozai's ancestors started the war, and he views it as his destiny to see it to the end and unite the nations ... under firebender rules, that is. He's also buff as hell and straight-up terrifying considering he's a firebending master. 

In the series, the Fire Nation successfully conquers the Earth Kingdom, but Ozai was convinced that its citizens would not accept defeat as long as they had hope. So he planned to utilize Sozin's Comet to burn down the entire Earth Kingdom, renouncing the title of Fire Lord, and declaring himself the Phoenix King, ruler of the world. Winning isn't enough for this dude, he wants absolute power, absolutely. 

Daniel Dae Kim is a genuine talent, but fans of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" are already trying to navigate their personal feelings about the casting, knowing that Lord Ozai is both a terrible father and evil warlord, and now having to balance those truths against the fact Daniel Dae Kim is a total smokeshow.

Prepare yourself ... the Fire Nation fan-fiction is inevitable.

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