Mark Hamill Thought Avatar: The Last Airbender Was 'Too Smart' To Be A Success
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" owes a lot to "Star Wars" — season 2 "Book Two: Earth" in particular echoes the structure of "The Empire Strikes Back." That's what makes the casting of Mark Hamill as the series' villain, Fire Lord Ozai, a clever tip of the hat. The man who played the hero of the previous generation now plays the villain for the next. Though Ozai lacks any shades of gray, Hamill still gets to stretch his vocal range — his performance gives a lot of character to Ozai that isn't on the page.
Hamill debuts in season 1 episode 12 "The Storm" during a flashback, revealing how Ozai scarred and exiled his son Prince Zuko (Dante Basco) all for speaking out of turn. Hamill continues to make small appearances throughout the first two seasons, but the Fire Lord is always kept in shadow and this mixed with Hamill's deep, stern voice makes him sound almost demonic. When we finally see Ozai in "Book Three: Fire" and learn that he is, in fact, just a man, Hamill's performance is smoother but still sinister. Then in the finale, "Sozin's Comet," when Avatar Aang finally faces the Fire Lord, Hamill goes loud and bombastic, relishing Ozai's evil all the while.
The voice director for "Avatar" was Andrea Romano, who knew Hamill from their work on "Batman: The Animated Series." They've never confirmed as such, but I'd bet that this connection is what allowed the series to recruit Hamill in the first place. When Hamill first signed onto "Avatar," he didn't have high hopes for its success. Not because he thought it was bad, but quite the opposite.
Hail the Fire Lord
In May 2023, Mark Hamill took part in Wired's "Autocomplete" YouTube series. One of the questions was "Is Mark Hamill Fire Lord Ozai?" "Yes, I am," Hamill answered before explaining his initial reaction to the series. "I remember reading the first script [for 'Avatar'] thinking, 'This thing's gonna get canceled in four episodes 'cuz it's too smart.'"
Hamill has said such things before, so it's important to understand the context. "Avatar" began airing on Nickelodeon in 2005. The cartoon hits on the network at the time included "Spongebob Squarepants" and "The Fairly OddParents," or loud, mile-a-minute comedies aimed at grade schoolers. "Avatar" had more in common with the imported anime airing on Toonami — co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are big fans of "FLCL" and "Cowboy Bebop."
"The Storm" is also the series' first heavy episode. It's structured around parallel flashbacks to Aang and Zuko's youths — the characters are the driving force of the episode, not the action. It's also the first hint that Zuko isn't such a bad guy, paving the road for his acclaimed character arc.
Fun for the whole family
Despite not quite fitting Nickelodeon, "Avatar" captured lightning in a bottle and was a success. It ultimately ran for the three seasons Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko had planned, concluding in 2008 and telling a complete story. It earned a sequel — "The Legend of Korra" — and plenty of spin-off material, with animated films and a live-action remake on the way.
Mark Hamill acknowledged — and possibly explained — this surprise success in the second half of his answer to Wired: "It was really gratifying to hear that parents like to watch it with their children, 'cuz it talked up to children rather than talking down to them. And it was a very smart show."
Stories that the whole family can enjoy — instead of kids watching as their parents sit with rolling eyes and gritted teeth — are valuable. Heck, that's one reason for the success of "Star Wars" itself. The moral of Zuko and Ozai's relationship — that a child has no responsibility to obey an abusive parent — is also the type of mature message that children's entertainment should send. It's a small miracle that "Avatar: The Last Airbender" got the chance to.