Netflix vs. Nickelodeon: Tackling Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Jet Death

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Live-action remakes of animated movies and shows, like those on Netflix, always have a tough time pleasing fans. They need to stay true to what people loved about the original, but also offer something new to make the remake worthwhile.

The animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender was surprisingly sophisticated for a children’s show on Nickelodeon, and that’s a big reason why it’s still so popular after more than 17 years. Because the original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, had certain limitations, the new live-action series has a chance to delve even deeper into the show’s most intense moments.

Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Second Season Killed Off a Major Character

In the first episode featuring Jet from Avatar: The Last Airbender, he and his group, the Freedom Fighters, were shown as radical and violent, attacking anyone from the Fire Nation, even those who weren’t doing anything wrong. Katara was very upset with Jet’s actions, calling him cruel and disturbed. It seems Jet listened to her criticism, as he returned in the second season with a changed attitude and a desire to make amends.

So, after everything, my friends and I—the Freedom Fighters—hoped to lay low and start over in Ba Sing Se, the big city in the Earth Kingdom. Things were actually going pretty well for a while, but then Jet, you know, he found out Zuko and Iroh were secretly firebenders. It just triggered him, and he started acting out again. It led to a huge public fight with Zuko, and the Dai Li—Ba Sing Se’s secret police—arrested Jet. Turns out, their boss, Long Feng, had his own plans and decided to basically mess with Jet’s head – he brainwashed him!

Okay, so in the episode “Lake Laogai,” things really hit the fan. Aang and his crew tried to stop Long Feng and the Dai Li’s shady plans, but Long Feng had a trick up his sleeve – a code phrase that instantly brainwashed Jet and turned him against our heroes! It was pretty intense watching Jet attack his friends, but thankfully, he eventually fought through the conditioning and switched sides, realizing the Dai Li were the real villains. It was a key moment for his character, honestly.

Nickelodeon Censored Jet’s Death in Avatar: The Last Airbender

This unexpected and disturbing scene was likely the first on-screen death in The Last Airbender series, making it particularly impactful. Because Nickelodeon didn’t want such violence in the show, the creators, DiMartino and Konietzko, had to compromise on several points.

The moment Jet was fatally injured wasn’t shown on screen. Instead, the scene cut to him lying still on the ground, covered in dust. Despite this, there was no visible injury, and the other characters didn’t explicitly say he was dying, opting for worried comments like “This isn’t good.”

The writers strongly implied Jet had died, but never explicitly showed it. Katara couldn’t heal him, and Toph sensed he wasn’t going to be okay, but the show left room for doubt. Some viewers still hoped he might have survived, and even those who accepted his death were confused about how Long Feng had killed him. This was because characters often seemed unharmed by similar earthbending moves throughout the series.

The show playfully addressed its own unpredictable nature with a scene where Aang and his friends watched a play based on their adventures. The actor playing Jet was hilariously squashed by a prop boulder, and when Zuko questioned whether that meant his character was supposed to die, Sokka simply replied, “It wasn’t really clear.”

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Does Not Shy Away From Violence

Even with Nickelodeon’s involvement, Jet’s death in the “Lake Laogai” episode was a powerful and moving scene. The characters’ reactions were so well done that they fully conveyed the gravity of the moment. While censorship is frustrating, it was probably a good thing that young viewers weren’t exposed to such a violent scene while watching shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents.

CBR Report

CBR Report

Netflix isn’t as strict with its content. While the live-action The Last Airbender is rated TV-PG, meaning it can’t be overly violent, it can depict death. The first season, for instance, actually showed a few dead bodies.

Despite some worries fans have about certain scenes from the Season 2 trailer, the new live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender has a chance to accomplish something the original animated series didn’t.

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2025-12-23 00:12