I want to see more of Mai’s struggle with zuko and her father. Mai has never been the one for emotions but this could be her break for some solid character development. This is why I love avatar, it allows all of its characters to grow and we can see how they change over time. It just doesn’t focus on the main character.
Mai’s dad should have been the main villain in the comics
I’m so frustrated because they came so close to creating an interesting political plot here but failed miserably and instead opted to further destroy Azula’s character because they weren’t creative enough to build up an original villain. But I think Ukano, who was barely present in the original show, could be built up into a great villain and here’s why.
Ukano would be a different kind of villain than we’ve seen in the original ATLA series
Most of the main villains in the series (Ozai, Zhao, Azula, etc.) relied on physical power and military might. The central suspense factor was the question of Aang’s ability to become powerful enough to fight Ozai.
But what about an enemy that isn’t physically intimidating? One who can’t be faced head on?
We don’t know much about Ukano, but he doesn’t appear to be a firebender. He’s also from a prominent family and holds decent political sway despite this. How did he get there? How does he maintain his influence? Ukano would be the perfect opportunity to create a villain who holds a different kind of power. Rather than brute force, he’s sly and cunning. He won’t fight anyone outright, but he’ll use politics and manipulation to achieve his ends.
I think this would be an especially interesting villain for Zuko to face, since he’s very confrontational and impulsive. Ukano in this scenario would force him to adjust to his political role as Fire Lord and deal with conflicts more carefully.
Ukano has a solid motivation
Ukano was the governor of Omashu, and obviously, he’ll lose that position when Zuko comes into power.
The comics show him as sympathetic to Ozai but don’t do much with it. In fact, he turns out to be Azula’s puppet. I think it would be a much more solid and interesting motivation for Ukano to resent Zuko for stripping him of his title and position by ending the war.
It’s also a good opportunity to address this mindset in the Fire Nation since he’s probably far from the only one angry at Zuko for this reason.
This would provide a great opportunity for Mai’s character development
We know next to nothing about the relationship between Mai and her father. There’s a brief line in The Beach touching on how Mai was very restricted in her childhood because of Ukano’s political career and the need for good optics. But ultimately, this is never really shown or explored further.
But in this case, there would be room to dig into that dynamic. Explain more about Mai and her childhood. Ukano could very well attempt to use Mai’s relationship with Zuko to get closer and manipulate him. It could also expand more of the idea of Mai being torn between duty to her family and doing what she knows to be right.
Great opportunity for personal drama
I’ll try to keep shipper goggles to a minimum but there are so many interesting possibilities here, especially in regards to how Mai fits in.
What if Mai decides she’s not interested in courting Zuko? Either because she feels like her father’s pawn or because she’s interested in someone else? How would Ukano react to this?
What if Zuko courts Katara someone other than Mai? Would Ukano try to sabotage it? Would this force his hand in some way?
How would Ukano feel about other cultures having influence in the Fire Nation via Zuko’s friends and allies? What might he do to disrupt this?
And probably even more. In addition to politics, there is plenty of room for some juicy drama.
