Avatar: Seven Havens Makes One Huge Change That Improves On The Last Airbender And Korra – TVLine

Contains spoilers for “Avatar: Seven Havens”

In its first few seconds, “Avatar: Seven Havens” hits you with something completely new. The opening shots of Episode 1 pan over an expanse of stone and sand — the post-apocalyptic aftermath of a mysterious spiritual cataclysm supposedly brought on by the last Avatar, Korra. It’s a very different world from the one seen in her own show, “The Legend of Korra,” and its predecessor, “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” But it’s not the landscape or the animation that immediately sets “Seven Havens” apart: it’s the music.

Jeremy Zuckerman, who has been the composer of the “Avatar” universe since “The Last Airbender” first hit Nickelodeon back in 2005, returned to do the music for “Seven Havens.” The original series, which TVLine counts among the best animated TV shows of all time, built a rich fantasy soundscape using classical Chinese instruments like the pipa and guzheng, and “The Legend of Korra” added to that foundation with Jazz, fitting the sequel series’ roaring ’20s inspiration. “Seven Havens,” meanwhile, has an electronic vibe. Soaring, haunting synthesizers herald in this new era, establishing right from the jump that though Korra’s world of modernity is gone, we are still very much living in the future of the “Avatar” timeline.

Franchise creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, along with the rest of the “Seven Havens” creative team, wisely found a way to keep the fantasy aesthetic of the old “Avatar” series intact, but bits of cyberpunk and solarpunk glow around the edges, and it all starts with the music. It’s a score that, while not necessarily better than its predecessors, is more immediately ingrained in the world, and therefore a more palpable piece of the story, to the show’s benefit.

Diehard fans will know that the very first sketch Bryan Konietzko made of the “Avatar” universe showed Aang as a cybernetic science fiction character. Almost a quarter of a century later, the franchise has come full circle, but without losing the spiritual, naturalist core that has always been its soul. The aesthetic of “Seven Havens” evokes a range of inspirations, from Indofuturism and cyberpunk TV shows (specifically anime from the ’80s and ’90s) tothe work of seminal French science fiction artist Jean Giraud, better known as Mœbius.

The airbender Jae (Major Curda) uses the same air scooter technique that Ang once invented to power his hoverboard, yet the device itself would look just as appropriate in “Akira” or “Cowboy Bebop,” the latter being a frequently-cited influence on the original “Avatar” series. Meanwhile, the city Jae hovers through pulls clear inspiration from South Asia, whereas the last two shows looked primarily to China, Japan, Tibet, and Inuit cultures.

The total effect is not so much science fiction as it is a futuristic vision of an imagined world. “The Legend of Korra” is full of direct parallels to our own early 20th century, even though it shifted those things into a fantasy context. From the jump, “Seven Havens” feels much stranger, and it all starts with the music. Bringing in a more electronic, futuristic sound quickly establishes this new era, and it also makes the occasional hits of the old themes that much more powerful.

As the composer for all three “Avatar” shows (and the 2026 movie “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender”), Jeremy Zuckerman has had as comprehensive an impact on the franchise as anyone other than the creators themselves. “Seven Havens” knows that music is foundational to the world of “Avatar,” and from what we’ve heard so far, this may well be the best score yet. That’s not because synthwave is superior to more traditional music (and don’t worry, there are still plenty of strings here), it’s because the music here becomes an element of the world, telling us without words all the ways in which it has changed.

In Episode 3, earthbender Pavi (Saheli Khan) begins to remember a tune that she plays on her kalimba — an instrument central in a number of iconic Zuckerman tracks from the first two shows. By the end of the episode, the song helps unlock lost memories for her and her twin sister Nisha (Aishu Devan). It turns out that it’s a lullaby their mother once sang. It’s a gorgeous melody, and one that underscores the end credits of each episode.

This musical legacy has been part of “Avatar” since the beginning, but it’s getting more spotlight than ever before in “Seven Havens,” where the music is literally driving the plot and building the world. Hardly a minute into the show’s first episode, an Elloran guard can be heard whistling “Four Seasons,” a song sung by Uncle Iroh in Season 1 of “The Last Airbender.” Jeremy Zuckerman has long been the unsung hero of the “Avatar” universe and he’s delivered his best work yet with “Seven Havens.”