The Legend of Korra has plenty of comedic relief, but one of its funniest characters might not work well in a live-action adaptation. Since the success of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, hopes for The Legend of Korra to receive a similar adaptation have never been higher. While there’s currently no plan for a live-action Legend of Korra adaptation, and it doesn’t seem to be one of The Last Airbender‘s upcoming movies and shows, that doesn’t make it an impossibility. If the show’s rights are sorted out and an adaptation is eventually created, though, it would face several problems, including with some of its characters.
The Last Airbender franchise has struggled with its age in the past, most notably with Sokka. A large part of Sokka in the show’s early season was centered around misogyny and sexism, and the live-action adaptation did away with his more questionable character traits. That was an imperfect solution, as many fans of the original show thought those elements of his character were necessary to show the growth he experienced in later seasons. The Legend of Korra could face a similar challenge in adapting one of its funniest characters for modern audiences, and it would likely have to find a better solution.
Varrick is one of the funniest characters in The Legend of Korra, but his brand of humor might not work for a live-action adaptation. A lot of Varrick’s humor came in the form of visual gags like facial expressions and exaggerated motions that really only work in animation. What was perceived as endearing and goofy in the original show would be at risk of seeming cheesy and annoying if a live-action actor was tasked with replicating it. The live-action format could make Varrick’s humor fall flat, but there’s also a problem with Varrick himself that could keep him from working well in the adaptation.
A lot of Varrick’s jokes centered around his poor treatment of Zhu Li, his assistant at the time. Varrick’s gags often involved ordering Zhu Li to “do the thing,” and the way he treated her could easily be considered overly mean. Zhu Li and Varrick eventually got married by the end of The Legend of Korra, but if a live-action adaptation were to maintain this same style of humor, it might make audiences grow tired of him long before he had a chance to be better. Aside from his humor, Varrick’s character also presents a live-action Legend of Korra with a few modernization problems.
One of the central parts of Varrick’s character, especially in the early seasons, is that he was an out of touch, entitled, and morally bankrupt billionaire. He was also a propagandist, a warmonger, and an attempted kidnapper of the president of the United Republic of Nations, though he felt very few repercussions for those actions. He was even one of the main people who enabled Kuvira’s rise to power, though that storyline did see Varrick eventually decide to oppose her. Because of those character traits and mistakes, it would be hard for the live-action Legend of Korra to convince modern audiences to sympathize with Varrick.
Varrick is a main source of The Legend of Korra‘s comedy, but the role of comic relief didn’t fall solely on his shoulders. Other characters, like Bolin, Mako, and Meelo, also provided some levity to Korra’s important missions, but they also pose their own problems for a live-action adaptation. Mako is probably least at risk of not translating to live-action well, but even he has his own problems, like his early relationships with Asami and Korra. Mako’s saving grace is that unlike Varrick, his character growth is a much more direct result of his mistakes, which helps make him more likable.
Meelo and Bolin, however, are much more similar to Varrick, and share some of the issues he would suffer from in live-action. Meelo falls into the same borderline-cheesy comedy pitfall as Varrick, as many of his jokes were dependent on his strange movements, facial expressions, and other childish forms of humor, like fart jokes. Bolin, on the other hand, mirrors some of Varrick’s more serious character flaws. Early in the show, Bolin was selfish, overly flirtatious, and just slightly problematic overall. Also, like Varrick, Bolin became a much better character in season 4, but that may be too late for the live-action Legend of Korra.
The problems with the show’s comedic relief characters don’t mean they aren’t well written, complex people – in fact, Bolin, Mako, and Varrick are some of the best characters The Legend of Korra has to offer. The main issue is that they’re not instantly likable. Viewers had to stick with them for a while before they started growing, which wasn’t a problem for an animated show with 13 episodes per season, and less than a year between seasons. A live-action Legend of Korra would be a much longer investment with far less time to dedicate to their development, which could mean they’d be received much less favorably.