Should Amon and Tarrlok Not Have Been Brothers?

[CharlesPhipps]

I really feel like, while Korra had some good antagonists later, Amon was their best one. He had the strongest argument, felt very different from everyone, had a pretty good backstory that explained his hatred of bending even though he is a bender, and fits to the fears of a unifed group who are fighting against oppression who really want to be the oppressors. Making him brothers with Tarrlok is... odd, but I say it fit with how the two were changed but differently by their dads abuse. I think if the show creators knew they had more seasons, Amon would have survived and joined up with Zaheed and his group to end the power structure, with Amon seeing BENDING as the power structure, while Zaheed and his forces see it as just government in general.

I also feel like Amon benefits from the fact that you can view him multiple ways, which benefits discussion. Kuvira is too much of a Mao figure or fascist for anyone to really say she was justified. Zaheer is so awesome that a lot of fans pretty much agree he was correct but just a prick about it. Amon, by contrast is someone you think was speaking to a real problem in Republic City or was completely fucking stupid and blaming benders the same way someone might blame Jews.

Is there any point to Equalism or is it just nonsense populist fascism?

You can have this discussion.

[Winter]

I really feel like, while Korra had some good antagonists later, Amon was their best one. He had the strongest argument, felt very different from everyone, had a pretty good backstory that explained his hatred of bending even though he is a bender, and fits to the fears of a unifed group who are fighting against oppression who really want to be the oppressors. Making him brothers with Tarrlok is... odd, but I say it fit with how the two were changed but differently by their dads abuse. I think if the show creators knew they had more seasons, Amon would have survived and joined up with Zaheed and his group to end the power structure, with Amon seeing BENDING as the power structure, while Zaheed and his forces see it as just government in general.

I also feel like Amon benefits from the fact that you can view him multiple ways, which benefits discussion. Kuvira is too much of a Mao figure or fascist for anyone to really say she was justified. Zaheer is so awesome that a lot of fans pretty much agree he was correct but just a prick about it. Amon, by contrast is someone you think was speaking to a real problem in Republic City or was completely fucking stupid and blaming benders the same way someone might blame Jews.

Is there any point to Equalism or is it just nonsense populist fascism?

You can have this discussion.

Honestly, one of my biggest issues with Amon is we never really get what his deal is. He hates Bending and wants to get rid of it. Okay, why? What does he blame Bending and how did he come to the conclusion that it is to blame for everything in his life? Yes he was abused as a child but the last scene we see of him as a teenager has him ranting to his father about being weak and then ranting to his brother about being weak and then... He's leading a revolution to destroy all Bending?

It's not that this is an impossible conclusion to reach and we're never really told if he believes what he is saying or if it's just nonsense. Characters BELIEVE he's telling the truth but we're never told from HIM!!!

We needed a moment with Amon where he is just talking, normally, to someone about what he thinks and believes because I think so many people think Amon is the best of the villains is because he has few to no smaller moments. It's all grand speeches and awesome fight scenes with even his origin story being presented as this great tragedy.

Personally I think Kuvira and Zaheer are more engaging villains because we're given moments where we just sit down and talk with them and get to know them. Even if it's just them setting a trap we get the sense that they are being sincere because they are explaining themselves to both the characters and the viewers.

Honestly something I'm including in my rewrite is a moment where Amon has a talk with Asami. He knows she's close to Korra and is convinced to Hiroshi to try and persuaded her to see the Benders for the monsters they are. Unlike his confrontations with Korra or his speeches to his supporters or enemies Amon talks to Asami more like a normal person with him being more friendly and personal. He doesn't threaten her or harm her, he just talks, even showing an interest he has in art or writing.

Asami would see through this because while she wants equality for non-benders he is taking things to far and is hurting people for the crime of being alive.

I think the idea Amon is presenting is an interesting one because it's a sibling idea to the oppression of Mutants over in X-Men and the Mage/Templar Rivalry in Dragon Age but with a twist. In both DA and X these series have the "Normal" people in power oppressing, claiming their dangers and can only cause harm to those without powers.

Avatar is interesting because people with powers are already free and enjoy equal rights and as far as we've seen are not treated as anything better then those without powers.

In the end Amon is just an angry bitter old man looking for a scapegoat to help prove to him and others that there's this one problem in the world and if we were to just get rid of it everything would be perfect forever with zero problems and everyone would get to play black jack with hookers.

[Nobody700]

I really feel like, while Korra had some good antagonists later, Amon was their best one. He had the strongest argument, felt very different from everyone, had a pretty good backstory that explained his hatred of bending even though he is a bender, and fits to the fears of a unifed group who are fighting against oppression who really want to be the oppressors. Making him brothers with Tarrlok is... odd, but I say it fit with how the two were changed but differently by their dads abuse. I think if the show creators knew they had more seasons, Amon would have survived and joined up with Zaheed and his group to end the power structure, with Amon seeing BENDING as the power structure, while Zaheed and his forces see it as just government in general.

I also feel like Amon benefits from the fact that you can view him multiple ways, which benefits discussion. Kuvira is too much of a Mao figure or fascist for anyone to really say she was justified. Zaheer is so awesome that a lot of fans pretty much agree he was correct but just a prick about it. Amon, by contrast is someone you think was speaking to a real problem in Republic City or was completely fucking stupid and blaming benders the same way someone might blame Jews.

Is there any point to Equalism or is it just nonsense populist fascism?

You can have this discussion.

Honestly, one of my biggest issues with Amon is we never really get what his deal is. He hates Bending and wants to get rid of it. Okay, why? What does he blame Bending and how did he come to the conclusion that it is to blame for everything in his life? Yes he was abused as a child but the last scene we see of him as a teenager has him ranting to his father about being weak and then ranting to his brother about being weak and then... He's leading a revolution to destroy all Bending?

It's not that this is an impossible conclusion to reach and we're never really told if he believes what he is saying or if it's just nonsense. Characters BELIEVE he's telling the truth but we're never told from HIM!!!

We needed a moment with Amon where he is just talking, normally, to someone about what he thinks and believes because I think so many people think Amon is the best of the villains is because he has few to no smaller moments. It's all grand speeches and awesome fight scenes with even his origin story being presented as this great tragedy.

Personally I think Kuvira and Zaheer are more engaging villains because we're given moments where we just sit down and talk with them and get to know them. Even if it's just them setting a trap we get the sense that they are being sincere because they are explaining themselves to both the characters and the viewers.

Honestly something I'm including in my rewrite is a moment where Amon has a talk with Asami. He knows she's close to Korra and is convinced to Hiroshi to try and persuaded her to see the Benders for the monsters they are. Unlike his confrontations with Korra or his speeches to his supporters or enemies Amon talks to Asami more like a normal person with him being more friendly and personal. He doesn't threaten her or harm her, he just talks, even showing an interest he has in art or writing.

Asami would see through this because while she wants equality for non-benders he is taking things to far and is hurting people for the crime of being alive.

I think the idea Amon is presenting is an interesting one because it's a sibling idea to the oppression of Mutants over in X-Men and the Mage/Templar Rivalry in Dragon Age but with a twist. In both DA and X these series have the "Normal" people in power oppressing, claiming their dangers and can only cause harm to those without powers.

Avatar is interesting because people with powers are already free and enjoy equal rights and as far as we've seen are not treated as anything better then those without powers.

In the end Amon is just an angry bitter old man looking for a scapegoat to help prove to him and others that there's this one problem in the world and if we were to just get rid of it everything would be perfect forever with zero problems and everyone would get to play black jack with hookers.

I actually rather disagree. It's very clear from his backstory WHY he would hate bending. His father heavily abused him THROUGH bending, FOR bending, and constantly used it as an example of why its okay to abuse others. Their should be some irony that his father was a bender no more while Amon is potentially the greatest bender of all time after the Avatar, but it feels like Amon is very self loathing of what his power is. The reason he's against bending is because look at what his own brother became, and what his father was. Absolute power corrupts, and bending is absolute power, so he must destroy it. The triad oppress non benders, the council is all benders, the Avatar can do whatever because they can bend, Amon's point is made clear without him saying it. I really do legit believe he belives in every word he said as Amon and never told a lie outside of his backstory and he's a non bender.

[CharlesPhipps]

Honestly, one of my biggest issues with Amon is we never really get what his deal is. He hates Bending and wants to get rid of it. Okay, why? What does he blame Bending and how did he come to the conclusion that it is to blame for everything in his life? Yes he was abused as a child but the last scene we see of him as a teenager has him ranting to his father about being weak and then ranting to his brother about being weak and then... He's leading a revolution to destroy all Bending?

It's not that this is an impossible conclusion to reach and we're never really told if he believes what he is saying or if it's just nonsense. Characters BELIEVE he's telling the truth but we're never told from HIM!!!

I mean there's also the fact that a lot of fans keep assuming Amon had a point when I am of the fandom that points out, "all our heroes are benders and the show isn't going to say that elemental magic is a bad thing." Amon hates benders because he was abused by a bender supremacist who compensated for losing his bending by trying to turn his kids into super benders.

Ironically, Aang may have been wrong to lobotimize his dad because it clearly destroyed him.