Mark Hamill Thought Avatar: The Last Airbender Was ‘Too Smart’ To Be A Success

Avatar: The Last Airbender” owes a lot to “Star Wars” — season 2 “Book Two: Earth” in particular echoes the structure of “The Empire Strikes Back.” That’s what makes the casting of Mark Hamill as the series’ villain, Fire Lord Ozai, a clever tip of the hat.

The man who played the hero of the previous generation now plays the villain for the next.

Though Ozai lacks any shades of gray, Hamill still gets to stretch his vocal range — his performance gives a lot of character to Ozai that isn’t on the page.Hamill debuts in season 1 episode 12 “The Storm” during a flashback, revealing how Ozai scarred and exiled his son Prince Zuko (Dante Basco) all for speaking out of turn.

Hamill continues to make small appearances throughout the first two seasons, but the Fire Lord is always kept in shadow and this mixed with Hamill’s deep, stern voice makes him sound almost demonic.

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