Animator shares details about a shocking death scene removed from the latest Avatar film.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender debuted on Paramount Plus this weekend, and fans are likely still absorbing the series’ first new animated feature in over a decade. The film delivers a packed 99 minutes, reuniting us with Aang and Team Avatar while connecting the narratives of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. One standout aspect of the film is its impressive action animation, which would have been even more intense had a certain deleted scene remained.

**Spoilers ahead for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender.**

Animator Tom Barkel, who contributed to Avatar Aang, recently shared an unused animatic—a rough version of a scene using animated storyboards—and it’s quite intense. If you’re sensitive to spoilers or don’t want to see your favorite characters face extreme violence, consider this your warning. Although Barkel has since removed the post, fans managed to save the video.

This sequence presents an alternate take on the battle between Tagah and Team Avatar as Aang retrieves Sonam’s staff. In the final cut, Tagah betrays Aang’s allies, destroys their airship, and then attacks Katara. After Katara holds him off, Toph, Zuko, and Sokka join the fray. Despite being outnumbered, Tagah overpowers them with powerful gusts of wind that leave them incapacitated. Later, it’s revealed that Tagah’s attacks actually killed them, forcing Katara to resurrect her friends using water imbued with spiritual properties.

While Barkel’s version maintains the same outcome (the villain wins), it portrays Tagah’s brutality in a much more graphic manner, making it clear that he has killed Aang’s friends. Tagah fights with a palpable rage, delivering blows that cause his opponents to cough up blood before they collapse with lifeless eyes. The pacing allows both Aang’s friends and the audience to fully grasp the horror of each death, particularly the unsettling moment when Tagah executes Sokka in front of Katara. As one commenter pointed out, Tagah seems to target the Gaang based on their backgrounds, focusing on Toph and Zuko due to their nations’ histories with his people.

It’s worth noting that in both versions of the scene, these characters cannot canonically die, as Avatar Aang serves as a prequel to The Legend of Korra, where Aang’s friends are either alive or pass away much later. Nonetheless, Barkel’s take on the scene offers a compelling—and quite uncomfortable—glimpse into how this confrontation could have unfolded.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is now available for streaming.

Avatar Legends is a fantastic fighting game—unless you’re going it alone.