Avengers: Infinity War Review (SPOILER FREE)

Sooo... I went and saw Avengers: Infinity War today!

Wow. That’s all I have to say. Wow. There was so much going on in that movie. Ten years worth of films culminating into one climatic cinematic event. Twenty-three main actors from a span of eighteen movies! 

So how was this spectacular event? 

A couple of my worries going in were that the story would be lame, the movie wouldn’t be able to juggle so many characters, the villain (that had been hinted at since the first Avengers in 2012) would turn into just another “Marvel movie villain” that would fade into the mix, and then the film just wouldn’t live up to all the hype.

Let me just say, all these concerns were put at ease. It was such a good film and so incredibly well-done! Of course, it wasn’t perfect, but I was amazingly satisfied.

Where do I even begin?

The story was very basic. There wasn’t a lot of character development, sitting around and talking about emotions or any of that. It was mostly get from point A to point B, punch people, blow stuff up, get from point B to point C, punch some people, find this person, and so on. Normally, this would be very bothersome, but we don’t need a lot of character development with this movie because of all the previous movies which included all that. We already know these characters! 

The joy was seeing them in new situations and interacting with other characters that they normally wouldn’t interact with. It was like the first Avengers film except on a much grander scale. I remember when that film came out and how stoked everyone was to see Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, etc. who all had their separate movies all coming together into one movie. It was mind-boggling! Now here in Infinity War, it’s like that times ten since so many more films have come out and so many more characters have been introduced.

The team ups in this movie were just incredible! They were hilarious, savage, and all worked surprisingly well together (not to say they all got along, but they had good chemistry). I loved how they all played off one another both in dialogue and in action. Some standout team ups were Thor with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Dr. Strange with Tony Stark. (Also there was one short moment at the end with Rocket and Bucky. Fantastic!)

And everyone stays in character (for the most part. There is one part at the very end I’ve already been hearing people getting very heated and debating over). Their lines, their actions all line up with their dialogue and actions in their own standalone films. I was very satisfied with how each character was portrayed.

I’d like to say everyone gets an equal part through the movie, but that would be lying. Some characters get a slightly bigger role. Only slightly though, that is important to remember. I do think, though, everyone gets a good amount of screen time even if they don’t have a lot of lines. I know that some people will have their favorite character like Black Widow or someone who has a much smaller role compared to Thor or somebody and will get all salty about it, but hey, I don’t think that’s any reason to hate the entire movie.

The action was super intense and well-choreographed. As I said before, the characters play off each other. I love how they use each other’s strengths and work in synch. I’m not sure it was the most impressive Marvel movie as far as action goes (I think that still goes to Captain America: Winter Soldier), but it was up there.

It was also quite funny. Not on the level of Thor: Ragnarok or Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but it had its moments. It was funny mostly because of the characters just being themselves and interacting with things outside of their usual environment. The jokes didn’t land 100% of the time, but the ones that did always got a big laugh. (Sorry, but I have to spoil my favorite joke, so SPOILER): I loved the part when the Guardians and the Avengers meet up and Peter Quill asks “Where’s Gamora?” and Tony says, “I’ll do you one better, who’s Gamora?” and then Drax says, “I’ll do you one even better, why’s Gamora?” Made me laugh so hard!

The other major thing I was concerned about was the villain, Thanos. We first caught a glimpse of him in the after-credits scene in Avengers. Then we also saw him a few other times in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Guardians of the Galaxy. He had been teased at as this mysterious, powerful villain forever. Unfortunately, Marvel has a history of creating really generic, forgettable villains though, so I was a bit wary.

However, I will just say right now that Thanos was a legitimately threatening and memorable villain. I can’t say a whole lot about him without venturing into spoiler territory, but the movie made him such a round character. He wasn’t some bland, predictable, over-the-top bad guy. He was actually a little sympathetic sometimes (but usually you were screaming profanities at him because of all the awful things he was doing). BUT, you could understand his motivation a little bit. That is to say, you could see his reasoning even if you don’t agree. And Josh Brolin has such a presence too. His performance is what really made the character.

Now, being a Marvel fan, I had been speculating along with others about what significant events would be happening in this film (“significant events” meaning deaths). Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything, but let me just say that this movie is dark and emotional. Yes, there are the usual Marvel quips and that upbeat Marvel spirit, but man does it get intense. Plus, it’s only part one of a whole story so it ended quite dramatically. I was pretty close to tearing up several times. This is another reason I’m sure a lot of people didn’t like the film. It had a bit of a different tone than a typical Marvel film, plus, yes, some characters died. 

News flash: major players sometimes have to die in order to set the stakes high and to show great loss. There’s no need to get extremely salty over it and say it’s a horrible movie. It’s called storytelling. Plus, it’s a comic book movie, there’s a chance they might get brought back.

I think maybe the film might’ve been a little over-hyped, but I still think it lived up to most (if not all) of my expectations. I know there are people out there who didn’t like it, but I think those are people who are upset over how dark it was and/or their favorite characters’s deaths. It definitely wasn’t boring. It had an awful lot of stuff in there and it was really long, but never at any point did it feel over-stuffed or too long. In fact, by the end, I was like “wow, that was 2 1/2 hours? Didn’t even notice.” I was thoroughly entertained throughout. In this one, all the characters were pretty separated, but I think in the next one, everyone will come together for a great final battle. 

It references almost every single Marvel movie. So, if you’ve seen them at least once, you will understand what is happening and will probably enjoy it. If you haven’t seen any of the movies, you’ll probably be bored since it’s mostly a plot-based movie.

So in the end, I’d say it was a pretty darn good movie. Not perfect, but still good. 8/10.

My Conversion Story

The Sacred Grove- Palmyra, New York

I wanted to talk about why I am a member of the church. The simple answer to why I am a member of this church is because I believe it’s true. I grew up in the church, my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have all been members. Only now in this current generation have people begun falling away. All my aunts, uncles, grandparents and their siblings are all still active. A lot of my cousins and even one of my siblings have fallen away. 

Non-members believes that church members (or any religious people) are ignorant because they’ve been living in a bubble. They think we’re sort of brainwashed in a way. I can confidently say that is not true, at least for me. I can see why they think that because of all the repetition and shoving things down our throats when we’re young. However, I am not a member just because my ancestors were members. I had to truly find out for myself if I honestly believed these things and it wasn’t just some fantasy a bunch of people “hoped” was true. 

I’ll admit, I wavered back and forth for several years. I had a lot of doubts. I never left the church or anything, but I questioned some stuff. I never had that “burning in the bosom” everyone described when they felt the Spirit. I began wondering if everyone was just making it up because I never felt it. I would get emotional over things sometimes, but I could never pinpoint it as the Spirit. I was just kind of blindly stumbling forward. It’s not to say that I didn’t get promptings or get choked up in meetings sometimes, but my rational mind always came up with some sort of explanation. For example: I just got emotional because I felt sympathy or I thought it was really cool; or that wasn’t a prompting, it was luck. 

I’ve never been very good at identifying the Spirit because I don’t feel it the same way other people do. I’ve learned over time that I don’t get that “burning in the bosom” like most people, but actually, the Spirit speaks to me through rationalization. Unfortunately, I’m already a very rational person so it’s difficult for me to discern when I’m actually being prompted. 

But then, there’s one moment, quite recently actually, where I could not deny the existence of God. 

It was about a year or so ago. I had just finished watching a video about the Book of Mormon and got super “emotional” over it. My rational mind went to work as I began thinking how there was no way the Book of Mormon could be made up. How could Joseph Smith make up something like that? How could he know all those things with a third-grade education? I just was thinking about Moroni and Mormon and all sorts of stuff and was thinking it was all so cool. 

Then, I knelt down for my evening prayer and... you know in JSH how he describes a cloud of darkness overtaking him? That is exactly what it felt like. I remember it so vividly. I couldn’t focus on what I was trying to say no matter how hard I tried. All these horrible thoughts about how the Book of Mormon wasn’t true, how God didn’t exist, and so on flooded into my mind. They weren’t just fleeting thoughts either, they were really convincing ideas and they were consuming me. And they definitely weren’t my own. I felt so awful and empty. I wanted to cry. I just wanted to finish my prayer, but couldn't. I tried to remember how good I had felt only moments before, but to no avail.

But then I remembered what I was doing. I was praying! Even though this voice in my head was telling me God didn’t exist, if there was a chance that He did, surely He would help me, right? So, I plucked up my strength and firmly and desperately asked my Father in Heaven to get rid of these horrible thoughts in my mind. 

I kid you not, no sooner were those words out of my mouth did the darkness instantly evaporate. It was seriously gone in an instant. I could think normally and felt relaxed again. It’s hard to describe. It literally felt like something poisonous had been sucked out of me. 

I can testify without a doubt that Satan was working hard on me that night and when I struggled and called on the Lord, He came and cast him out for me. The Lord has complete power over the Devil, that’s for sure and if we have His light in us, we can too.

I always recall this moment now whenever I find myself doubting anything. That moment was SO clear and SO significant for me. 

One could call it a “sign” which it sort of is. I wouldn’t consider myself a sign-seeker as the Book of Mormon describes them. A sign-seeker is someone who wants some great, miraculous sign to “prove” that there is a God. But God never gives these people signs because according to Ether 12:6, “ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” Sign-seekers don’t have faith first, they want proof first. People only gets signs after they show they already believe. I hope that this incident proves that even though I didn’t have the strongest testimony in the world, it was strong enough to bring this event about.

Like I said, I wavered for a long time, but I can say now without a shadow of a doubt that God is real. If He is real, then pretty much everything else falls into place. People who deny the existence of God are completely blind to what is around them. I marvel at this world and His creations. There is no way all of this stuff just happened. There HAD to be a creator. 

I believe 100% that God is real, that the church is true, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was/is a prophet, that we have a prophet today, that Jesus Christ walked the earth and died for our sins, and everything else. It’s all true! Amen.

Gotham- The Joker's Reveal

This is just going to be a pointless rant full of spoilers for the TV show Gotham (so if you haven’t seen it and intend to, stay away). Also, if you haven’t seen it and don’t care, you really won’t care for this post at all; this is just something I have to get off my chest because I’m just so irritated.

For anyone still sticking around for whatever reason, a little precursor: I have talked about/complained about this show before in previous posts, but I don’t want anyone to think that it’s a bad show because it’s really not. I have never seen a show that so solidly understands its base content (that being the Batman comics). All the characters thus far have a pretty good origin story and development. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some stupid moments and lame story arcs. However, overall, I’ve liked all the characters that have been brought into the show for the most part. The current season has been by far the strongest. 

HOWEVER... as the season reaches its end, I have to say I’m suspecting I might actually witness the first character origin that I don’t approve of... and that is the birth of the Joker. I know, right!? The Joker is not only one of my favorite villains in all fiction, but he is one of the most iconic villains ever written. And stupid Gotham is going to go mess it up! 

Let me explain... I’ve been really looking forward to Gotham’s version of the Joker for a long time because he’s been hinted at since season one. A kid named Jerome Valeska was introduced and he was so obviously going to be the future Joker, it was ridiculous. He was so good, right from the get-go, he blew everyone away! I mean, just look at his first scene:

But then the writers of the show began hinting that Jerome would be an “inspiration” for the future Joker. For real now? I mean, Jerome had already been in several episodes and totally was killing it! And suddenly the writers are saying that he’s not going to actually be the Joker? (You can read my full rant in THIS POST). The show sort of seemed to be going in that direction for a little bit when Jerome died and a cult began following him after his death, mimicking his laugh and crimes. But then, the show made a turnaround and brought Jerome back. His face became deranged and a demented smile became permanently scarred onto his face. It really looked like he was headed towards becoming the Joker after that. All he needed was a purple suit and green hair.

So then in this latest season, the writers stated that the Joker would finally be officially introduced. Jerome was slapping Joker cards around, he was making SO MANY references to the original comics (like “you are so incorrigible...or is that me? I can never remember.”), he got a fancy suit (though it wasn’t purple yet), he even used Joker Venom! It was just looking so inevitable that he was going to be the Joker!

But then the photos leaked. Photos leaked of Cameron Monaghan (the guy who plays Jerome) in full-fledged Joker attire (hat, purple suit, pale skin, everything), but with a catch... his face is completely in tact; no scars or demented smile. At first, one might think that something happened to heal his face; like in the comics, he falls into a chemical vat which is what changes his hair and his skin. Perhaps here, the same thing happens and in the process, his face heals.

Unfortunately, there is a much more stupid explanation... Jerome has a twin brother! Yes, that’s right. Jerome does not become the Joker, his brother does. After all this build up with Jerome, after all his development and all this time we’ve spent with Jerome, we get no pay off. We get to see this other guy whom we’ve seen for only a couple episodes ultimately become the fiercest, craziest, most feared villain in Gotham. How freakin’ dumb!

We as viewers deserve so much better. The Joker as a character deserves so much better than such a lame origin. By adding in a twin brother who drove his brother to madness in a roundabout way adds another layer to Jerome’s complexity, but doesn’t do much for the brother. It certainly makes us see that he is capable of madness, but it only makes us see how much more interesting and complex Jerome is. Just ARGH! Why are they doing this!? 

Two things give me slight comfort: one, Cameron Monaghan will continue to play the part, which is fantastic because he is brilliant! (Though, I kind of feel like it might be different because they’re supposed to be different characters which annoys me). Two, I COULD be wrong. There is the tiniest chance that maybe Jerome will still be the Joker and somehow his scarred face healed through Indian Hill voodoo or whatever. *shrug* I doubt it though.

Whatever. That’s the end of my rant. Like I said, I just had to get it off my chest.

MOVIE REVIEW- Peter Rabbit

I’ve been kinda sick this past week, so I’ve been vegging out in my bed since like Thursday. Today, I was feeling a little better (at least, I didn’t feel like my chest was on fire and my head was going to explode) and I felt like getting out of the apartment. I decided to head to the cheap theater near my apartment and check out Peter Rabbit.

I’ll be honest, when I first saw the trailer for this, I was like “oh, it’s gonna be one of those movies.” You know, high in slapstick, not a lot of plot, aimed directly at kids with a lot of stupid jokes (butt/fart jokes, “modern lingo”, etc.), and more focus on high-paced action/animation to get the kids’s attention than anything else. I was definitely getting like Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks vibes from the trailer. Despite my initial analysis, I still kind of wanted to check it out eventually. I certainly didn’t want to pay full price and I wasn’t even sure if I’d see in in the cheap theater. I just figured I’d get around to it one day. (The one thing I am truly ashamed of is that I am seeing this movie before Black Panther! What have I become?)

Well, today was that day. So, was it the total throwaway kids film I initially thought it would be?

Well... yes and no. 

It definitely had a lot of slapstick and a very simple plot with a sort of convoluted moral and lots of cliches (very “kids movie”-like). However, the jokes were actually a lot more solid than I expected. I wouldn’t quite call them all “sophisticated”, but there were actually some pretty well thought-out jokes in there. They didn’t blindly go for the butt jokes or toilet humor. There were hardly any “modern” references in an effort to “be cool” and “make a connection” with the young crowd. In other words, it wasn’t cringey and dating itself. There were a couple pop culture references, but not a ton and nothing all that cringey or over the top.

To be honest, I expected to chuckle a bit, roll my eyes a lot, and smirk at other parts, then just maybe get one big laugh at one or two points. To my surprise, I was laughing through the majority of it. Like, legitimately laughing out loud (it was really kicking up my cough in the theater). It was definitely on my level of humor (and when I say that, I mean my immature side). It may have been a personal preference, because I’ve always enjoyed slapstick, but the thing with slapstick is that it’s shockingly difficult to get right. It’s more than just falling on your rear and making a funny face, it’s all about  perfect timing and reactions. 

A lot of kids films go for slapstick because its the “easy” humor that most people find funny. But the thing is, they never quite get it right; it’s always so standard and it feels like something is off. It’s just never that funny. 

However, I think that this movie really hit the nail on the head with its physical humor. It really got back to the basics, but they were done in just the right way that it got me almost every time. On the downside, quite often the joke would be repeated so many times that it would stop being funny (for example, Mr. McGregor gets shocked by the electric fence and it's actually really funny, but then it happens again and again and again; and with each time, it sort of looses its humor and gets tiring.)

But as I said earlier, it was more than just the slapstick; a lot of the jokes were legitimately funny. I kept cracking up at the running joke with the rooster crowing in the morning (that was probably my favorite joke in the movie). I also really liked, the other running joke about Mr. McGregor always coming back to life. The thing is with most of the jokes was that you would see a lot of them coming, but they were still funny. 

I also appreciated the little fourth wall breaks where the characters would criticize proper story writing and character development (but that’s just me because that’s what I study).

Of course, there were some dumb moments too, don’t get me wrong, but overall, I found it legitimately hilarious.

But enough on the humor. Was there anything else of merit? Well, it was very aesthetically pleasing. I loved the color pallet of the entire movie. Not to mention the costumes and the sets. I just really liked the look of the film. It makes me want to go to the English countryside now.
I have to talk about how realistic the animation on the rabbits were too. I don't really have much to say except for I was impressed. They weren't super cartoony or anything, they looked like actual anthropomorphic rabbits.

I also thought that the characters were surprisingly well written. The plot was a little convoluted and cliche at times, but I really liked how the characters were written. I liked that the antagonist wasn’t really a “bad guy”, he was just pushed to his limit and did bad things. Then Peter and his friends all had their issues that they had to work through which clashed with Mr. McGregor. They all remained very consistent too which isn’t always seen in kids movies where often times they’ll do weird things out of character in order to fit the plot. I applaud this movie for simple, but still enjoyable characters. 
I really appreciated that the human characters weren't glossed over and one-dimensional like they tend to be in these types of movies. They were actually quite interesting and at times, I was almost more invested in them than the rabbits. I thought Domhnall Gleeson in particular actually did a very good job with his character. He did more than just react to the whacky stuff going on around him, but actually made him interesting (although, why did he hate rabbits so much? It was never really answered.)

Granted, there were a few strange things. Like what was the moral? “Lying and manipulating your loved ones is wrong”? “You need to share your love with others even if you don’t like them”? “Don’t be selfish”? I’m not really sure. 

It had a “liar reveal” story which is always a drag if not done well (and I don’t think it really was here. It wasn’t done badly, but just the fact that it was there was a drag.). 

And could the rabbits talk? If they couldn’t actually talk, then why could they do all those crazy things and understand the humans? I don’t know. It got a little weird and confusing at times, but whatever.

Also, it got really dark at some points. Like SUPER dark. I mean (kinda SPOILER alert? but I think its in the book), you see the old Mr. McGregor straight up murder their dad with a hoe and put him in a pie. Like, dang! And that's not the only moment, there were a couple parts scattered throughout that are just a sudden 180 on the tone of the movie and you're like "holy geez! What am I watching?"

So to sum up, the movie surprised me with how funny it was, I found it quite enjoyable, it was moderately written, there were some weird parts, but overall I thought it was a good watch. It certainly exceeded my expectations (though, to be fair, they were not very high). I don’t regret seeing it and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again (though I probably wouldn’t pay money for it). I could see it becoming one of my guilty pleasure movies like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Kind of stupid and weird, but I find it endearing and hilarious (also based on one of my childhood books). 

In the end, I’d give it a 6.5/10.

TRAILER

Zuko: A Honorable Redemption

I cannot believe it’s taken me this long to talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender because it is seriously one of the best shows ever written. I am not even exaggerating. I have read a lot of books, seen a lot of TV shows, watched a lot of movies, but I have rarely seen a story so flawlessly executed with characters so well-developed, and such extraordinary world-building. Now, the only things I can think of that come close are Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, but all three of these things fall short in some category. Lord of the Rings excels at world-building with all the different cultures, legends, magic, government, even entirely new languages; but it is not exceedingly strong with all its characters (that is to say, some characters get more attention than others and there are just SO MANY that you tend to lose track). Star Wars has excellent world-building and character development, but it tends to be a little inconsistent sometimes and there’s a lot open to interpretation. Harry Potter, in my opinion, is the closest to perfection I have seen when it comes to world-building, character-development, and satisfying conclusions to buildup. It falters slightly at some points when it comes to plot; there are a few things left open or unsatisfied.

However, I have to say that Avatar: The Last Airbender has got to be even better than Harry Potter when it comes to all those things. Now, I am not necessarily saying that it is better than all those books/shows I listed above (because they are all different genres and styles and everyone has their own taste), but I am saying it is a near perfect story with a flawless execution and characters.

I was debating on what exactly I should focus on for this post-- the show as a whole, a specific character, an episode, a particular aspect of the show such as bending-- but then it became very clear. There are lots of interesting and post-worthy things in the show, but easily the most standout thing has to be the character Prince Zuko. If you have seen the show, you’ll know exactly why I’ve decided to focus on him. He is universally agreed upon to be the most compelling character in the series. I have NEVER seen a character arc so amazingly executed as his. I intend to explain why he is so fascinating and how other writers should take note.

First, briefly, for those who are unfamiliar with the show, I will give a quick overview of the plot:

It takes place in a world that revolves around the four elements: water, earth, fire, and air; different nations/tribes/kingdoms are built around each of them. Certain people can control the elements, they’re known as “benders.” But there is only one person in the entire world who can bend all four elements who is known as the Avatar. It is the Avatar’s job to maintain peace, harmony, and balance in the world. Whenever the Avatar dies, they are reborn into the next nation in the cycle (so if they were a water bender, they would become an earth bender next).

The show begins when the Fire Nation attacks the rest of the world and basically dominates every nation in a Nazi-like regime. The Avatar is the only one who can stop them, but he has disappeared.

One day, two kids from the Southern Water Tribe discovers a kid frozen in an ice burg, an air bender, and realize that he is the Avatar. He has been frozen there for the past 100 years. They accompany him around the world as he masters the other elements-- water, earth, and fire-- while avoiding the Fire Nation army who wants to capture him, particularly one banished prince who is out to regain his honor.

And that is just the tip of the ice burg (no pun intended). 

I guess at this point I should put up a SPOILER WARNING if anyone hasn’t seen the show and intends to. Believe me, it is a super intense and well-done show. At first it seems kind of average, but by the time you get like 3/4 through the first season, you’ll realize that there’s a lot more to it than you realized. And it just gets better and better with each episode. The second season is awesome, and the third and final season is just plain EPIC!!!

Anyways, you have been warned, proceed at your own risk.

Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation

I mentioned in the summary above a banished prince from the Fire Nation. That is Zuko. He is by far the most compelling character in the show (and, in my opinion, one of the most compelling characters ever written). I intend to dive into why this is.

A summation of why I think he is so interesting is that he discovers his own honor and respect of everyone around him through great trial and tribulation. He at first thinks that honor is something that can be given to him when in fact that it is something that is earned. Throughout the entire series, beginning with the very first episode, he is on a journey of self-discovery. To add to this, he is very complex and contradicting. On one hand, he is antagonizing towards the heroes of the story, but he also has many attributes that make him sympathetic and relatable, definitely more so than the other antagonists. At the core, he is not evil. His goals simply clash with the protagonists.

He is both a round character and a dynamic character. I have been writing a report for a class about dynamic and round characters, so I’ve been doing a lot of research on the subject. A dynamic character is someone who goes through a major change through the story. This could be a change in his/her personality, a change in his/her outlook on life, a change in his/her overall nature, or they could learn something about themselves, other people, or the world they live in. Dynamic is not the same as round. A rounded character is anyone who has a complex and interesting personality. Round characters are often portrayed as conflicted and contradictory. Even the most minor characters can be round. However, usually the central characters are the dynamic ones because they are most affected by the resolving conflict of the story.

Zuko is both. He has a fleshed-out, fascinating, contradicting personality (in other words, he is a round character). He is also very changed by the story, each choice he makes, everything that happens to him ultimately affects the person he becomes in the end. He is not the same person at the beginning of the series as he is at the end. Most of the main characters in the show are dynamic as well, but none go through such a drastic change as Zuko does. It is such a gradual, natural change too. Every step and every choice he makes is perfect logical and fits his character in that moment.

From the very beginning, he was never a “bad” person, simply misguided and confused. He wants only one thing out of life: to be accepted and to regain his honor. By seeking honor, he is seeking respect. The very definition of honor as defined by Merriam-Webster is “usually merited respect.” This is not a bad thing to want like unlimited power, ruling the world, or any of the other things the other antagonists in the show want. He simply goes about it in the wrong way and is not sure how to actually obtain that “honor.”

By dividing his life into sections, his journey of self-discovery becomes more evident.

1) The Innocent

Zuko was the oldest child and only son of Firelord Ozai, the ruler of the Fire Nation and current instigator of the Hundred Years War throughout the world. As seen in the episode "Zuko Alone" Zuko had a fairly happy childhood with the exception of his sister’s bullying. He was mostly unaware of the extent of his nation’s negative impact on the rest of the world thanks to his mother’s sheltering. He knew there was a war and that his nation was the cause, but he did not know how truly awful it was. Because of this, he grew up happy and even gentle. Then, as a result of this, his father looked down on him next to his much more aggressive sister who was naturally talented at fire bending and strategizing. 

At this time period, the Fire Benders used anger and rage as their primary source of bending and since Zuko was more gentle and caring, bending came as more of a challenge to him. However, as he notes later in life, the fact that he had to struggle made him stronger. It made him a fighter and he never gave up. “I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am” (episode "The Siege of the North, Part 2"). This is part of what makes him so interesting; he constantly gets knocked down, but he always gets back up again.

2) The Fall

After he lost his mother, things began to change. He began to see the world as it really was, but never so clearly as the day when he first entered the war council room as seen in the episode "The Storm." As he entered his teenage years, he decided that as heir to the throne, he needed to know more about the war. His uncle reluctantly allowed him to participate which ultimately led to his fall from grace. While inside, Zuko was outraged by the War General’s plan to use Fire Nation recruits as bait, basically lambs to slaughter, and spoke out against him. 

This disgraceful act led to Zuko being challenged to an Agni Kai (a fire duel). Zuko accepted, assuming he would face the War General. However, as he entered the ring, he found he was facing his father, the Firelord. Shocked and horrified, Zuko begged for forgiveness and mercy, but his father would have none of it. After reprimanding him for his disrespect, weakness, and cowardice, he burned half his face off and then banished him.

This important moment in Zuko’s life shows his humility and love for a cold, cruel father. It also displays what an honorable core he actually has with his gesture of refusing to fight in an effort to pacify his father. However, Zuko is still thinking a little selfishly here because he wants to remain in his comfortable home and not get cast out. 
Of course, the fall is key in any great journey.

3) The Antagonist

The series picks up three years after Zuko’s banishment. He has been tasked with capturing the Avatar and only then will he be accepted back into his father’s court. An impossible task it seems at first until suddenly, Aang (the Avatar) appears out of nowhere in the South Pole. Zuko immediately becomes obsessed with catching him and pursues him all over the world, constantly foiling their plans and getting in the way.

He is completely obsessed with the idea that if he brings back the Avatar, his father will give him back his honor. He has a very mixed up notion that honor is something that can be given and taken away. He feels so disgraced after what happened during the Agni Kai with the Firelord and he thinks his father somehow took away his honor in that moment. Now he believes that only his father can give it back to him; so by doing his will and pleasing him, that is how he can gain it back. Therefore, he is not necessarily trying to be evil or bad, he is only trying to fulfill his own goal so that things can go back to normal. He just wants to be happy again like when he was the Innocent. 

He becomes a very angry and brooding person, living in his own delusion that his father will accept him back and things can go back to normal. His firebending skills grow because of all his growing anger and he becomes an ever-threatening presence to the Avatar and his friends. 

However, underneath all the rage, he is still the same good-hearted, gentle person he was as a youth. This is displayed in a moment when he confronts another fire bender, Commander Zhao in an Agni Kai in the episode "The Southern Air Temple." Zuko defeats him, but spares his life. This shows how determined he is and how much he has grown through the years. He used to struggle with firebending, but has managed to defeat a war general. Also, by sparing his life, it shows how he still values human life and has compassion even on his enemies.

Then, despite Zuko’s mercy, in a fit of anger, Zhao attacks him while his back is turned, but Zuko is saved by his Uncle Iroh. Iroh states plainly “my nephew is more honorable than you.” This quote is a first clue to Zuko’s true personality. He comes across as angsty and antagonizing, but deep down, he has a good heart.

Even later, when he fights with Zhao again in the Northern Water Tribe during the episode "The Siege of the North, Part 2" and Zhao is suddenly attacked by the Ocean Spirit, Zuko forgets the duel and tries to save his life. Throughout the entire season, Zhao has been an even worse antagonist to the heroes than Zuko and has even been an antagonist to Zuko himself (hence why they’re dueling in that moment). He has be grasping for power, cheating, killing without cause, threatening torture, boasting, stealing, and so much more. However, despite all this, Zuko still tries to save his life. This further iterates the point that at the core, Zuko is not a bad person.

4) The Refugee

After Zuko has time and time again failed to capture the Avatar combined with his uncle’s treasonous behavior, Zuko and Iroh become wanted men. Throughout this time, they travel through the Earth Kingdom undercover with other people who have been forced from their homes by the Fire Nation, ultimately settling in Ba Sing Se, the mightiest Earth city. During this time, Zuko goes through a great transformation that is key to the rest of his development.

While living as a refugee, Zuko sees firsthand what his nation’s cruelty has been inflicting upon the rest of the world. Up until this point, he has only been on the one side, seeing from the Fire Nation’s perspective. He also has only had one goal in mind: capture the Avatar. Now he has a secondary goal: avoid the Fire Nation. His humanity really starts to shine through during this time period.

A particular moment is when, for a brief time, he breaks away from his uncle to live on his own in the episode "Zuko Alone." He spends time in an Earth Kingdom town protecting a family from some bully soldiers and bonding with their young son. He nobly stands up against the soldiers and even fights them when they kidnap the boy to “join” the army. However, despite all this, he is instantly rejected once his identity is revealed. All this is important not just to display his sympathetic and human side, but it also gives Zuko a chance to see the great prejudice against the Fire Nation.

Another moment where Zuko’s more tender side is displayed is in the episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" when he and his uncle have settled in Ba Sing Se and a girl asks Zuko on a date. He is forced by his uncle to go and she takes him to her “favorite place”, a fountain where lanterns shine in the water. However, when they get there, the lanterns aren’t lit and she gets really disappointed. Even though he’s supposed to be undercover and in hiding, Zuko takes this opportunity to use his bending to light all the lanterns just to make her happy. If that doesn’t show what a good-hearted person he is deep down, I don’t know what does. It’s just a small thing, but the small things really matter.

Now, for the big important moment. In the episode "Lake Laogai" Zuko is presented with the chance to steal Aang’s flying bison and use it as leverage to capture him. However, with his uncle’s prodding, he decides to set him free instead. This choice comes into such conflict with everything he has stood for for so long that he actually goes through a severe physical reaction as seen in "The Earth King." For so long, the Fire Nation’s morals have been his morals. The Fire Nation would take whatever they could and wiped out entire nations without thought. Even though Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation, up until this point in his life, he still lived a very Fire Nation-like lifestyle. Now, suddenly when confronted with a very critical choice, he made a decision that went against his traditional morals. 

His uncle described this reaction as a metamorphosis. He would emerge a new man; which he does. After he recovers from the sickness, he appears much happier and more content with his new lifestyle. He has gone through a moral transformation, free of his original morality forced upon him by the Fire Nation and his father, now more aware of suffering around him and what true wickedness looks like.

5) The Return

It was not to last though. Even though he went through a moral transformation, he still had to make a transformation of ideals. In the episode "The Crossroads of Destiny" he is tempted by his sister Azula’s offer to return home because he still has the idea that his father can return his honor to him. This is the idea he has been obsessing over since the very first episode (and even before that). He has not yet realized that honor is something you earn for yourself. Thus, he accepts her offer, betrays his uncle, and attacks Aang.

Despite this choice, his moral transformation remains key to the remainder of his character arc. He returns home a different person than when he left. He becomes even more moody and brooding than ever before, nothing ever satisfying him and always feeling restless and uneasy. Even though he gets everything he ever wanted and more-- he is crown prince once again, his father actually talks to him and reveres him as the killer of the Avatar, he has a girlfriend, he fights side-by-side with his sister-- he feels dissatisfied and angry.  

"I'm angry at MYSELF!!!"

It all comes to a head in the episode “The Beach” when his sister and her friends confront him about his moody behavior and ask specifically who he is angry at. It’s not his father, not his uncle, not Azula. He finally breaks down and admits that he is angry at himself. This is an eyeopening moment not just for the audience, but for Zuko. It shows his inner turmoil. He looks at all the mistakes he has made in his life, especially recently, and is tormented by them. He doesn’t know what’s right or wrong anymore and he starts to question everything he thought he knew. It is the moment he really starts to reevaluate his ideals.

To add on to that is when he discovers the truth about his ancestry in the episode "The Avatar and the Firelord"; how he descends from both Firelord Sozin and Avatar Roku. (As a short summary, Firelord Sozin was the Firelord who began the war and Avatar Roku was the Avatar before Aang who tried to stop it, but was killed by Sozin.) 

As Uncle Iroh says of Zuko's lineage, understanding the struggle between his two great-grandfathers can help him better understand the struggle within himself. Evil and good has always been at war inside of him, it is his legacy. It is literally his destiny to find the balance and cleanse the struggle of his ancestors. This further cements his bond to Avatar Aang. Thus, he is further propelled towards joining forces with him. 

6) The Redemption

Then, comes Zuko’s big moment when he finally comes to terms with himself and the world around him. In the episode "The Day of the Black Sun, Part 2" he goes and confronts his father on the day of the solar eclipse (the day when firebending is impossible) and tells him off for basically everything; the war, his abuse of Zuko as a child, his unjust banishment, his warped god complex, and everything. By giving this speech, it is made clear that Zuko has a complete understanding of his past and how it has shaped him into who he is and what he must do. He tells his father that he intends to join the Avatar and help him bring down the Firelord. 

When asked why he doesn’t just kill the Firelord in that moment, Zuko again displays his full understanding of his place in the world by answering that he “knows [his] own destiny.” It is the Avatar’s destiny to kill the Firelord, not Zuko’s. If Zuko were to take out the Firelord, it would be viewed by the world as a son grappling for his father’s power; but if the Avatar were to do it, then it would truly accomplish peace since it is the Avatar’s duty to maintain balance in the world.

Zuko does join the Avatar and after some trial and error concerning trust issues, becomes a valuable ally. However, because of his great transition, his fire bending skills are suddenly shoddy as seen in the episode "The Firebending Masters." Since for so many years, the firebenders have been using hate and rage as the source of their power, Zuko finds himself at a loss for a source of his bending since he is no longer filled with constant anger. This leads to another important moment where he goes with Aang to discover the original source of fire bending. He discovers that fire is not always about destruction and death, but is energy and life. He discovers the true and more powerful source of fire bending which is life within the self. This is such an important moment not just for Zuko, but for the entire Fire Nation. He grows closer to his ultimate destiny to help Aang bring balance back into the world and help get his nation back on the right track.
He helps teach Aang firebending (the last element he has to learn before mastering all the elements) and provides lots of valuable information about the Fire Nation’s inner workings. He does his best to make up for his past mistakes. He finally discovers his own destiny and what role he is supposed to play in the world. He finally understands that he has to earn his own honor and it is not something that is simply given to him. So he does everything in his power to earn everyone’s respect by being the best person he can be.

The last person’s respect he worries about getting is his uncle’s. The one person who stood by him from the very beginning; who loved him and supported him no matter what... And Zuko repaid all that kindness and guidance with a knife in his back. When he finally reunites with him in the episode "Sozin's Comet, Part 2", he expects get rejected, he thinks that his uncle will be angry with him for turning his back on him and making so many wrong choices. However, instead, his uncle forgives him without question. He says that he was never angry with him, but was sad because he thought he had lost his way. Uncle Iroh speaks the audience’s mind when he says he is so proud of Zuko for finding his way all on his own. 

Zuko’s story is so satisfying because it comes into full circle. He ultimately becomes Firelord after his father is defeated in "Sozin's Comet, Part 4." This makes so much sense not just because he is heir to the throne, but because of how much he has learned. He must take charge to mend a broken country and a broken world, scarred after a war that has lasted a hundred years; broken and confused just like he was. By becoming Firelord, he earns the respect of the entire world, in other words he gains honor in the sight of the world. Allow me to reiterate: he is seen as honorable not just by his nation, but the entire world. He goes from disgraced prince at the beginning of the series to revered Firelord by the end. This is everything he ever wanted and more. 

And this is why Zuko is so compelling. He goes through so many ups and downs. He is tempted and tried and even makes a lot of wrong choices, but in the end, he manages to find his way and come out on top. He was confused and lost, but through a long journey of self-discovery, he becomes a better person. A lot of redemption stories have the bad guy start out as legitimately bad with evil intentions, but Zuko is not that at all. He is an antagonist, sure, because he is always getting in the way of the protagonists’s own goals, but his intent is not purely evil. He was never a bad person to begin with; just lost and confused. And aren’t we all like that at some point? I think Zuko is a good example of what we all should be: a fighter. Never give up! Our trials and even our bad decisions will ultimately shape us into who we are meant to be as long as we keep trying to find our way: a great and honorable person.