The Legend of Korra/WMG/Jossed

For theories about other subjects, see The Legend Of Korra Wild Mass Guessing Index.

Republic City is a reformed Ba Sing Se
After the war King Kuei decides to take a more active role in ruling the Earth Kingdom and decided to make a few changes to how the city was run. One of those changes included allowing the city to become a melting pot. The name was changed because the irony of having a melting pot city with the word "impenetrable" would have caused the universe to implode.
 * The promo image shows that Republic City surrounded by mountains with water running through at least a portion of the city. While Ba Sing Se is pretty large, it wasn't situated in a mountainous region nor had a water channel through it. Republic City being Ba Sing Se is unlikely at best.
 * A lot of waterbenders and earthbenders can change that relatively easily.
 * Yeah, but you know what city is surrounded by mountains? Omashu.
 * And you know what didn't have a water channel going through it? Omashu. In all seriousness the one picture they've shown is a piece of concept art that included an island on a lake with mountains in the distance. Omashu is incredibly isolated surrounded on all sides by several mountains and a seemingly bottomless crevice.
 * You know what, the overall geography looks more than a bit like the scene of Ozai's battle with Aang. That may be a spot picked for a treaty city....
 * Jossed: Republic City and the United Republic of Nations of which it is capital are founded in the former Fire Nation Colonies. Republic City is located on the shore of the sea, far from Omashu and Ba Sing Se.

The last portrait of Toph reveals that she aged into a female Bumi.

 * It's too crazy NOT to happen.
 * Please, no. Turning a Little Miss Snarker Cute Bruiser into Gonk would be disastrous, not crazy.
 * I am so glad that i am not the only one to think that it would be great to see Toph be like that. When they first announced the series, I had immediately imagined that Toph could possibly be the type to be like King Bumi: old and somewhat crazy, but incredibly badass (not to mention earthbender) despite their age. I also imagined that she could be the type to be living as a hermit up in a mountainous cave somewhere, where she can practice earthbending to her heart's content, if only just to be played for laughs.
 * Jossed. A portrait of Toph appears in the room in which Lin is interrogating Korra during the first episode. She looks relatively normal.
 * But that statue of Toph is not from her older years, but maybe in her mid-20s to mid-30s. It gives no clue of what she looked like as an old lady.

As of this series, Sokka is still alive and is the Grandmaster of the Order of the White Lotus.

 * And even if he's not alive - the original cast being dead is Word of God? - then some reference/flashback will be made to him having joined and led the Order at some point, finally following up on the significance of Piandao giving him the White Lotus piece in 'Sokka's Master'. But I definitely agree with the above WMG that he became a swordmaster; Badass Normal that like Piandao can hold his own amongst benders, no question.
 * Jossed in episode one. Sokka's dead.

Korra is the granddaughter of Tom Tom and Baby Hope.
After growing up Tom Tom became the Fire Nation ambassador to Ba Sing Se, where he meets Hope and they fall in love. They have children and one of them travels to the Southern Water Tribe and goes native. He/She marries Sokka's son/daughter and raises the kids as water tribe. The avatar spirit says "close enough" when reincarnating and becomes their child, despite the mixed heritage. Coincidentally this allows Korra to master water, earth, and fire bending with ease but will make air bending next to impossible.
 * No, both of her parents were pretty much southern Water Tribe; no evidence of either of them being of that mixed union.

Republic City is what happened to the Northern Air Temple.
It makes sense that the center of technological development would continue where the Machinist set up shop to begin with. And the landscape certainly is mountainous.
 * The Northern Air temple is not near any water.
 * But it is near a lot of snow. maybe they artificially heated the mountain to make the place more liveable?
 * Jossed.

Tenzin is an airbender that doesn't know airbending.
All we know is that he's Aang and Katara's son and that Korra is seeking him out for training in airbending. No one ever said he was an airbender let alone an airbending master. My theory is that Aang died before he could teach Tenzin airbending leaving Katara to raise him alone. Without his father there to teach him, Tenzin's natural airbending prowess went to waste. In shame, he ran away from home to try and learn on his own but only fell into depression as he was unable to carry out his father's legacy. Now a middle aged cactus juicer, he and Korra must find another way to learn airbending together.
 * Jossed. He knew enough to teach his kids. And he's got the master's tats.

Tenzin will be hostile towards Korra...
...because he has serious abandonment issues with his father. As the Avatar, Aang wasn't home much as he tried to heal the world after war. Because of that, Tenzin felt left out as a child and has no tangible memories of his father who died when he was young. His relationship with Korra will help him deal with Aang both as the Avatar and as his father.
 * Jossed. He's trying his hardest to hold together Republic City, his father's dream, as best he can after Aang died.

Korra will be more modern than Airbender.
Korra takes place 100 years after the original, and the world seems to be evolving steadily when it comes to technology. One hundred years after Steampunk would be...CyberPunk.
 * Jossed: Korra is apparently full-on Steampunk, instead of the proto-Steampunk of Airbender. And it's only 70 years.

Everyone but Aang and Iroh are Alive.
So I guess the fact that Gran-Gran and Pakku will be dead goes without saying eh?
 * And Jeong Jeong and Bumi and Hakoda and I'm just gonna stop now
 * Jossed they are all dead
 * Double jossed.
 * Forget that, this is jossed by the fact that it's stated as hyperbole with the expectation that everyone but the two mentioned were alive:

Korra is not the true Avatar, and there's a reason why
What I mean is that she has all the powers of the Avatar (being able to bend all four elements), but for some mysterious reason (that we'll probably learn as the series progresses) she's still not the true/pure Avatar in the sense of being the spiritual bridge between the Spirit World and the Physical World as well as other spiritual traits the Avatar has. This can also mean that Korra has never connected with any spirits, or possibly has never experienced being in the Avatar State. As minor evidence, in the first episode it shows Korra as a little girl with incredible power for her age, and the White Lotus stated that Korra is too focused on the physical side and not the spiritual side. The entire situation, if true, could prove to be a huge part of the story of the series and expand on it. Thus, Korra's true goal in the series is to actually become the Avatar. "White Lotus Member: The Avatar must master both."
 * What the-? Jossed by virtue of the Avatar being the only living human being able to bend all four elements. She is the Avatar; however, like Aang in the first series, she is not a fully-realized Avatar. There's a difference between the two. For Aang, it was the fact that he didn't have mastery over the elements. For Korra, it's her lack of spirituality that also prevents her from Airbending.


 * Don't Joss this just yet. This is something more than just becoming a realized Avatar or following the Avatar world logic. What I'm trying to say is that some sort of event occurred around or before the time the series started that completely prevents Korra from ever connecting to the spiritual side. She's not just an unrealized Avatar, she's not the Avatar at all (but still has the physical powers of the Avatar), and there's a reason why. This WMG could slightly be pointed towards the WMG above that stated something is wrong about Korra's status as the Avatar.
 * There's also the fact that the last Avatar we have to compare her to is Aang, who was one of the most spiritual Avatars for a long time, as he was an Air Nomad and lived a highly spiritual life. Of course he connects to that side easily, even compared to his Airbending predecessor Yangchen, he put his spirituality as his first priority when it came to making harder decisions. Korra takes a different route, the more physical route. Whereas Aang would rather avoid conflict altogether or find a reasonably peaceful settlement, Korra would punch and kick the conflict to the curb. The Last Airbender (and Legend of Korra, it seems) show that while these are both options for a solution to the problem at hand, they're not perfect and failproof, and both Aang and Korra have to deal with antagonists who won't bend to their normal methods for settling conflict. Not sure what is meant by Korra not being the "true Avatar" and that the path to becoming the true Avatar means learning to connect to her spirituality, because in the end that sounds a lot like Korra becoming a fully-realized Avatar. One does not just become the Avatar; the kid is born with it and learns to take on that role once again in this next life.
 * Definitely Jossed as of episode eight. Korra's visions of the past are thought of to be spiritual in nature by Tenzin, as a message from Aang to Korra. Episode nine shows her trying to connect to her spirituality in order to communicate with him. She's the Avatar, just not a fully-realized one, yet.
 * Here's a possible reason: after Azula killed Aang but before Katara revived him, a Water Tribe baby was born who had the spiritual aspects of the Avatar but not the bending aspects. He/she was never discovered, perhaps because no one believed they had a connection to the Avatar Spirit since they could not bend anything other than water (or perhaps anything at all), and is supposed to find Korra, as guided by Aang and the other past Avatars, to rectify the situation.
 * Perhaps in a style similar to Yue giving up her life so the Moon Spirit could live.
 * Alternatively, this baby grows up to be Amon. He's bitter because he has the spiritual aspects of the Avatar but could never bend. (See Amon theories)

Meelo is the third great-grandchild of Katara that Aunt Wu prophesied about.
Of course, this theory operates under the assumption that Aunt Wu's prediction came true. Now, TLK takes place 70 years after TLA. With Korra being around 16, this means that Aang must have died sometime around 54 years after TLA. Katara could have died around then as well, so I'll use 54 years as a benchmark. In TLA, marriageable age has been stated to be around 16. (This is based on Princess Yue being ready to be betrothed at 16.) So for me, it makes sense that people in the Avatar world have children around 20 years old. However, for sake of argument, I'll have Aang and Katara have Tenzin (or some other child, but for argument's sake it will be Tenzin) 10 years after TLA ended. 20 years after that, Tenzin could have his own child (Kid A), and 20 years after that Kid A could have Kid B. For those of you keeping track, we are now 50 years after the end of TLA, and Katara's first great-grandchild has been born. Kid A could technically have two more kids after that, Kid C two years after Kid B, and Meelo 2 years after Kid C. This puts us at 54 years after TLA has ended. With this guess, that makes Meelo slightly older than Korra, and has him ready to train with her under his grandfather Tenzin.
 * Jossed at SDCC 2011: Meelo is actually Tenzin's son.

"Wei Bei" is actually "Wei Beifong".

 * Chief Beifong, a character prominent enough that she merited a spot next to Tenzin on the rough draft of the 2011 SDCC's Korra poster, is the mysterious Wei Bei from the VA list released months ago. The "Fong" was left off in order to avoid spoiling the fandom ahead of SDCC 2011. Further, one of the possible characters for "Wei" is ?, which translates to "rose". This would maintain the Beifong tradition of the girls being named after flowers; Wei's grandmother would be Poppy, and Toph's name was sometimes translated in-series as "Supported Lotus."
 * It's already been confirmed that Chief Beifong's first name is "Lin". So possibly jossed?

Aang's kid somehow is young.
He should be in his mid forties at least but knowing this series...Plus a bunch of teenagers with some older guy?
 * Tell that to Iroh.
 * He was only around Zuko most of the time, not the entire gang and we didn't see him as much as them.
 * See the WMG above about the swapping of roles. Maybe he'll only be around Korra teaching her airbending, or maybe he's the Cool Old Guy and pulls it off without looking awkward. The creators have already proved Status Quo is Not God with the gender issue, why not the generation divide?
 * You're assuming that Korra will have a "Gaang" of her own. With only a 12-episode mini series, they're going to have to have characters focused on the plot. There will be a number of characters, but I don't see them going the Gaang route again, with so few actual episodes.
 * She does have a Gaang, it's herself, Mako, Bolin, Naga (the polar bear dog) and Bolin's fire ferret that has a name which I forgot. Also, the amount of episodes was expanded to 26.
 * Seems to be Jossed. JK Simmons doesn't have a little kid voice.
 * Definitely Jossed as of SDCC. He has a beard.
 * And three children, with a fourth on the way.

Tenzin is hiding out in Republic City because
He couldn't handle the pressure of being the Avatar's son. People might have expected him to be brilliant bender like both of his parents but he might not've been that great. He ended up with an inferiority complex and he left. And maybe he'll be a lazy, pretty boy who acts like a ditz so no one will expect too much from him. He'll be very reluctant to train Korra and part of Korra's challenge will boosting his self-esteem enough so he'll drop the act and train her.
 * Hmmm... That would make a great two-part pilot plot!!
 * Probably jossed. Tenzin's a grown man with a beard already teaching airbending to his three children.
 * Definitely jossed. He's an authority figure and counsel man in Republic City, struggling to keep its order after it has fallen out of balance.

Tenzin was married to someone else before Pema. Asami is their daughter.
Tenzin married young, but his first wife died in childbirth, continuing the franchise's long tradition of absent/dead mothers. Tenzin raised Asami on his own until he met Pema. Once Asami came of age and gained mastery of airbending, she left Republic City to give her father and stepmother the space to live their own lives.
 * Jossed. Asami is the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, the inventor of Satomobiles and a Self-Made Man.
 * He did have a love interest before Pema, though, so the first part of this might still be true. Somehow.

Tenzin and Lin Beifong are Platonic Life Partners.
They knew each other since they were kids, and are pretty close buddies as a result. Maybe they dated when they younger, but it didn't work out.
 * Jossed, at least based on the first episode. They seem to have a coldly cooperative relationship, forced by their positions as an ambassador and the police chief.

Korra will use blue fire
When questioned about it by one of her peers, she gets a look of terror on her face and mumbles that she really doesn't want to talk about it.
 * What?
 * I guess this WMG implies it will eventually be revealed she's related to Azula...
 * Or better yet, Azula taught Korra how to firebend and then died right before the series starts. She could have faked a Heel Face Turn and agreed to teach the new avatar and try to corrupt her in the process. Azula fails and tried to kill Korra instead, only to get killed by Korra in the attempt.
 * Even with her apparent attitude problem, I doubt even Korra would intentionally murder someone.....personally, I'd rather the Heel Face Turn be genuine and not faked, since otherwise Azula is a horribly static character to the very end.
 * Heck, even if Azula's face turn in genuine odds are she would lean toward Training From Hell.
 * Jossed. The promo video shows her flinging plain ol' red-orange fire about.

Korra will reveal her Avatar-ness to the City in the middle of a Pro Bending match.
In the course of the match, Mako and Bolin get taken out. With the odds stacked so heavily against her, she busts out her full repertoire including Firebending and Earthbending in addition to the Waterbending she was using before the Bros got KO'd. And it will be epic.
 * This may or may not end badly for her, however. Having the Avatar on your side during a bending-based sporting event is a pretty unfair advantage, and Korra's team may be disqualified as a result.
 * Jossed. She reveals her Avatar status, on a small scale, anyway, during her clash with the Triad members. She officially announces her moving to Republic City and her status as the Avatar in a public press conference. She does participate in Pro-bending matches, but not until the second episode, at least.
 * Funnily enough, this sort of happens in the second episode anyways, probably because she was dressed in all of the Pro-Bending gear, so no one in the audience could tell who she was until she ended up using earthbending after playing as a waterbender. Mako and Bolin also were unaware of her identity until she nearly spelt it out for them. Looks like not everyone reads the papers.

The Air Nomads will play an antagonistic role in this series.
A radical sect of the Nomads, who still harbor great revenge for the genocide by the Fire Nation, slowly grows into fruition. They'll believe that Aang's "no killing" policy to be pathetic and the reason that the previous generation died out, so they'll use more aggressive methods (air blades, soundbending, cyclones ravaging villages).
 * Jossed The villains will be non benders.
 * Says who? All that's been confirmed is that Korra will have to deal with "rampant crime and an anti-bender revolt." The chances are that even without airbending Korra could deal with both of those threats pretty handily (barring character-related obstacles) unless there were benders involved. There were multiple villains in A:TLA, so there will likely be multiple villains in this show, both benders and non-benders. That being said, the chances of a whole "radical sect of Nomads" coming into fruition under Aang's watch, or even in the decade and a half between his death and the time of this show, are very small. Does that mean there definitely won't be a radical airbender out for revenge? Of course not.
 * Unless a sect of air nomads somehow survived the war, this seems very unlikely.
 * Violent revolt like what the Equalists will be doing is so antithetical to the Air Nomad philosophy, it would be jossed on that point alone.

The Big Bad is a nonbending descendant of Long Feng, who is voiced by Clancy Brown and is bald.
Just so we can have a villain that's both a Mythology Gag and Actor Allusion. And his name will be suspiciously similar to Luthor.
 * The name, at least, has been jossed - his/her name is Amon.
 * And he's voiced by Steve Blum.

Similar to the guess above, Aang died young because the big bad assassinated him, and the anti-bending revolt was only flared up by the event.
In the beginning only a few non-benders were really considered anti-benders. One of them, the Big Bad, was pretty much a cross between Azula and Karl Marx, who saw Aang and his energy bending powers as a threat to society and as a power he did not deserve. So to alleviate this threat, he drugged the near-geriatric Avatar and killed him brutally with non-bending weapons. The show actually begins on morning the body is found, where a press release explains that Aang was assassinated and reminiscing on his accomplishments, finishing with a world-wide day of mourning. Any non-bender, anti-bending or not, suddenly become scapegoats for his death, which in turn causes more anti-benders to join due to the persecution. The end result is a world-wide civil war between benders and non-benders which Korra must end. It would also add a touch of irony, since Aang had to maintain peace through fighting, which he did not enjoy, while Korra must avoid engaging either side in conflict, lest the tensions escalate.
 * Jossed - his lifespan was just worn down after being in the iceberg.

Korra will be voiced by Kevin Conroy.
The staff got a bunch of Batman jokes immediately after they pitched the series to Nickelodeon. They quickly got sick of the whole thing and asked the same man who played the role in Batman: The Animated Series to audition, hoping that everyone would shut up. It quickly backfired, as Kevin Conroy was so good at the role he was immediately hired. And yes, he will use the Batman voice.
 * While beyond insane, I must tip my hat to you at the sheer AWESOME this would be!
 * See the "Be as Batman" WMG above.
 * Jossed, obviously.

Aang and Katara's other children names
Gyatso and Kya.
 * Hmmmm. On one hand, it doesn’t fit with Tenzin, who isn't named after anyone they know (as far as we know at least). But on the other hand, if those are the names, I’d be willing to consider it a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming... Heartwarming it is!
 * Well, I have a theory that Gyatso was only a last name and his full name was Tenzin Gyatso, cause where else would the name Tenzin come from? He would most likely name ONE of his sons after Gyatso, wouldn't he?
 * Half jossed, half-confirmed. Their names are Bumi and Kya.

Victoria Justice will voice Korra
Nickelodeon certainly does love to flaunt their leading ladies, so why not as the voice to one of their most successful franchises?
 * Her voice would be pretty good for an action girl.
 * Ah, nope. Apparently, Janet Varney will be voicing her. But still. She got a nice voice.
 * She does sound like Justice, though.
 * Liz Gillies would have made a fantastic Korra.

Amon will be voiced by Tim Curry.
There's no logic to this, I just think it'd be funny to see Amon and Korra in a scene together, with Tim Curry doing what he does best and making Korra uncomfortable.
 * Nope, Steve Blum.

Going along the idea of the above, TENZIN will be voiced by Kevin Conroy.
If Tenzin is a middle aged, crotchety Jerk Ass Mentor who believes in Training From Hell times a gajillion, this could work.
 * And he will use the "Old Bruce" voice from Batman Beyond.
 * Jossed. He's just a guy who hates superheros, but that's not too far off.

Appa will be revealed as a female through a flashback or mentioning
The unused idea from the ending was a "Your Tomcat Is Pregnant" type of deal. If more air bison appear, they should reference it. Now how did Appa have children? Maybe the air bisons gestation period is just that long or maybe it gave birth sometime offscreen.
 * She would still need a man and it is unlikely Appa was pregnant, he did not show any signs of it.
 * Appa could have gotten pregnant just before Aang and Appa were trapped in the iceberg. And Appa was pretty big; maybe he's already so huge no one noticed.
 * The African Elephant is less massive than a sky bison (Appa is often described as "ten tons", and elephants max out at about that but are usually quite a bit smaller), and has a gestation period of nearly two years. If Appa conceived shortly before Aang disappeared, it could be months or years before anyone noticed.
 * Many problems:
 * Appa has done fighting, she would think of her kids before fighting.
 * If it was her first litter, she may not have developed maternal protectiveness - the females of some domesticated species will abandon or even kill their first litter because they grew up among humans and don't know how to care for babies of their own species.
 * He was said to be a guy in the show.
 * Does anyone know how to accurately sex a sky bison? The Your Tomcat Is Pregnant trope exists for a reason.
 * Given the implication that the Air Nomads had been breeding and raising air bison for quite some time, one would think they'd have been able to figure that out.
 * Some species females can fertilize their own eggs. Who knows what kind of species made Appa?
 * Possibly Jossed, or at least rendered unnecessary. Apparently Aang finds a wild herd of sky bison at some point between series. Appa probably mated with one of the wild bison, so there's no need for "female Appa already pregnant" to happen.

Aang was The Last Airbender
So no one can teach Korra that; two more reincarnations and we'll have the last Avatar, right?
 * Jossed. Aang was the Last Airbender during the first series. But now that's he's procreated with Katara and begat Tenzin, who's been stated as Korra's Airbending teacher, then it's safe to say the Airbending's been passed on to the next generation.
 * Moreover, Tenzin might not be Aang and Katara's only child, and Tenzin might have children of his own by the time the story begins. There's certainly a possibility for two or more Airbenders in the series. I find it pretty funny that Aang is going to go from The Last Airbender to The First Airbender as the Avatar timeline progresses.
 * Confirmed that Tenzin has three kids and all three of them are Airbenders.

Avatar Korra will be as Batman.
Because of the anti-bending sentiment in Republic City, Korra and Tenzin will have to hide their bending, or at least restrict it to certain districts in the city. Thus, Korra will have to don a mask and fight crime by night. Her identity as Avatar will be a closely-guarded secret.
 * In true Batman fashion, she will, in her daytime persona, fall in love with a higher-up in the anti-Bender movement, without knowing who it is.
 * Right premise, different continuity. Tenzin will be the original one trying to clean up Republic City...but he's so old he can't do it alone...still doesn't stop him from being a Badass Grandpa.
 * Jossed. Everyone knows she's the Avatar, though she does seem to go undercover in civilian clothes at one of Amon's rallies.

Each episode will be half length (12 - 15 minutes in length), and it will end with a one hour special

 * Obviously Jossed.

Amon is Jet or a descendant of Jet
First of all, I know that Word of God has said that Jet is dead. But given that they said that before The Legend of Korra was announced, they might Retcon it. According to the comic that takes place in between shows, Smellerbee and Longshot survived the collapse of Lake Laogai, and they wouldn't leave their leader behind. Jet was brainwashed by the Dai-Li, and due to this along with being hit in the head by a fucking rock, his hatred of firebenders may have been extended to a hatred of benders in general. Given the fact that it's unlikely that Jet would still be alive, it could be Jet's son. If he did survive the collapse, he could have raised the boy to hate benders. Given Jet's probable death in the collapse along with his The Casanova tendencies, he could have fathered a child before his death, and the mother raised the boy in his fathers image
 * it could have been Smellerbee.
 * Word of God confirms that Jet did indeed die in Lake Laogai.

Korra will encounter Hybrid benders.
Under Aang and Zuko's leadership, the nations start to blend together and mix their cultures. This mixing of cultures spawns benders with traits from more than one nation, allowing them to bend two or more elements. For example a bender raised by a fire nation mother and earth kingdom father would be able to bend fire and earth. Tenzin is the first Hybrid bender but will hide his waterbending ability because only the Avatar is supposed to bend multiple elements. With Republic City being a melting pot of all the world's cultures, it will spawn "false avatars" which have cultural traits of all four nations and bend all four elements, but not with the efficiency that a true avatar can wield them.
 * Also, they obviously won't be able to go into Avatar State.
 * This was Jossed by Bryke when the original show came out: Only the Avatar can bend multiple elements. I highly doubt that they'd go and change those rules now.
 * While the idea of anyone save the Avatar bending multiple elements has been jossed, there could well be something in the notion of interaction between different cultures allowing for different bending styles within the separate elements. We've already seen it with Iroh and lightening-redirection. He understood the strengths and weaknesses of all four elements and used one discipline - from the Water Tribes - to his advantage. So, a differing WMG could be that the joint influences of Zuko and Aang (and importantly their associates are from all over the place and of many different backgrounds) have spread in the four nations and their respective bending disciplines to the extent that they are influenced by one another. The possibility and advantages of this can be seen in Aang's experience with multiple elements. For example, it took the control of earth for him to manage restraint over fire, but it was his misunderstanding of its origins which in part prevented him from taking up firebending for some time.
 * Don't forget Mako and Bolin. It seems Bryke made the brothers benders of different elements to illustrate that only the Avatar can bend multiple elements.

Korra is Tenzin's daughter.
She took after her grandmother (in terms of bending (well, at least the first of her bending, anyways)), and her mother could possibly be from a Water Tribe.
 * So that would make Aang (wait for it)... his own grandfather.
 * No.

Two of the three people visiting Korra when she is a child are related to the Gaang.
As seen in a couple of the pictures here, two men and a woman go to see if Korra is the next avatar. The man with glasses looks an awful lot like Tenzin's early design, and he looks even more like that when he is older; I speculate he is Tenzin's brother. The chick could possibly be Tenzin's sister or Sokka and Suki's daughter since she looks like an older Water Tribe version of Suki... and I got nothing on the short, fat guy; maybe he's Sokka and Suki's son.
 * They seem a little old to be Gaang descendants, though. Tenzin and Chief Beifong appear a lot younger than the three as-yet-nameless White Lotus members. And
 * Tenzin looks pretty old, too. Maybe Aang and Katara had kids at a young age. And maybe that old short guy isn't Katara's son.
 * Jossed because of this recently released character chart.

Korra will quit trying to learn airbending for a while.
She has always excelled at the other elements, and she has a hard time with the spiritual aspect of bending (proof from the leaked clip), and airbending is all about being spiritual. After trying and trying but not being able to even conjure up a light breeze, she'll throw a tantrum and decide she doesn't need airbending. Then she will be defeated in battle by Amon, suck up her pride and finally master airbending.
 * Somewhat confirmed, somewhat jossed. Korra did say she didn't need airbending in the middle of an argument with Tenzin, but she apologized by the end of the episode and is back to learning airbending.

Korra will not end up in a love triangle with Mako and Bolin.
Bryke have said that TLOK is going to have "cheesy teen romance", and it's pretty much a given that the main characters are therefore going to be dragged into drama. However, the currently fandom-accepted theory is that there is going to be a love triangle between the Krew. This is not going to happen. Bryke have proven themselves to be major trolls when it comes to shipping. It seems rather... unlike them to hint at a love triangle and then introduce Korra's companions as a pair of brothers when they KNOW this fandom is going to start the shipping immediately, as many fans have. (Despite, y'know, not knowing a damn thing about the characters. Come on, people.) Having Korra choose between the brothers seems too obvious for such master shipper trolls. My money's on the cheesy romance being between Korra and a character with a more minor role, or ONE of the brothers at most.
 * Alternatively, if the relationship is between Korra and Mako, it will NOT be some kind of Zutara expy. Bryke are good at writing realistic relationships between like characters (Katara and Aang are both idealists who want to help people, Sokka and Suki bonded through warrior training and are both good leaders, Mai and Zuko can understand each other's parental issues and emo outlook...) IF Korra and Mako fall in love, it will be because they enjoy spending time with each other and can connect on more levels then "fire + water = awesome" or "omg we're both hot let's make out." Bryke isn't going to slap a steambaby on them to placate fans who think they owe the fandom "a real love story this time."
 * Actually, Mako kind of pings my gaydar.
 * First WMG is Jossed. Korra has a crush on Mako while Bolin is very interested in Korra. In fact, episode five is dedicated to focusing on this love triangle and the strain it puts on the Fire Ferrets as a team. Bryke has no mercy for the shippers, let's leave it at that...

Sokka is Amon

 * Isn't it a bit curious that alone out of the Gaang, his fate is virtually unknown?
 * Actually, aren't the fates of MOST of the Gaang a mystery? By that logic, Amon could be any one of them.
 * Katara confirmed Sokka dead in the very first episode.

Amon will be voiced by Dante Basco.
He is in fact the Zuko-related character Basco referred to. Why else would Amon's VA not be listed? Since Basco already partially spilled the beans, confirming that Basco is in fact Amon would spoil too much.
 * Basco implied that his role is pretty minor, though. Amon is shaping up to be a major character.
 * Also, Steve Blum says hi.

Bending will be extremely rare in Republic City.
And not just because of the anti-bending sentiments. Because the cultures are mixed and possibly diluted by each other, benders wont align themselves with an element at an early age. This would significantly decrease the amount of benders within the city.
 * As an alternate theory, the mixing of the different benders in one city could cause children to be able to bend elements different from the ones their parents bend, since they are exposed to the other cultures and bending forms. Some sources state that Word of God says that the ability to bend is genetic, but WHICH element the person bends is based on spirituality.
 * Jossed. Bending is quite common in Republic City - it's even a popular pro-sport.

Korra is a badass loner who wants little to do with Tenzin
Especially if he's older then her.
 * Jossed. She's chompin' at the bit to start her Airbending training.
 * She also seems to view Tenzin as an Honorary Uncle of sorts. Which doesn't stop her from bugging him.

Korra will be faceless.
Koh did say they would meet again, and we haven't seen her face (if there is one), so who's to say she isn't faceless?
 * Jossed

Reformed!Azula will teach Korra firebending.
I read this theory somewhere on Deviant ART. You have to admit... it'd be awesome. Her teaching style would be Toph-ish.
 * See "Korra will use blue fire" theory above. Still awesome though.
 * Jossed. Looks like her instructor was nobody special

Republic City is a Sign that the Earth Kingdom has Fallen
Republics are characterized by that they don't have a king, right? After the war, the Earth King was missing and presumed dead, so the Dai Li took back control of the Earth Kingdom, but without the King as a figurehead.
 * Or he was just an incompetent ruler kept in power by the avatar, and whose subjects rebelled the minute Aang died.
 * Jossed by the interim comic explaining how the Republic came into being.

Korra has a non-bending twin sister who will take over the anti-bending revolt.
Just to make the situation more personal.
 * Or at least a non-bending relative of some sort.
 * No Siblings, so Jossed

Tenzin will be a bitter, hard-ass, cigar smoking, 50-something old man because.
Bear with me. He resented being the Avatar's son and being expected to be a brilliant bender like both his parents. While his older water-bending sister become a politician in Republic City. And his lazy younger brother with three illegitimate kids uses Aang's fading fame to pick up chicks, he just wanted to have simple family down at the south pole. But the early at the time unknown anti-bending movement kidnaps Tenzin's pregnant wife keeps her alive long enough to have the baby, dumps her dead body at the south pole for Aang and Tenzin to find and keep the baby air-bending girl to raise as their own. Years later Tenzin grudgingly trains Korra and later bonds. When they encounter the anti-bender's secret weapon,The dubbed “Artificial Avatar,” a steam-punk cyborg air-bending woman who kills people by stealing the air from lungs. Now Tenzin is torn between helping his substitute daughter Korra defeat the anti-bending movement by stopping their greatest weapon or save his violent corrupted first daughter from destroying herself. I know it's too dark for a kids show, it's just a idea.
 * ...What...the...fuck.
 * Sorry to burst your bubble but there isn't even a slightest chance that this can happen ever.
 * Are you kidding me? That sounds... Maybe it's just my dark sense of the world, but I would watch that. That sounds amazing! Way too dark for a kid's show, yes, but Wooo! That sounds like a perfect anime story. Make it. Please. GRAAAHHHH! It"s amazingly dark and really scary but WOW!!
 * You want to write a story about it, please be my guest.
 * We already know that manipulating things inside a persons body is extremely difficult. Other wise waterbenders would be the uncontested rulers of the world (Oh dear the rabble are revolting again, would you be a dear and rip/freeze/boil the fluid in any parts of their body?). So at the very least, the anti-bender is going to need another tactic.
 * This story concept is awesome. As much as like Tenzin's characterization as it is, I seriously like this.
 * Jossed. Tenzin is a family man, a little strict but not a cigar-smoking, eye-patch wearing badass with a dead wife to avenge.

Tenzin knows the airbending moves, but that doesn't make him an actual airbender.
You can learn the physical moves, but that doesn't mean you can shoot out wind.
 * Jossed.

To go along with the top: Korra will be the daughter of an interracial couple
Reading that last line of a "'familiar' Fire Nation/Water Tribe couple", Korra's parents will be as such, and not just a person from the Fire Nation and the other from the Water Tribe. They will actually be benders, and the decision to live at either the Southern Water Tribe or the Fire Nation fell on "the element Korra shows signs of bending". Which makes sense, as Korra will need to learn how to bend said element (though the Southern Tribe was picked over the Northern Tribe because it was either the home of the waterbending parent or it was a place of preference since Katara came from there, and Katara may still be alive and living there to be Korra's waterbending teacher.) This WMG can work as a reason for Korra being a fully realized Avatar (remember, all she needs to learn is Air). At first she'll think that, with a firebending dad (or mom) she can bend fire and water (as a little kid she can be misinformed in that way). Her friends would tell her that she's talking crazy, so she'll try to prove it by messing with a fire pit. She ends up accidentally making the fire so big, at first gleeful that she can firebend, but lacking the control to actually maintain it she almost burns a house down. It alerts the whole tribe as they move to put it out. Korra would be scrutinized by her friends at first, and their worried parents as well, and she would think of herself as a freak because bending more than one element would be unnatural. Her parents would also be accused for having an unnatural bender for a child, which leads to the tribe elders (or whoever reveals the identity of the Avatar in the Southern Tribe) that Korra is the next Avatar. While a bit earlier than planned, it would be because it was bad form to keep Korra under the delusion that she is different and a 'freak'. To prevent a similar incident Korra is taught firebending simultaneously with waterbending by her firebending parent. Skill and a fast learning ability will then lead her to learn Earth before she set out to learn Air (note that I am aware this is out of the usual order, though it may be due to the paranoia that Korra might accidentally set fire to something else if she doesn't at least learn control. If anything her firebending dad/mom could teach her how to control it, and she goes to the Fire Nation to learn how to bend effectively from one of the best. Insert the Zuko descendant/Dante Basco character WMGs here.)

Until Aang changed things, interracial marriages and unions were illegal.
Which is why there were no canon, interracial children in A:TLA. Then Aang fell in love with Katara, and convinced the world to change this law so that they could be together, explaining the sudden abundance of interracial kids in A:TLOK.
 * I'm not really sure about that. People from the water tribe lived in very secluded areas, air nomads were extinct, and people from the earth kingdom probably wouldn't be in the mood to marry fire nation soldiers. So, I'd say it was not quite illegal but rather something that simply wouldn't have happened. On the other hand, though, the Gaang got away with claiming they were from the colonies, which implies that in such places, interracial relationships did occur. Perhaps it was also common before the war, with the possible exclusion of the secluded water tribes. But I wouldn't be sure about that either, given the existence of the swamp benders.
 * Just the same, there doesn't seem to be an "abundance" of interracial couples throughout the world, only in the main setting, the United Republic of Nations with its capitol Republic City. There is obviously a mix of people of all nationalities living together and there happen to be many couples whose members are from different nations. It just seems like there's an abundance because Korra is centered in this setting, so we're going to see lots of characters of mixed marriage and mixed heritage.
 * Just the same, there doesn't seem to be an "abundance" of interracial couples throughout the world, only in the main setting, the United Republic of Nations with its capitol Republic City. There is obviously a mix of people of all nationalities living together and there happen to be many couples whose members are from different nations. It just seems like there's an abundance because Korra is centered in this setting, so we're going to see lots of characters of mixed marriage and mixed heritage.

The "MY CABBAGES" guy's successor will be...
A "MY RADISHES!" guy. Why? Because 'cabbages' and 'radishes' sound similar, that's why!
 * The character will wear a bandana, have a radish wheelbarrow, and double as a villain in the night. Duh.
 * Davos Seaworth
 * Jossed by new information from the Republic City game stating "(...)Cabbage Corp created the cabbage car, a lower cost compact car." So no radishes.

There will be no love triangle, but everyone will THINK there is.
For example (not necessarily the actual pairings): Mako likes Korra, but thinks she likes Bolin. Korra likes Mako, but thinks he likes Asami. Bolin likes Asami, but thinks she likes Mako. Asami like's Bolin, but thinks he likes Korra.

Then it will all come out in the most hilarious way possible.....in the middle of a battle.
 * I think Mako looking at Asami like this points to him liking her, but this is an interesting idea.
 * Like I said, not necessarily these pairings, but the scenario would be hilarious.
 * Jossed

There will be no love interests in the series
I can't see any romance happening, plus why would it? I see strong friendships, but that's it. Maybe a passing romance that ends in a bad way, or unrequited feelings, but nothing much.
 * It's been mentioned that teen LoveTriangles are apparently Author Appeal, and we know from the last series that they are fond of screwing around with the shippers so... I don't know. There will probably be some romance, but who knows if it will go anywhere.
 * I think this qualifies as Jossed by now.

The Pro-Bending tournament will never be completed...
...Because at some point the Equalists will attack it.
 * That sounds plausible to me. From some of the trailers, it looks like Amon and his cronies attack the pro-bending arena, Tahno is captured (how?), and Lin Beifong saves the day. And then, because their rival is captured or de-bended, they decide to post-pone the tournament until Korra defeats Amon.
 * It's also possible that this attack forces Korra to put pro-bending to the side as she realizes she needs to spend more time taking care of Amon.
 * Jossed. While Amon does attack the pro-bending arena,

The "Amon scares the crap out of Korra" scene goes a little something like this.
Near the end of the third episode, Korra has successfully stopped Amon's scheme for the day. Back on Air Temple Island, she's given congratulations by Tenzin and his kids (maybe Tenzin berates her a little bit for any property damage or general rule breaking she commmited, but it's ultimately congratulatory) and they leave the scene. Korra spends a beat or two feeling proud of herself, when Equalists capture her and drag her to a secluded area on the island. Amon disables her with chi-blocking and threatens her, taunting her about the titular revelation and maybe revealing that the whole scheme was a planon his part. Before he can do anything more to Korra, Tenzin and some White Lotus guards arrive, forcing the Equalists to retreat. Korra freaks out and starts crying, leading Tenzin to comfort her and restate just how dangerous the Equalists are. It ultimately ends on a hopeful note, as Korra promises to take down Amon.
 * Jossed.

"The Spirit Of Competition" involves a literal Spirit of Competition.
He (or she, gender really doesn't matter) is a humorous Boisterous Bruiser character obsessed with sports, and gets involved with the Fire Ferrets due to the upcoming pro-bending tournament. S/he'd serve two purposes: first, provide a much-needed breather after two pretty dark and heavy Equalist episodes, and help move along the pro-bending and "spirits helping Amon" subplots. Like say, at the end of the episode, Korra asks him/her about any possible connection Amon could have to the Spirit World, and the Spirit will say something like, "First I've heard of it. Tell you what, I'll ask around and see if I can find anything."
 * Jossed.

Mako and Asami are already dating at the start of the series.
When Korra makes her move on Mako, she'll be shocked when he confesses to already having a girlfriend. They keep their relationship secret for a couple reasons. Asami is the scion to a major industrialist fortune, Mako is a rising sports star, and the press would never leave them alone if they caught wind of their relationship. Furthermore, they're both very private people who lead public lives, and compartmentalizing comes easily to them.
 * Related Theory: The trailer scene with Korra bawling into Tenzin's chest might have more to do with her heart getting stomped on by Mako than any sense of peril (In the trailer, Tenzin's "It's okay to be scared" seems as overdubbed as Korra's post gate destruction "whoops")
 * Both theories are Jossed. While Korra is shocked about Mako and Asami's relationship in "A Voice in the Night", Mako and Asami weren't dating for long and Korra doesn't cry over it.

Amon is Tenzin's old lover before Pema.
Because that would be hilariously unexpected.
 * Alternatively, Amon could be the illegitimate child of Tenzin and his old lover, and Tenzin's lover never told him that they had a son. It would explain how Amon can energybend (he's somehow inherited the ability from his grandfather Aang). The parental abandonment issues would also give him a Freudian Excuse for resenting Benders, sort of like how Voldemort hates Muggles because his Muggle dad abandoned him. The mask hides his strong resemblance to Tenzin and/or Aang.
 * Jossed, It was Lin Bein Fong.

We will meet Firelord Wang Fire
He's Zuko's son or grandson, and hates the name, but it was given to him by his Honorary Uncle Sokka.
 * There will be much snickering, I bet.
 * Either that, or we just found out how Sokka died.
 * Can I just say I love this fandom?
 * Jossed. Zuko abdicated to be a wandering ambassador and gave the throne to his daughter.
 * Fire Lord Sapphire Fire?

Asami is working for Amon.
The person who gave the loan to Hiroshi was a man working for Amon. After seeing to it that his investment has paid off, Amon sends his men to demand Hiroshi to funnel money to help him fund his forces (picture the inventor and the son with the glider in that air temple). Unfortunately, Hiroshi is not home, but his wife is there. Amon's men threaten the mother, but she refuses to give in because she knows that Hiroshi would not want the hard-earned money her husband has worked so hard for to be used for an organization such as this. Amon's men ruthlessly kill her. Meanwhile, Asami has been watching this whole scene from her hiding place. She rushes out and begs the men not to hurt her father the same way. She tells them she would do anything to keep him safe. So she unwillingly becomes part of Amon's organization. She funnels money to them pretending it is from her extravagant spending and she trains under the watch of the organization. Years pass and now Asami is one of his elite. She is also one of his most loyal because of the consequences she would face if she wasn't. Her meeting with Mako is planned. Amon wants her to become close with the Avatar and/or her friends. Either turn her friends against her or manipulate her or both. She lives with this guilt while she does all this manipulation. Eventually, Korra and the Krew find out and help her. She is free of her guilt and apologizes profusely. The Krew forgive her and have a kick-ass non-bender join them.

Asami is gonna be a Double Agent for the Krew
Seeing how her profile says she's very skilled in self-defense and driving, she can help blend in with the Equalists and gather info on Amon's plans for Korra.

An alternate Asami is an Equalist theory.
Basically, this troper thinks at this point that an Equalist Asami is more interesting than a non-Equalist Asami, so let's take this premise and see where we can go with it.
 * Given that the setting is The Roaring Twenties, it makes sense that the Equalists represents the radical political parties that popped up during that period. Asami will be the equivalent of the young, intelligent and idealistic person who would join and become active in these movements.
 * On the other hand, she may or may not have a personal reason to join as well (since everyone is Batman, it's possible a bender killed her Missing Mom).
 * It's entirely possible she would keep her identity as an Equalist hidden from her father (this troper thinks he seems honest).
 * The reason she's romancing Mako is as a Mata Hari ploy to spy on the Avatar and her companions.
 * She'll may also turn out to be a chi-blocker, possibly even one of the chi-blockers that fought Korra and Mako from Episode 3 (making her a Chekhov's Gunman, and a retroactive major threat).
 * Viewers will compare her to Azula (bonus points if she says she's a people person), though unlike Azula she will be a genuine Well-Intentioned Extremist and therefore a more sympathetic character.
 * Also, she may decide to pull a Heel Face Turn if Amon turns out to be too much of an Extremist or is actually manipulating the Equalists for his own ends.
 * Asami doesn't know she's an Equalist because brainwashing/hypnosis was involved.

Both Satos are completely innocent.
Equalists may have infiltrated Future Industries and even climbed up the corporate ladder. Having that much access to blueprints for future models may explain their fancy tech.
 * Jossed, Hiroshi wasn't so innocent after all.

Asami will turn out to be some kind of Femme Fatale or even evil.
Just look at her, it's like someone was going by the Femme Fatale looks checklist. And she seems suspicious somehow.
 * Now that she's come in the show, this has been jossed, unless you're applying Ron the Death Eater.
 * She may be suspicious because her design is based on (or at least very similar to) Lust.

The plot of "When Extremes Meet" and the following episodes:
A lot of exciting things happened in the last few episodes and the plot has changed drastically. Here are a few ideas of where the series will go next:
 * An episode entirely focused on Lin tracking down Amon and dealing with a few triad members along the way. Several flashbacks feature Toph and young Lin learning metalbending and such. It would play out similarly to Zuko Alone.
 * And in a cruel twist, it turns out it was just as a flashback episode and it cues to Amon debending Lin Beifong, who has a single tear falling from her eye and drop down to the floor. This will act as the primary motivation for Korra to level grind her training knowing that Amon is going to target the innocent benders rather soon.
 * A Bolin-specific episode full of personal reflection and quite a bit of Angst offset by Meelo messing around with Pabu in the background. The concepts behind the chakras are re-introduced and their purpose in the average bender and even nonbender's life is extrapolated on. Potential for a Borra moment are high.
 * An episode centering around a misunderstanding between The air kids, Korra, Mako and Asami. Ikki and Jinora at first rejoice at Mako's arrival at the island, only to fizzle at the sight of "that shallow, prissy rich girl" in tow. Seeing as Korra needs help they will spend the episode trying to break Mako and Asami up, potentially also staging moments between him and Korra. Naturally this leads to fighting between the three and Korra finally admitting to the girls, the shippers and herself that Makorra is just not meant to be. Just then Amon shows up and tries to take away the girl's bending, but Korra goes into the Avatar state and owns Amon and anyone he was stupid enough to bring with. When Korra comes back, both girls are momentarily speechless; then Jinora mutters something about "chakras" and "detachment" and promptly faints.
 * A Zuko episode. He has every reason to come to Republic City and meet with the current Avatar, what with the whole "Madman now harnessing a power used by his old friend to take away his father's bending, bringing chaos to a city he specifically helped to create to restore balance in another chaotic time-period" thing going on. Besides, there's a lot of potential for his Firelord daughter and any grandkids as far as not-crazy female firebending characters go in this series. It's practically uncharted territory!
 * "Out of the Past" seems like a good candidate for this.
 * Any combination of these. They're very compatible, especially the two middle ones. When was the last time we had an A plot, B plot episode of Avatar?
 * The second and third one don't seem likely, unless they are used as B plots. With only 13 episodes per season, there isn't much room for the sort of breather episodes AtLA had; so far, every episode of TLoK has driven the plot forward in major ways. Personally, I think it's a bit sad that TLoK has scrapped the looser structure and the rotating group of writers of AtLA, as it provided the earlier series with more variety in storytelling. Episodes like "Avatar Day", "Tales of Ba Sing Se", or "The Painted Lady" may not have driven the main plot forward, but they fleshed out the characters nicely, and had plenty of fun and touching moments. I'd love to see something like the Bolin-specific episode you describe in TLoK.
 * The "Extremes" could also apply to the fact airbending was the total opposite to Korra. This could be her breakthrough episode and pulls off a major airbending for the first time. Or the meeting of extremes is her communicating with Aang the first time and realize how different their ideals are when he drops in his personal opinion on how she should handle Amon.
 * Well yeah. It has been awhile since they adressed air in Book Air, hasn't it? However, I have a feeling they might be saving Aang and the spirit world for the season finale, or if they do show either one before hand it'll be briefly and hardly as the focus of an episode. Blink-and-you'll-miss-it flashbacks, anyone?

Tarrlok and Amon are working together; Tarrlok killed Toph, Sokka, and Aang; and Amon is the man on trial in the flashbacks
In a flashback Korra has in episode 8 we see Tarrlok at the trial of an infamous criminal. It also shows that the crowd is suffering from a blood bender attack. As it is yet to be explained what happened to said individual on trial it can be assumed that he escaped while the Gaang and the police were occupied by Tarrlok. After killing Toph and Sokka and incapacitating Aang, Tarrlok goes to follow him. After coming to and giving chase to Tarrlok, Aang is ambushed and killed. As in the flashback it can be assumed that Tarrlok is some king of lawyer he could easily move to fill to power vacuum he made in the Council. The man at the trial owes Tarrlok a debt and must stay anonymous and so assumes the identity of Amon. The two collaborate to increase the instability of the city and weaken it's infrastructure to facilitate a take over by Tarrlok in the name of public safety.
 * But Aang died at 66 because of his poor health stemming from being frozen for a century. He was around 41 during the Yakone flashbacks. It's possible Toph and/or Sokka were killed during this time. Also, Tarrlok wasn't yet born during these flashbacks, though it's very possible that he's a relative of Yakone/flashback man.

The Original Gaang Will Have Little If Any Mention.
The writers won't cater to the expectant fans and they won't try to milk the first series like some sort of cash cow. They will focus on the new characters and make the story about them, not about the Gaang. Sure there will definitely be mentions of people from the earlier show -- they ended a century-long war, there is absolutely no way they will be forgotten -- but Legend of Korra will still be about Korra and her Krew, not Aang and his Gaang.
 * We are not calling it that.
 * We just might, i like the sound of it.
 * What about the Korralition?
 * Nice, but probably too prone to misspellings. "Krew" is also pithier.

Katara and Toph will be still be alive and the dual grandmasters of the White Lotus.
And Katara will have an Eyepatch of Power because it would be awesome.
 * And Toph will have two eye-patches because she finds it hilarious.
 * Half jossed, half confirmed. Katara is alive, though it's unclear if she's a member of the White Lotus. While not directly stated, Toph is heavily implied to be dead.

Pema will go into labor in Episode 8.
Tenzin and the kids will be anxious about Pema, and the newly settled-in Krew will spend the episode trying to reassure them that things will work out OK. In the process, they (and we the viewers) we learn a little more about the Air Nomads, something which has gone by the wayside since Episode 2 ended. After the darkness of Episodes 6-7, the baby's birth will be used to brighten up the show before we plunge into the finale. It could also work as a way to touch on bender/non-bender divide, with the Tenzin-Pema marriage and how each of them have different wishes for their next child, with maybe a teeny-tiny nod to how Mako and Asami's relationship parallels theirs.
 * And a nice call back to Avatar: The Last Airbender episode "The Serpents Pass".
 * Jossed after the screening of Episode 8.

Korra isn't the avatar
Her father is half Earth Nation half Water Tribe, her mother is half Fire Nation half Water Tribe. Korra has some sort of mutation allowing her to bend all three, Explaining why she cant air bent at all! Somewhere in the Foggy Swamp the real Avatar is blissfully unaware.
 * But how would it explain the ?
 * That would also unleash the kind of fan backlash that would make "Midichloreans" and Mass Effect 3 seem tame that the creators would not want to risk trolling the fans over especially after the issue of trying to sell the show with a heroine to begin with. "Guess what guys, Korra's not the real hero of the show, it's some wetneck in Foggy Swamp, isn't that funny?!"

The brothers will have a younger sibling that they're working to put through school.
With pro-bending cash, or odd jobs on side, or some combination of them, the brothers will be trying to help their parents send their younger, third sibling to secondary school and eventually university. As there isn't state funding or student loans in this 1920-esq setting, the money has to come out of the family's pocket. This will also drive the Krew to win the big tournament for its prize money.
 * Not quite as likely now, with the revelation that Mako and Bolin grew up as Street Urchins. No parents around to have another younger sibling to take care of. They grew up supporting each other, though, if that counts for anything.

Crack Asami-Is-Still-The-Mole-Theory
Remember when Zuko did not do a Heel Face Turn at the end of Season 2, creating Epileptic Trees that he really was faking it the whole time?

What if the same thing is happened in "The Aftermath"? "It's all part of the plan."
 * More than plausible, if you ask me. It's a little TOO convenient that Asami knows martial arts well enough to defend herself against Equalists, who have proven formidable even against Benders, not to mention that even though it's now established she is an amazing driver that she still ran Mako over in her debut episode. Could have been on purpose to get an excuse for her to "make up" for it and lead to the whole relationship. Then she supposedly has "nowhere to go" because of opposing her father and ends up in the inner sanctum of Amon's worst enemy. Very convenient indeed...
 * Asami knowing martial arts makes perfect sense. She said that her father made her take lessons so that she would never be defenseless. After what happened to his wife, I can see why.
 * Also, being a skilled driver in a car doesn't mean you won't hit someone with a moped when they walk in front of you in the road.
 * Mako didn't just walk; he was at least at a jogging pace, he was hidden from oncoming traffic by a parked truck, the road had at least four lanes, and it was fairly busy. Asami's driving skills or lack thereof have no bearing if Mako was just being Too Dumb to Live.
 * Possible alternate theory: She is The Mole for awhile, but the sweet, lovable personalities of Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo make her rethink if she wants to serve the Equalists because that means getting innocent children involved in the anti-bending war.
 * I WANNA MARRY this theory! Especially since there has to be an Equalist at some point who pulls a Heel Face Turn. Not to mention that it has parallels with Zuko/Ozai: son/daughter works for father, but a mentor and friends(Iroh/Tenzin and the Gaang/Team Avatar and Tenzin's kids) cause his/her conscience to get the better of him/her and make him/her join the Avatar as an ally.
 * The post below kills this immediately. But besides that, why can't the Equalist who turns face eventually be Hiroshi himself or even someone we haven't seen yet?
 * This theory is largely debunked via logic elsewhere in the WMGs: Essentially... Why would Lieutenant and Hiroshi sacrifice having bagged a Councilman and the only master airbender, the chief of police, several metalbender policemen, the Avatar herself, and a bonus pair of street punk benders, just to maintain Asami's cover?

Amon is Tenzin
1) In "Welcome to Republic City", Tenzin tried to prevent or delay Korra from going to Republic City in the first place, knowing that her presence would undermine the Equalist revolt- or at least cause them to "accelerate their plans".

2) Tenzin, as the only Airbending master, has never taught Korra Airbending, and tried to avoid having to teach her Airbending by confining her to the Southern Water Tribe. Only a fully realised Avatar overcomes their greatest mortal adversary- c.f. Aang and Ozai, Roku and Sozin, Kyoshi and Chin the Conqueror. Amon/Tenzin has nothing to fear from an unrealisedd Avatar.

3) Korra's lack of success with Airbending is, accordingly, a result of Tenzin's (deliberately) poor teaching, as she claims in a fit of anger, and even Meelo jokes about, in "A Leaf in the Wind".

4) Planning to assault the Pro-Bending arena, Amon/Tenzin attempts to keep Korra away from Pro-Bending, knowing her intervention in his assault could result in a messy battle and disrupt his plans.

5) In "A Voice in the Night" Tenzin/Amon speaks out against Tarrlock's plan for an anti-Equalist task force for obvious reasons, and tries to keep the Avatar out of this task force for equally obvious reasons- she would be a potentially dangerous adversary.

6) Tenzin is first on the scene after Amon attacks Korra and indeed arrives almost instantly.

7) Although Lin Bei Fong fully recovered from the Equalist electroshock attack in "And the Winner Is...", we don't see Tenzin during that fight. Why not? A master Airbender ought to be able to significantly tip the balance against Amon. Because he is Amon, it was all part of the act. The Equalist who attacked Tenzin kept his cover by giving him a reduced voltage, allowing him to feign collapse, sneak below the arena, and put on the mask. Note that Amon/Tenzin did not appear until late in the battle. We have never seen both of them in the same scene at the same time.

8) Amon can Energybend, or something pretty similar. Bending depends on a mixture of spirituality and genetics, Energybending being no exception. Energybending is the most spiritual bending art, closely followed by Airbending. Other than the highly spiritual Airbending master child of the last know Energybender, who else could it possibly be?

9) Amon's fluid fighting style could very well be adapted Airbending, a la the Blue Spirt/Zuko's adapted Firbending. They roughly match in height/build/age/voice etc etc.

10)Motive? Probably not enough is revealed yet to figure it out, undoubtedly something to do with Korra's flashbacks. Power in the city council, maybe? It will become clearer late season. But it would be a gut punch twist that only Avatar could pull off in an animated show.


 * Tenzin is still unconscious in the stands when Amon appears on the pro-bending stage. (And the Amon on stage can't be an imposter, since he was able to spiritbend the Wolfbats.) He regains consciousness at the same time as Amon and his crew are being airlifted out, just before the explosion. Unless he can be in two places at once, it isn't logistically possible for Tenzin to be Amon.
 * Oh please. Jossed BIG Time!

Amon is Lin Beifong
Amon's motives, stopping crime in Republic City, match hers, and. Her motives may mirror those of Avatar Kyoshi (setting up an all powerful police-force) because she resented what she saw as Avatar Aang's passive approach to justice. She also may resent her mother's boisterous, freewheeling approach to life and bending (Her own mother was a lawbreaker! Disgusting!) Whether Lin got them through an accident or through other means, a small part of Amon's story may be true... Lin does have those tiny scars... Alternately, Amon is a loose cannon cop who didn't play by the rules. He decided to go rogue, preferring vigilanteism than working with the system.
 * Jossed in episode 6, they're in the same place at the same time.

Amon is Hiroshi Sato
A wealthy, non-bending industrialist like Hiroshi would have the means to fund a criminal organization like the Equalists, and also a good reason to hide his face even from his own men. And why does Hiroshi want to put non-benders in charge of the United Republic? A few reasons. Because he sees the power of science and industry in leveling the playing field between benders and non-benders. Because he's rich and wants to get richer by removing benders as competition to his industry. Mostly though, it's because he wants to leave his daughter Asami a transformed world that recognizes an existing truth -- the United Republic has become its own culture and society, distinct from the other nations that supposedly constitute it, and rejecting benders, who are and always will be tied to their elemental nation, is the only way to prove to the world that their nation is its own creature.
 * I approve of this theory.
 * This theory is not supported by provided imagery or voice list of the characters. Steve Blum and Daniel Dae Kim sound nothing alike, and also, Amon certainly doesn't look tubby like Mr. Sato.
 * Furthermore, Asami likes pro-bending. It would be kinda weird for his own daughter to be into that if he is an Equalist, unless she's going to matches behind his back.
 * Alternate Theory: Hiroshi Sato either is now, or will eventually become a major financial backer or publicizer of the Equalist movement. Like Henry Ford's historical backing of infamous antisemitic periodical The Dearborn Independent Sato will likewise foment anti-bender sentiment and promote the Equalist cause through side-projects, either without Asami's knowledge (wishing to shield her from the ideological war he's waging), or convert to the cause over time, prompting a deep, public rift between father and daughter, and culminating with one disowning the other. Sato may justify his actions through a deep denial of the Equalists' violent proclivities, or justify the Equalists violent acts as reactions to bender oppression. Either way he'll become an Unwitting Pawn.
 * Second alt theory: Sato was originally part of the Equalist movement earlier on, but then discovered that the group isn't about elevating nonbenders to the status equal to benders, but tearing benders down. Being a bootstrappy guy himself, he found the group's turn to be antithetical to his beliefs and left.
 * Really crazy alt theory: Amon is Asami Sato. Her mother was killed by benders when she was very young, so she plays the Rich Idiot With No Day Job heiress who loves pro bending, has a Crash Into Hello with Mako to get close to someone who's close to the Avatar, and disguises her voice when she puts on the mask. Hey, Amon is Dangerously Genre Savvy, so who knows if he's actually averting Villains Never Lie.
 * Amon can't be Hiroshi, for the simple reason that Hiroshi clearly is shorter and stouter than he is. Unless you want to imagine him in lifter shoes and a corset under that robe...
 * But you're all close. Hiroshi turned out to be The Dragon.

The clock shop that we see get destroyed in the trailer will be this version of the cabbage guy's cart.

 * MY CLOCKS!!!
 * Jossed