Is Commander Zhao dead in Avatar: The Last Airbender? Ken Leung weighs in

One more twist came in the form of an epic battle between key characters Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) and Commander Zhao (Ken Leung), with the Commander appearing to meet his demise in a fiery blaze.

Fans will know that's a little different to how things go down in the original Nickelodeon series – but is Zhao actually dead?

We chatted to actor Ken Leung to get his thoughts on that brutal final episode.

Is Commander Zhao dead in Avatar: The Last Airbender? Ken Leung weighs in

It seems so – but there's some ambiguity around Zhao's death.

The final episode sees Zhao telling Zuko that his father Ozai has been using him as motivation for his sister Azula (Lizzy Yu). Zhao reveals how Azula has been his ally throughout his hunt for the Avatar, meaning he could always be one step ahead of Zuko.

As Zhao tells him: "You were the fire in which her iron was forged," Zuko loses control, using his firebending powers to blast Zhao away from him. As Zhao recovers and attacks Zuko, Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) is there to protect him, casting Zhao away and sending him plummeting into the waters below.

The pair look on at what appears to be Zhao's burning body – but is that really the end of his story?

Leung admitted to RadioTimes.com that he's "suspicious" about that demise, adding: "In the original, we do know what happens to him – he ends up in the Fog of Lost Souls in the spirit world. As this is a re-imagining, I don't know how that part of it will be re-imagined, if it will be, so I'm in the same boat as you!"

Speaking about the epic fight scene, he explained: "It was great watching it because it was so involved and intense that I kind of had no image of how it was going to look or come together."

He added: "It wasn't so planned how it would play, it was just me and Dallas, it was the culmination of a whole season of side glances and sneers and suddenly it's just the two of you, so the intensity played us."

What happens to Commander Zhao in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender?

In the original Nickelodeon series, Commander Zhao succeeds in killing the Moon Spirit at the Spirit Oasis.

An Ocean Spirit then becomes vengeful against him, and condemns him to spending eternity in the Fog of Lost Souls, a prison for humans located in the Spirit World.

In the original series, he is not killed by Prince Zuko so is this is a misdirect or actually a major change? Only time will tell.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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