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Serena Williams has some existential questions about ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

She made one fan's night.

 

Christine Friar

Internet Culture

Posted on Mar 21, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 9:05 pm CDT

Tennis superstar Serena Williams is a well-documented fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but one particular question about the show’s origin myth had her stumped this week until a fan stepped in on Twitter.

Over the years, Williams has casually revealed the extent of her fandom online and in interviews. She even voiced a minor character on the animated series and its followup, Legend of Korra. But late Monday night, the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner (and new mom) realized that something about the Nickelodeon show never quite made sense to her: “if the original benders were sky bisons, badger moles, and dragons; how does that tie in with Avatar Wan when the lion sea turtle gave all the people bending power?”

It’s the kind of late-night thought that only a true Avatar-head would be prepared to engage in, but lucky for Williams, one fan was standing by with an answer.

@scotty_13_ got right back to the sports icon with some details: “he only bestowed the gifts to the avatar, not to each nation. the rest of the nations learned from the animals…”

The pair had a lively back-and-forth while Williams hashed out all of her followup questions, and after a couple replies she finally seemed satisfied with his explainer.

“Ok got it,” she concluded.

Needless to say, she made Scotty’s night.

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*First Published: Mar 21, 2018, 2:10 pm CDT