Avatar: Seven Havens Introduces a Gay Couple, Jae and Datu

LGBTQ+ fans of the Avatar universe, rejoice! With the debut of the latest installment in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, Avatar: Seven Havens, the animated fantasy series has debuted a gay couple as part of its roster of characters. One of the main characters, Jae, is an airbender who travels with main characters Pavi, the Avatar after Korra, and Pavi’s long-lost sister Nisha. In the first few episodes, which were released Friday morning on Paramount+, Jae is shown as having a boyfriend named Datu. Footage of the scene introducing Datu has been going viral on social media since the series debut. “HELLO GAY PEOPLE HELLO GAY PEOPLE HELLO HOMOSEXUALS IN MY AVATAR SERIES IT IS SO NICE TO MEET YOU,” one fan wrote on X. In the clip, Datu runs to Jae when he sees him and immediately embraces him, bringing their faces very close together. Prior to skedaddling off screen, Jae does give Datu a goodbye peck on the cheek. “There’s an openly gay man who’s a lead in avatar seven havens yall!! like this is what the fans want to see!!!,” another person wrote on X. “him and his bf are so cuteeeeeee!!!!” “JAE IS GAY CANON,” another person posted on X.While Jae has been confirmed as queer, other characters in the Avatar franchise were also hinted at this year as being LGBTQ+. In July, Zuko, a firebender, was heavily suggested as being bisexual in the film Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. Other characters in the franchise, including Korra and Asami, are also canonically bisexual. Some Reddit fans believe that would make Jae and Datu the series’ first canonically gay male characters. Avatar: Seven Havens is the third series in the Avatar franchise following Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Reviews for the new series have been overwhelmingly positive. The first season will have 26 half-hour episodes, released in two batches, with the first 13 set to premiere in drops of three or four between October 9 and October 30, per IGN, which als