‘Avatar: Seven Havens’: What’s the deal with that energy monster?

Avatar: Seven Havens launches the Avatar franchise into a post-apocalyptic future, and in its second episode, it may have unveiled one of the apocalypse’s biggest threats.

The episode, fittingly titled “Into the Storm,” sees a massive lightning storm encroach upon the desert haven of Ellora. As the Ellorans worry about the lightning coming from above, they also face a strange threat coming from below. Red bursts of lightning tear across the ground of the city, stopping when they reach a large square. There, they coalesce into a red and black diamond that leaps from the ground and flies around the city, shooting a beam of light at everyone from Brigade Commander Bountan (voiced by Clyde Kusatsu) to twin Avatars Pavi and Nisha (voiced by Saheli Khan and Aishu Devan).

The first three episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens don’t reveal exactly what this strange energy monster is. But based on its brief appearance here, we can make some educated guesses. Let’s dig into what this threat — which Bountan calls a “demon” — could be.

Is the energy monster in Avatar: Seven Havens Vaatu?

First things first: When I see a frightening red and black energy creature in the Avatar world, I immediately think of Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness first introduced in The Legend of Korra. Could Seven Havens‘ demonic diamond be related to him in some way?

Based on the color scheme, the answer seems like it could be a yes, especially since the energy monster’s diamond shape also shares a lot in common with Vaatu’s pointy kite form. Still, it’s unlikely that this creature is Vaatu himself. It takes 10,000 years for Vaatu and his counterpart Raava’s power to peak during Harmonic Convergence, and it’s only been a little over 200 years since the last Harmonic Convergence during The Legend of Korra. Unless Seven Havens‘ cataclysm reordered the planets, it’s unlikely that Vaatu himself will be back so fast. Instead, it’s more likely that this spooky diamond is some kind of corrupted spirit.

What did the spirit diamond want with Pavi and Nisha?

The spirit diamond seems to be incredibly content wreaking havoc around Ellora until it runs into Pavi and Nisha. Then, it just stops and takes them in for a moment, before shooting them with a beam.

The beam transports Pavi and Nisha to a strange vision, where they see themselves being separated in a desert during what appears to be a sandstorm. They also see a flash of the Republic City skyline riddled with explosions: perhaps a sign of the world undergoing the cataclysm. Once Pavi and Nisha awaken from their vision, the spirit is gone, its diamond pattern embedded in the earth.

What did the energy monster want with Pavi and Nisha, and why did it vanish after somehow communing with them? The answer is likely tied to the fact that they’re both Avatars, as the Avatar is meant to be the bridge between the human and spirit world. Clearly, the divide between those worlds has grown hazy in Avatar: Seven Havens, but perhaps spirits like this one are still seeking the Avatar out. As for the vision, perhaps this spirit is trying to communicate some memories to Pavi and Nisha — both their own, and maybe even Korra’s.

What happens if you come into contact with the spirit monster?

While Pavi and Nisha emerge from their encounter with this spirit unchanged, the same can’t be said for Commander Bountan. By the episode’s end, he’s overcome with what seems like a strange possession: His eye has gone red, and he warns Commander Karthik (Akshay Khanna) that “it is coming.” Whether the “it” is another spirit demon or something else entirely, Seven Havens has yet to answer.

The strange spirit demon shenanigans continue in episode 3, when a camel-dillo goes rogue in the city. Like Bountan, its eyes are red, although Pavi manages to calm it down through the power of song. Did the camel-dillo also get blasted by the spirit’s ray? Or did it pick up Bountan’s strange possession some other way? After all, the diamond left a series of glowing red geometric crystals behind it. Perhaps being around those is enough to affect someone.

The first three episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens are now streaming on Paramount+. New episodes premiere every Friday through Oct. 30.