The next star of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender offers fans a controversial update regarding her take on Toph.
Speaking to The Direct, Miya Cech, who will portray fan-favorite character Toph Beifong in Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, explained the slightly different direction she is taking the role. «My version of Toph is going to be a little older and slightly more feminine. I feel like I wanted to work into a very humanizing space for her because, you know, she was a cartoon,» Cech explained. She also noted that she has met with original Toph voice actress, Michaela Jill Murphy, with whom she shares a «similar take in terms of process» with regard to the character.
Toph was introduced during the second season of Nickelodeon’s original Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. A young, affluent, and blind Earthbender, Toph is portrayed as stubborn, strong-willed, and frequently without regard for the safety or concerns of those around her. Although Toph struggles early on with escaping the bounds of her parents’ sprawling estate and their watchful security, she eventually joins Avatar Aang and the rest of the series’ core cast of characters on their adventures. Toph quickly became a favorite among fans, and has played an important role in the overarching ATLA franchise thanks to her continued presence in the follow-up series, The Legend of Korra.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Has Been Polarizing
Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered in 2024 to a decisively polarized response from critics. The first season was met with generally negative reviews, even in spite of praise for Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s expansive set pieces and spectacular action. Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender stars Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang alongside Kiwentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh, and Daniel Dae Kim as the dreaded Fire Lord Ozai, all of whom are currently expected to reprise their roles for the series’ upcoming second season.
Zach Tyler Eisen, who voiced Aang in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, discussed the wide spectrum in responses to the live-action series, noting that the producers had «a very hard job in trying to remake this beloved cartoon from a lot of people’s childhoods.» While speaking to CBR at MegaCon Orlando 2025, Eisen simply stated, «you’re going to inevitably not satisfy everybody. But they were bold enough to take some risks with it, and I think it paid off.»
Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently available for streaming on Netflix. Season 2 is expected to arrive sometime in 2026.
