The Promise: The Omnibus (Parts 1-3)

Scars are a motif utilized throughout the Avatar franchise, and in The Promise, they carry a particularly strong symbolic significance. At the outset of the story, Earth King Kuei likens the Fire Nation’s colonies in his kingdom to scars, remarking, “For the Earth People, they’re like a constant reminder of the war, like an old scar” (11). This simile has complex connotations since scars do not always fully heal, even though Kuei is determined to completely erase the Fire Nation's presence in the Earth Kingdom. Team Avatar quickly discovers that, just like scarred tissue that can never return to its original state, the impact of Fire Nation colonialism on the Earth Kingdom is largely irreversible.

In the same breath that he compares the colonies to scars, Kuei apologizes to Zuko for using a potentially insensitive metaphor (11). The large scar across Zuko’s face, which was dealt to him by his father during their infamous duel, is a physical manifestation and reminder of Fire Lord Ozai’s cruelty toward others, even his son. Zuko’s response to Kuei—“After all the pain my father has caused me, it’s my duty to bring healing to the world” (11)—ties his personal struggles to the struggles of colonized peoples in the Earth Kingdom and other nations.