Thanks to Netflix's streaming of both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, the two shows have had an enormous resurgence as they've reached new fans and reconnected with old ones, each forming their own theories on the shows' stories and characters. As one of the biggest characters from the Avatar universe, Toph Beifong has been at the center of many of these theories, most often connecting her to a love interest.
From her potential suitors to the fathers of her children to the extent of her powers and influence, many Blind Bandit fan theories are definitely pretty outlandish, though some are quite logical and sound.
10 Toph Descended From An Avatar
In a r/FanTheories post from Reddit, one fan theory posits that the reason Toph and Katara are such powerful benders at their young ages is that they're related to Avatars from the past. It is an interesting theory, especially when there's already precedence in the show's canon for unnecessary relatives, like Zuko and Azula being the great-grandchildren of Roku.
The theory suggests that they're descended specifically from Kyoshi, but there have been 10,000 years worth of Avatars so this theory is possible given that wider scope.
9 Toph And The Duke Eventually Became An Item
While Avatar fans can see Toph's crush on Sokka from a mile away, some fans see the potential for another suitor for Miss Beifong, namely The Duke. The Duke was a Freedom Fighter and he may have had a crush on Toph, based on their hug at the end of Book Three, and when he offered her his helmet when Toph had motion sickness. Due to the young age of the two characters, fans of "The Doph" see their relationship happening well into the future.
8 Kanto Is The Duke's Real Name
Going along with the possibility of The Doph happening sometime in Toph's adult life, there's an attached theory that his actual name was Kanto (as "The Duke" is a title and not a name) and that he was Lin's father.
Besides the fact that Toph's known in-universe suitors are limited, The Duke as Kanto seems plausible when looking at why Lin's father is out of the picture. According to the theory, Kanto/The Duke had struggles with PTSD stemming from being a child-soldier and wasn't fit to parent.
7 Toph's Parents Kept Hawky
After the departure of Sokka's messenger hawk, Hawky, many fans have asked what happened to the bird. Where is Hawky? Where is Hawky's Lost Days? Hawky was last seen heading to Toph's family with a letter Katara helped her write, which has led to assumptions and fan theories that Hawky is living it up with Toph's rich mother and father.
While others hypothesize that Hawky's Fire Nation regalia would have gotten him killed going into the Earth Kingdom, that seems harsh for a kid show.
6 Toph's Mastery of Earthbending Made Korra More Powerful
One fascinating fan theory making the rounds on Reddit is the idea that Avatars not only gain knowledge and powers from their past lives, but also from the company the Avatars of the past kept.
The theory hypothesizes that the reason Korra was able to learn how to metalbend in one day was because Aang was close friends with Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender in the world, whose unique connection to her bending enabled her to invent metalbending. It's quite a convincing and enthralling theory.
5 Sokka Is Suyin's Father
At the beginning of The Legend of Korra, the mother (or better yet, the father) of all Toph Beifong fan theories was that Sokka was the father of Lin, which was immediately walked back by most Tokka shippers when it was revealed that Tenzin, the son of Katara, was Lin's ex. However, in Book Three, we were introduced to Lin's half-sister Suyin who has darker skin that resembles Water Tribe, as well as two sons (Baatar Jr. and Huan) who look a lot like Sokka.
4 Suyin's Father Is In The Comics
While the theory that Sokka is Suyin's father is supported by physical attributes that she and her sons have to him, there is another contender from the comic books. Satoru was an engineer who first appeared in The Rift Part One and there were sparks between him and Toph.
Satoru was star struck when he met Toph, who in turn developed a crush on him. This dynamic, as well as the fact that Suyin's naturally wavy hair is similar to Satoru's, makes for a sound theory.
3 Toph Became A Swamp Hermit Because Of Sokka's Death
After resigning as Chief of Police, Toph traveled the world in search of enlightenment. What's interesting about Toph's spiritual journey is that she eventually settled down in the Foggy Swamp, but when and why?
In a r/FanTheories comment about the Sokka-Is-Suyin's-Father theory, it's mentioned that the last time Toph had seen her granddaughter would have been around the same time as the attempted kidnapping of Korra, which could have resulted in Sokka's death. The implication is that Toph left for the swamp to mourn Sokka.
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Originally, Toph's character was going to be a tall, male, 16-year-old earthbender who was eventually re-imagined into The Blind Bandit that everyone knows and loves. However, the character design for proto-Toph was used for The Boulder as well as Sud, Avatar Roku's earthbending master and "lifelong friend."
In an interesting theory that stems from Toph's in-universe similarities to Sud and the established notion that, because "some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes," it makes sense for Toph to be the reincarnation of Sud.
1 Toph Erected All Of The Toph Statues
Throughout The Legend of Korra, a few statues of Toph are shown, either of her as Chief of Police in Republic City or a tribute to her in Zaofu for inventing metalbending. While it's been a joke for years that Toph made these statues herself and everyone was too afraid to object, there is evidence from the comics that this may be true, as Toph had made smaller statues with her likeness. With boundless confidence in her abilities, this Toph theory makes the most sense.