The Legend of Korra is often viewed in lesser regard when compared to its predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender. But one area that fans can agree the show matched, and even surpassed, its predecessor is its villains. With the unfortunate exception of Unalaq, the show had great villains in the characters of Amon, Kuvira and Zaheer. Among these antagonists, Zaheer stands out as one of the most dedicated to his ideals and philosophy -- ideals that did not work out as well as he might have hoped.
Throughout the third season of Korra, Zaheer and the rest of the Red Lotus have a simple goal that they want to achieve. They want to bring peace to the world through the assassination of all the world's leaders, which they believe will make the common people of the world truly free and able to carve out their own lives. They are dedicated anarchists, and they are powerful enough to fight the world for their ideals.
Zaheer's Approach Failed Him and the World
Zaheer, throughout the entirety of Season 3, thought he was doing a service to the world. And in some ways, he could have been. The Earth Queen was shown to be tyrannical, arrogant and even downright repulsive at times. Raiko, while an effective politician, was too much of a bureaucrat to truly lead Republic City. These are leaders whose removal from power could have led to healthy change.
But unfortunately, Zaheer did not perform his revolution in a healthy way. Additionally, his acts of revolution backfired not only on himself, but on the world. Using a lethal Airbending move to kill the Earth Queen, while cathartic to many, was an action that destabilized the Earth Kingdom and led to rampant chaos. And his attempts to kill Korra resulted in her being unable to bring order to the fractured nation, giving Kuvira the chance to rise up. This resulted in her becoming a dictator with ambitions to rival Ozai's.
Zaheer's Flaw Was His Focus on Guru Laghima
Zaheer's failures may have stemmed from a misunderstanding of the culture and figure he admired. Even before becoming a bender after Harmonic Convergence, Zaheer always had a fascination and appreciation for the Airbender way of life. A way of life that espoused personal freedom and the ability to live life according to one's own rules, without the need for a government to control them. But Airbenders have traditionally been a peaceful and nomadic people who reserve violence as a last resort. And while many Airbenders could have been anarchists, they were non-violent anarchists who hoped that people interested in that way of life would join them. Zaheer, on the other hand, decided to try to make the world fall into his ideal, which not only didn't work, but ultimately caused freedoms to be lost for many.
A more fundamental flaw in Zaheer's world view was his belief that this one specific aspect of Airbender philosophy could be applied universally. Zaheer himself constantly refers to an ancient Airbender called Guru Laghima, who he admires immensely. He was the first Airbender to achieve the power of flight by releasing his earthly tethers, and Zaheer believes that this is the ideal way to live: unaware or perhaps uncaring that not everyone agrees. Everyone on his earth lived a life different to his, but he was too blinded by his ideology to care about that. He wanted his goals realized, and nothing else mattered to him.
In spite of his flaws, or perhaps because of them, Zaheer remains one of the most compelling characters in the entire Avatar universe. His calm demeanor, prodigious bending skills and unwavering dedication to his ideals make him a fantastic villain to watch onscreen and an effective cautionary tale to viewers with similar ideals. While freedom is valuable and must be cherished, there are some methods that just won't work.