Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Creatives Came Up With Two Character Designs Just Before Their Pitch Meeting

How do you create an iconic character? Sometimes, it happens in just a few minutes, right before a big pitch meeting.

At least, that’s what worked for “Avatar: The Last Airbender” co-creator Bryan Konietzko in the lead-up to selling Nickelodeon on the now-beloved animated fantasy series in the early 2000s.

After working on the cult-hit sci-fi series “Invader Zim” at the network, Konietzko was given the opportunity to pitch a show to Nickelodeon executives. Nick, which brought in Konietzko’s longtime friend and collaborator Michael Dante Dimartino along the way, was specifically interested in a fantasy series that had action but…