In season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, few moments land harder than the reveal that the ancient, mad king of Omashu is, in fact, Aang’s childhood friend Bumi. He’s introduced as a cackling, erratic old man who is both frail and senile, someone the Avatar doesn’t recognize at all. It’s been a century, after all. As the episode plays out, Bumi presides over a bizarre series of “tests” that feel less like trials and more like a joke played at Aang’s expense. In the last test, Aang has to fight the champion of his choice. When he picks the king, he’s shocked to find out that underneath that hunch and large robes, Bumi retains a muscular physique and sharp skills that make him one of the most powerful earthbenders in the world.

It’s such a memorable twist because Bumi doesn’t arrive as a threat. He takes advantage of how he’s perceived and then, with a magician’s flourish, suddenly reveals the truth. The moment is sudden and destabilizing, so it’s fitting that Bumi himself stars in the Secret Lair reprint of a

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