Daniel Dae Kim has explained how his new action hero in his Prime Video TV show Butterfly has a surprising similarity to his Avatar: The Last Airbender villain. Prime Video’s Butterfly follows Kim as David Jung, a former US spy living in South Korea who crosses paths with his daughter, Rebecca, a spy sent to find him.
The pair end up working together, targeted by the organization they’re connected to. In the series, Kim’s character has made many mistakes as a father, including letting Rebecca believe that he was dead. Their reunion offers him a second chance to make things right with her, something that brings them closer together as they fight to survive.
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Kim contrasted David from Butterfly with his role as Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He explained how Ozai chose to abandon his son, Zuko, for not being able to follow in his footsteps, while David is battling against having made a similar choice with Rebecca. Check out what Kim said below:
They’re different. But for me, the core of it is the same: What does it mean to be a father guiding a young life and a young psyche? Ozai makes the choice where he needs his child to follow in his footsteps in terms of leadership and style. And if his child cannot do that, then his child fails. His priority is on the mission. I think for David, it might have been that to a lesser degree, but now he’s realized that that’s not the choice he wants.
Can someone have a second chance at being a good dad? That, to me, is something that is very human. It’s very universal. People say about the show, “Well, it’s shot in Korea. It’s got an Asian lead and it’s about an Asian family. I don’t know if I can relate.” If you have children, or you’ve had parents, you can probably relate to what’s going on in this show.
What Kim’s Statement Says About David In Butterfly
Kim joined the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s live-action remake as Ozai, spending plenty of time onscreen as a distant father figure for both Zuko and Azula. In Butterfly, though, David is trying to make amends with Rebecca for abandoning her when she was a child. While he did it to protect himself, it still caused a massive rift.
The spy thriller TV show sees David not only trying to escape his past life, but also build a new one where he’s with his daughter. This is in sharp contrast to Ozai, who is aloof toward his children and doesn’t treat them with the love David shows Rebecca. It’s a contrast emphasizing different branches of the same path.
Our Take On Kim’s Comparison Between Butterfly & The Last Airbender
Based on his description, it seems like Kim took some lessons from playing Ozai and translated them to his portrayal of David. While the pair have very different circumstances, they’re both fathers, one of whom is trying to better his role in his child’s life. But that contrast also speaks to how they embody themes of parenthood in different ways.
Obviously, Kim’s Butterfly protagonist is faring much better than Ozai, who cast out Zuko and doesn’t have a truly close relationship with Azula. David, on the other hand, does everything he can throughout his series to protect Rebecca, making up for his past mistakes by becoming the father he wishes he’d been for so long.
All episodes of Butterfly are now streaming on Prime Video.
Butterfly
5/10
- Release Date
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August 13, 2025
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Kitao Sakurai
