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Netflix gave Avatar's cabbage merchant his own mockumentary

The Cabbage Merchant of Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender goes full method actor in a mockumentary

Image credit: Netflix

News by Jules Chin Greene, Staff Writer

Published on Fri Aug 07 2026

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Between SpongeBob SquarePants' "my leg!!!!" character and the Cabbage Man from Avatar: The Last Airbender, it's clear that Gen Z-era animated TV shows love a screaming background character. And with Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, the streamer is capitalizing on the mythology and fan appreciation of the unnamed Cabbage Man with a new mockumentary centering on the man portraying him, James Sie, going full method actor.

James Sie, who plays the Cabbage Merchant on the show, talks to amusing effect about the "great responsibility" that he feels in portraying the iconic character. To him, the Cabbage Merchant is a "symbol of resistance and perseverance and survival." And honestly, he's right. I'd actually argue that the Cabbage Merchant is one of pop culture's greatest Crash Out Kings.

Anyways, you can watch the 5-minute mockumentary below.

With all of the annoying method actor discourse in pop culture (see: Jared Leto in Suicide Squad), this mockumentary about the Cabbage Merchant is refreshing and funny. Now, I'm left wondering who has experienced a greater sense of emotional turmoil: Batman or the Cabbage Merchant?

Avatar: The Last Airbender seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Netflix.

Fade to credits, then a pop-up of what to ~~watch~~ read next - just like Netflix:

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Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.