Amon

"neutral"

- The era of bending is over! A new era of equality has begun!

Amon is the charismatic and mysterious leader of a group of chi blockers known as the Equalists, whose ultimate goal is to create equality by ridding the world of benders. A nimble and stealthy fighter, he is fearless in facing his opponents, regardless of their bending skills.

History
Amon was born on a small farm to a poor family of non-benders; nonetheless, they were extorted by a firebender. When Amon's father eventually confronted the bender, the firebender killed his family and deformed Amon's face, forcing him to wear a mask since then.

Later, Amon became the leader of the Equalists, an organization against the art of bending, based in Republic City. They terrorized the city, striving to rid the world of bending.

When Korra announced her official relocation to Republic City during a press conference at the City Hall, Amon heard her responding to questions through the radio. When his second-in-command inquired about how he was going to handle the unforeseen situation, Amon replied that since the Avatar had arrived early, they would "accelerate" their plans.

Later, at an Equalist assembly called "The Revelation", Amon announced to the gathered crowd that he planned on eradicating the world of benders, as they had only ever brought suffering and were the cause of every war in every era. Amon believed the spirits had chosen him to usher in a new ear of balance to the world by removing people's bending and make equality a reality. As a demonstration of his power, he had his Equalist henchmen bring forth several Triple Threat Triad members and Bolin, and proceeded with removing their bending, one by one, starting with Lightning Bolt Zolt's firebending. However, before he could remove Bolin's bending, Korra created a distraction by letting out a steam screen into the room, allowing Mako to grab Bolin and escape. As the brothers and Korra were riding atop Naga with several Equalists on their tail, Amon opted to let them leave, as they would be the perfect tool to tell Republic City of his power.

Amon had made a severe impression on Korra, as she was plagued by nightmares of him taking away her bending. After he heard that the United Republic Council had proclaimed him public enemy number one, he spread a message over the radio to his fellow Equalists, using the actions of the council as proof of the oppressing nature of the benders.

After Councilman Tarrlok and Avatar Korra successfully executed a raid on an Equalist training facility in the Dragon Flats district, he was publicly challenged by Korra to a midnight duel on Aang Memorial Island with the condition that the island would be exempt of the task force and chi blockers. As she was about to leave the island she was subdued and knocked unconscious by Amon's henchmen. When she finally came to Amon emerged from the shadows and revealed to her that he would "save her for last", but would nonetheless "destroy [her]".

Personality
Amon appears to be a calm, passive individual most of the time, as he has never been seen losing his cool. He has a bitter hatred for benders, as he blames them as a whole for the death of his family, his supposed disfiguring, and every war that has ever been. Amon is cruel and cold, seen when he taunts Korra about his plans to defeat her.

In spite of his apparent cruelty, Amon claims to be a staunch believer in what he views as equality. He refers to his followers as his "brothers", and does not seem to require for them to refer to him in any title, seen when all of them simply refer to him as "Amon". This even extends to his sworn enemies the benders, facing them fairly, allowing them to try and defend themselves.

Strangely enough, Amon has enough honor to let each bender fight for their bending, yet he ambushed Korra with many Equalists in what was supposed to be a one-on-one fight.

Abilities
Although not a bender, he has introduced himself to be a very skilled and nimble fighter. His superior agility allows him to dodge the attacks of benders, and his knowledge about chi blocking, as well as his power to take bending away forever, provides an incredible counter attack, making him the equal of any bender.

Trivia

 * Like several other characters, Amon was revealed on July 23, 2011 at San Diego Comic-Con.
 * The name Amon is very similar to Amun (also known as Amun-Ra), the King of Gods in Egyptian mythology. The spelling "Amon" is also used in some transliterations. Amon is an Egyptian name meaning "hidden", which may refer to his covered face.
 * The Chinese transliteration for Amon's name, 阿蒙 (pinyin: āméng) can have a few meanings, but the most appropriate is "to cover".
 * Amon is the seventh evil spirit listed in "Ars Goetia" in The Lesser Key of Solomon. He is said to be a Marquis of Hell.
 * Amon is also the first name of Amon Goeth, the notorious Nazi officer who was found guilty for murdering tens of thousands of people. He was also the primary antagonist in Schindler's List.
 * Amon sounds very similar to Anon - short for Anonymous, an internet movement or concept of anonymous activists who protest political injustice. They often use a Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol for the movement and as a disguise, which is similar to the mask Amon uses.
 * Amon has the Chinese ideogram for "peace" on his chest. The same ideogram also means "fair" and "equal", matching the Equalists' name.
 * Amon is the name of the second deadliest pressure point in the human body. Located on the back of the neck, a precise strike can be fatal.
 * The red circle on Amon's mask is similar to that of the large red disk featured on the flag of Japan, which represents the dawn since Japanese considered Japan to be the land of the rising sun. It also marks the spot Amon touches on a person to remove their bending.
 * Amon's outfit bears a resemblance to Dr. Doom, a villain from Marvel comics.
 * Amon lost his father to a firebender, much like Mako and Bolin lost their parents to one.