Baatar


 * This article is about Suyin Beifong's husband. For Baatar and Suyin's son who joined the military of the Earth Empire, see Baatar Jr..

"earth"

- Sorry, dear, I'm going to have to take dinner to my office. I just had a major breakthrough on the tram station model.

Baatar is an architect and the husband of Suyin Beifong, with whom he has five children. He helped create the metal city of Zaofu.

Early life
Suyin hired Baatar as an architect in the creation of the city of Zaofu. Sometime later, the two married and had five children: the eldest, Baatar Jr., became an engineer and began assisting Baatar in developing his many public works projects, Huan became an artist, Wei and Wing invented the game power disc, and Opal became their family's first airbender following Harmonic Convergence.

171 AG
While Suyin hosted a dinner for Avatar Korra and her friends, Baatar passed by the dining hall and informed his wife that he would have to eat in his office because he had a major breakthrough regarding the remodeling of a tram station. Suyin allowed him to continue his work, to which Baatar responded by calling her the best.

The next day, Baatar, along with Huan, Wei, and Wing, were witness to his wife fighting against his sister in-law, Lin. Their fight soon ended when Opal intervened. Later that evening, Baatar and Suyin each gave permission for Opal to travel to the Northern Air Temple and train her airbending under Tenzin.

At Opal's farewell dinner, Baatar watched in admiration as Suyin praised their daughter and raised his glass in a toast to her. He later watched as she left for the Northern Air Temple in an airship.

Baatar Jr.'s betrayal
When Kuvira marched her army to the outskirts of Zaofu in 174 AG, Baatar rode a metal train toward a vantage in the city to overview the situation. He approached his wife and announced that he would contact President Raiko in order to receive the support of the United Forces. However, Suyin replied that it did not matter whom he would contact, as no reinforcements would reach them in time.



Baatar joined his family during their meeting with Kuvira, Baatar Jr., and Bolin. He tried to reason with his estranged son, pointing out that his place was with them in Zaofu, though was shocked and hurt to learn that Baatar Jr. did not want to return as he felt that he was living in his father's shadow.

At night, Baatar was pacing through the garden when he was approached by Korra, who asked where Suyin was. Worried, he told the Avatar that his wife and twin sons had gone to infiltrate Kuvira's camp in order to end the threat. He silently sat by when his daughter tried to convince Korra to take action and was shocked to hear Kuvira announce over the city's communication system that his wife had been arrested. He asked the Avatar what their plan of action was and was eventually left to watch over Ikki and Meelo while Korra, Opal, and Jinora went to negotiate with the army commander.



When Kuvira later marched into the city and ordered everyone to bow to her or be sent away, Baatar and Huan ostentatiously remained standing, much to Baatar Jr.'s anger. He was approached by his eldest son, who ordered him to bow down to Kuvira, whom the latter declared his "rightful leader". Refusing to follow the order, Baatar calmly expressed his disappointment in his son, before being arrested by a metalbending soldier.

Escaping imprisonment
Baatar, together with the rest of his family, was taken to a cavern underneath one of Kuvira's factories near Zaofu. They were all imprisoned inside a wooden cell that was suspended with ropes over a seemingly bottomless chasm. When Toph, Lin, and Bolin arrived, he was alerted to their presence by his wife and watched how Lin swung each of his sons through the air with her metal cables for Bolin to catch them. Afraid of heights, Baatar cowered in a corner of the wooden cell, where he held on to the bars and implored Lin to leave him there. His sister-in-law ignored his objections, however, and forcefully swung him over to their makeshift escape route. As he somersaulted through the air, his cries unintentionally alerted the guards, who sounded the alarm. Baatar and the others all made it safely to the surface, however, where he was reunited with his daughter, whom he embraced warmly. After Opal and Bolin left to save Zhu Li and Suyin, Lin, Wei, and Wing tried to take down Kuvira's spirit energy cannon, he was left behind with Huan under the care of Toph. When he tried to make small talk with his mother-in-law, however, asking her how she was doing and addressing her as "mother", he was promptly reminded to never call her that. He later escaped with his family, Bolin, and Zhu Li to safety on Juicy.

Evacuating Republic City


A week after arriving in Republic City, Baatar, together with Huan, joined the last group of citizens set to evacuate Republic City. They became stranded at Central City Station, however, when Kuvira attacked the metropolis a week before they had been expecting her and had her army destroy the train tracks. When Prince Wu arrived with two badgermoles, Baatar and the other evacuees followed the creatures underground as they tunneled a way out for them. He looked on in surprise when Wu started singing and dancing with renewed vigor when three of Kuvira's mecha suits threatened them, which led the badgermoles to attack the soldiers and crush their machines.

Baatar and the others made it through Kuvira's assault on the city safely and he later attended the dinner party to celebrate the wedding of Varrick and Zhu Li at Air Temple Island; he was seated at the same table as the rest of his family.

Appearances
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Book Four: Balance (平衡)
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Trivia

 * Baatar is acrophobic.