Amon

"neutral"

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

Amon, alter ego of Meelo, 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, resulting in him wearing a mask since then.

Later in his life, Amon became the leader of the Equalists, an organization opposed to 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 have to "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 era 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 chasing them, 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, alongside a task force, 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. Amon didn't show up on time, nor did he come alone. As Korra was on her way to leave the island, many Equalists reeled in Korra inside the island's museum. There, Amon emerged from the shadows and revealed to her that he would allow her to keep her bending, for now, but would "save [her] for last" and "destroy [her]" when their final showdown does occur.

Personality
Amon appears to be a calm and composed individual, although he has never been seen facing any actual danger to himself. He has a severe abhorrence towards benders, supposedly blaming them as a whole for the death of his family, his supposed facial disfiguring, and every war that has ever occurred. Amon is cruel and sadistic, as seen when he revels in his power to take away one's bending, and is described by Mako as "insane".

He is clever and calculating. He seems to have plans for Korra, and has thus far avoided fighting her, letting her escape instead, seeing she would be the perfect one to announce his ability to the city. Amon also chose not to take away her bending when he ambushed her after refusing to fight her, foreseeing that it would make her a martyr for the benders, and unite them globally against his cause.

Amon claims to be a staunch believer in what he views as equality and affectionately refers to his followers as "brothers and sisters".

Abilities
Amon has shown himself to be a very skilled and nimble fighter; his superior agility allows him to maneuver himself gracefully to the extent of being able to dodge lightning. His knowledge of chi blocking combined with his power to take bending away permanently makes Amon as powerful as any bender. He is also very cautious as he is never seen without his fellow Equalists as back up.

Trivia

 * Like several other characters, Amon was revealed on July 23, 2011 at San Diego Comic-Con.
 * Amon may be an English phonetic spelling for "Aman", meaning "peace" in Sanskrit, Malay, and Arabic. This may explain the Chinese ideogram 平 (píng) meaning "peace" on the chest of his previous character design. The 平 ideogram also means "fair" and "equal", matching the Equalists' name.
 * 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 states that benders have started every war in every era. That would be an error considering the war between the villages of Oma and Shu which subsequently led to, and thus it took place before, the origin of earthbending.
 * Amon is also the first name of Amon Goeth, a notorious Nazi officer who was found guilty for murdering tens of thousands of people, in addition to sniping countless others from the balcony of his house overlooking the concentration camp he was in charge of. 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 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 rising sun and thus the dawn of a new era. This circle also marks one of the two pressure points Amon touches to take one's bending away.
 * Amon's outfit bears a resemblance to Dr. Doom, a villain from Marvel comics. Amon also has similarities to V from V For Vendetta, both being masked revolutionaries who had their faces burned by fire, as well as masters at manipulation.
 * Amon lost his family to a firebender, much like Mako and Bolin lost their parents to one.