I find it fascinating when readers or viewers are upset by an unexpected turn of events in a story, because this is the very reason we like to read them — to be surprised, to find out what happens next, to have a vicarious experience through another’s eyes. When stories don’t deviate from the expected, they become boring. And no one likes a boring story.
The intentions are good, but a twist to make things exciting is not always a good thing. Even IF it turns out that Zuko is not Ikem's son, the damage is done because now for all this time, Ozai has believed Zuko to not be his biological son. We are meant to watch through A:TLA, place ourselves inside Ozai's head and know that in this retroactive continuity, Ozai does not consider Zuko to be his son. This DAMAGES my perception and enjoyment of the original series. Ozai being so cruel to his own son had a stronger emotional impact, because of the shock value with Zuko being HIS SON. We were left speculating as to just why the Fire Lord would be such a douchebag and there was a good theory about Ozai favoring the younger sibling because he himself was a younger sibling, not meant to inherit the throne. But now the emotional impact has lessened, just for the sake of exciting readers with a surprise.
The best case scenario would be that not only does it turn out that Ozai really is Zuko's father (nevermind how difficult it would be to explain Ursa's letter to Ikem) but that Ozai at some point before the start of A:TLA realized this truth as well. Then at the beginning of The Search, he remembers this misunderstanding and decides to use it as a weapon to rid Zuko of his Fire Lord status. But this theory feels way too optimistic and farfetched. Unless the best case scenario unfolds, I will without a doubt consider The Search to be the biggest blunder in Avatar franchise history.
