Was TLOK really meant to be a deconstruction of the Avatar, or just ATLA? Because it would have been cool for them to actually delve into the artificial nature of the Avatar as a part of society and the world. I mean, I very much dislike Wan, Raava and Vaatu, and the Lion Turtles(not as a self-contained story, but for what it reworks in the lore), but if that's where they wanted to go, they should have gone there.
This isn't limited to the world contextualised with the introduction of Wan and Raava, 'cause you could easily apply it to the Avatar as a manifestation of the planet and nature: The Avatar has a cursed existence and their service to the world is socially constructed.
The Avatar, as seen by the world, is a saviour, an arbiter of justice, spirituality, and the balance of two worlds. But the reality is, they are just an immortal with all four bending arts, whose noteworthy and unique existence has left a discernible trail through history, and they've been mythologised for it.
Being the Avatar was a central piece of Korra's identity, yet the Avatar was largely unnecessary and unknown to the world in Korra's time. Even in Aang's time they are more of an idea, and he just became what the world expected him to be. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, they are powerful and perform acts of service, so the world expects them to be powerful and perform acts of service in every lifetime, and each life/identity internalises this notion to further feed the prophecy and compound the expectations of the world and themselves.
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