I’ve been doing some pretty intense thinking about what Amon’s potential goals are, lately - particularly during the times when I’m supposed to be doing work for school - and I think I might have come up with a reasonable theory.

The first time we saw Amon in the show, he was telling the Lieutenant that it was time to “accelerate [their] plans”. We know that he has a strategy, and as of “A Voice in the Night”, we know it ends with him personally taking down the Avatar. But while most people have guessed that he has some kind of massive plan to remove bending abilities from every person on the planet, my idea is different.

Prior to Korra’s arrival setting the plan in motion, we can infer that the Equalists were an obnoxious and scoffed at minor faction in the city’s politics, perhaps similar to some modern interest groups - well-intentioned but extremist movements whose valid points are overshadowed by the radical changes they propose and the frankly disturbing tactics they use. Amon and his chi-blockers were well-known throughout the city but never acknowledged as a threat. Protestors like the man in the park were likely common, crying out their rhetoric but never getting much done.

Cue the Avatar’s move to Republic City.

This was the opportunity Amon was waiting for. He began advertising his rally and enticing potential supporters with the promise of a revelation, and we all know what happened there. He revealed to the world that he had the ability to remove someone’s bending for good - or at least make it seem that way.

The rally revealed several crucial facts about Amon’s character. First off, the man loves a good show. His mask, his slowly-rising-from-the-stage boy-band-esque entrance, his fights against the Triple Threat members… He has a flair for drama. Secondly, we learned that he knows how to work a crowd. From his pretty blatantly fake backstory designed to play on resentment towards benders and lingering dislike of the Fire Nation, to the slowly escalating pace of his New Era speech, to his final dramatic display of his powers, Amon played that crowd like an instrument. They may have left screaming, but they left with a new passion for his cause.

Amon used his first real moment of power to take away the bending of crucial members of a dangerous Triad that oppressed the nonbenders of Republic City. Essentially, he did a bad thing to bad people, winning him the admiration of the nonbenders freed from Triad oppression - if only temporarily - and taking the first step in his master plan.

What’s next? Going after the pro-benders, who are idolized for their trivial use of their gifts. Amon threatens to attack the arena on the night of the championship, putting the council in an unwinnable situation. If they allow the fight to continue, they risk inviting attack from Amon. If they give in, they admit to Amon that he has enough political power to sway the council’s decisions, and this is likely the argument Korra will use to persuade them to let the fight happen.

So the fight will happen. And as we’ve seen in the trailers, Amon will make his move and attack the arena, possibly taking away Tahno’s bending abilities in the process. Why?

Because Amon is systematically taking down the living symbols of bending superiority in Republic City, replacing their power and influence in the minds of the people with his own.

First it was the Triads. Who could complain about him removing an actual threat to the city? As stated above, this move likely gained him a number of followers - and most importantly, painted him in a positive light more endearing than his previous label of “obnoxious extremist”.

Now Amon is using that popularity boost to attack the next level of bending superiority. Pro-bending is an entire industry built around how freaking awesome bending is, and the skilled athletes are regarded as heroes. Amon is going to attack during the awards ceremony for the winning championship team, which will be the Wolfbats. And he will take away their bending as a symbolic gesture - remember, the man loves drama. He has taken this team of Republic City heroes and reduced them to nothing. They were never special. They were only successful because of the abilities that gave them more opportunities in society. And that isn’t fair.

The pure audacity it takes for someone to make that kind of statement at a well-attended public event will earn him even more followers and admiration, as he uses his skill at playing crowds to sway the nonbending masses to his cause. By this point, Amon will be confident enough in his power to take on the next level of bending superiority… the metalbending cops who rule the city with a literal iron fist, if you’ll let me make that terrible pun. If he had tried to go after the cops first, he would have failed, because he hadn’t stirred up enough antibending passion yet and the people would have reacted poorly. But now this goal is within his reach. And he will break down the militaristic forces that focus on penalizing minor infractions when they should be protecting the innocent.

The next step? The Council. By this point, Amon’s influence will have grown to such an extent that Republic City will be thrown into open rebellion, as nonbenders rage against the societal oppression Amon has turned them against. All five members of the Council are benders, and there is no representation granted to the multiracial masses of Republic City, who don’t identify with any of the four nations given disproportionate voice in the city’s affairs. By taking on the council, Amon will gain complete control over the rule of Republic City and label himself as a modern governor for a modern age.

And now we reach the reason why Korra is being saved for last. Amon has gained power in Republic City and taken down the institutions supporting bender superiority, but the Avatar is a legend. If Amon can gain all the political might of Republic City and take out the Avatar herself at the height of his power, that legend status will be transferred to him. Taking away her bending in episode four wouldn’t have had nearly the same effect, because Amon wouldn’t have had the power needed to supersede the Avatar in the hearts of the people. Korra will now also be the very last symbol of bending might left in Republic City. By beating her, Amon removes the final obstacle to the antibending revolution and firmly establishes nonbenders as the superior ruling class.

What would be the point of simply removing all bending completely? All that would do is put everyone on an equal footing. Amon doesn’t want to make everyone equal. He wants power. He wants to rule over benders and make them feel weak and inferior. To an extremist like Amon, that is equal - paying the benders their due. And all of the power in Republic City, and the world, will be his.