He is the abandoned, love child of Lin Beifong and Tenzin.
The symmetry is just to beautiful for it not to be.
The Korra series loves subtle details. And all the clues are there. The series even went so far that in the narration of episode 11 to call him, Lieutenant, and not give him a name.
Look at his face without his mask at the beginning of episode 10.
He has his father's grey eyes and facial looks. While he inherited his black hair from his mother's side.
Note, I know the TV Tropes Character page for him claims he has Icy Blue Eyes. But I checked the close up shots of him without his mask. In the Episode 10, when he pretends to be a bug exterminator and in Episode 12, where he charges at Amon. He has light grey eyes, almost white. I turned the "digital vibrance" all the way up on my video card settings to check if the color of his eyes was washed out. There is no blue in his eyes. I don't see any blue.
Also, his age looks just about right for him to born about right around the time that Lin and Tenzin broke up.
From the backstory Tenzin gave, it sounded like he and Lin were in a relationship in their late teens or early twenties. Tenzin is around 50 in the present of that series. So, the age for the Lieutenant is about right.
Lin probably found out she was pregnant after they broke up.
Also, Lin would not be the first powerful woman to hide a pregnancy out of wedlock.
And Lin would be an honorable enough not to tell Tenzin because she would not want to force him back into a relationship.
She proved that by defending Tenzin's family in episode 10.
As the years passed and the child grew up it became apparent that he was not a earthbender and he was starting to look like his father.
She probably sent him away because the truth behind his parentage his scandalous for both Lin and Tenzin. It might also wreck Tenzin's own family. And having to politically connected meant that her child would likely always be in danger, and not being a bender, would have no way to defend himself.
She probably still think he is away somewhere and not an equalists.
This is why the Lieutenant hides benders, the parents whom abandoned him were benders, and he feels he was abandoned because he was not a bender. Though, he knows who his parents are, but he doesn't want anyone else to know.
This is why the Lieutenant led the equalist attack on the Air Temple. For him it was personal. He was attack the family he never had.
Lin being there and him capturing her, and de-bending her was just icing on the cake.
Now, he probably didn't tell Amon his real identity because he wanted to represent the faceless masses of non-benders that were oppressed by benders. We learned in the last episode that he truly believes in the cause.
Also, that knowledge is his ace in the hole if all else fells. Probably to be used to keep himself from being executed.
It should also be noted that this origin would create a nice contrast between the origins of Amon and him. Amon abandoned his family. While the Lieutenant was abandoned by his family.
For bonus points is the likelihood he was named after Sokka. Sokka was a member of Republic City council for a time and Lin likely know him well as a family friend, given that her mother was good friends with him and he was Tenzin's uncle.
And just to twist the knife further, the reason he is not an earthbender is not that he is a non-bender, but instead he is latent airbender from his father's side. The Korra series had shown us that for a airbender to bend air they not only have to have the affinity for it, but also have a specific mindset. And not many people would notice a genlte wind. And even the Lieutenant ever did slightly airbend, he would likely chalk it up to it just being the wind.
The Equalist Lieutenant's real identity is...
He is the abandoned, love child of Lin Beifong and Tenzin.
The symmetry is just to beautiful for it not to be.
The Korra series loves subtle details. And all the clues are there. The series even went so far that in the narration of episode 11 to call him, Lieutenant, and not give him a name.
Look at his face without his mask at the beginning of episode 10.
He has his father's grey eyes and facial looks. While he inherited his black hair from his mother's side.
Note, I know the TV Tropes Character page for him claims he has Icy Blue Eyes. But I checked the close up shots of him without his mask. In the Episode 10, when he pretends to be a bug exterminator and in Episode 12, where he charges at Amon. He has light grey eyes, almost white. I turned the "digital vibrance" all the way up on my video card settings to check if the color of his eyes was washed out. There is no blue in his eyes. I don't see any blue.
Also, his age looks just about right for him to born about right around the time that Lin and Tenzin broke up.
From the backstory Tenzin gave, it sounded like he and Lin were in a relationship in their late teens or early twenties. Tenzin is around 50 in the present of that series. So, the age for the Lieutenant is about right.
Lin probably found out she was pregnant after they broke up.
Also, Lin would not be the first powerful woman to hide a pregnancy out of wedlock.
And Lin would be an honorable enough not to tell Tenzin because she would not want to force him back into a relationship.
She proved that by defending Tenzin's family in episode 10.
As the years passed and the child grew up it became apparent that he was not a earthbender and he was starting to look like his father.
She probably sent him away because the truth behind his parentage his scandalous for both Lin and Tenzin. It might also wreck Tenzin's own family. And having to politically connected meant that her child would likely always be in danger, and not being a bender, would have no way to defend himself.
She probably still think he is away somewhere and not an equalists.
This is why the Lieutenant hides benders, the parents whom abandoned him were benders, and he feels he was abandoned because he was not a bender. Though, he knows who his parents are, but he doesn't want anyone else to know.
This is why the Lieutenant led the equalist attack on the Air Temple. For him it was personal. He was attack the family he never had.
Lin being there and him capturing her, and de-bending her was just icing on the cake.
Now, he probably didn't tell Amon his real identity because he wanted to represent the faceless masses of non-benders that were oppressed by benders. We learned in the last episode that he truly believes in the cause.
Also, that knowledge is his ace in the hole if all else fells. Probably to be used to keep himself from being executed.
It should also be noted that this origin would create a nice contrast between the origins of Amon and him. Amon abandoned his family. While the Lieutenant was abandoned by his family.
For bonus points is the likelihood he was named after Sokka. Sokka was a member of Republic City council for a time and Lin likely know him well as a family friend, given that her mother was good friends with him and he was Tenzin's uncle.
And just to twist the knife further, the reason he is not an earthbender is not that he is a non-bender, but instead he is latent airbender from his father's side. The Korra series had shown us that for a airbender to bend air they not only have to have the affinity for it, but also have a specific mindset. And not many people would notice a genlte wind. And even the Lieutenant ever did slightly airbend, he would likely chalk it up to it just being the wind.
Edited by PaulCousins