Is We Can Be Heroes woke?
Movie · 2020
We Can Be Heroes has a wokeness score of 5/10, which we rate as Socially Conscious. Clear woke themes are present and intentional, but feel balanced and organic to the story. The message supports the plot and characters rather than dominating them.
Key points
- Multicultural cast with Latinx, Asian, Black, and mixed leads presented as natural team members.
- Wheelchair-using character integrated without disability-focused messaging or tokenism.
- Strong female roles and diverse family structures emphasized in reviews as intentional inclusion.
Wokeness analysis
We Can Be Heroes (2020), directed by Robert Rodriguez, centers on a group of children with superpowers teaming up to rescue their captured superhero parents from aliens. The plot emphasizes teamwork, courage, and self-belief in a family-friendly adventure tied to Rodriguez's earlier Sharkboy and Lavagirl film. Wokeness elements appear through intentional casting for diversity, featuring a multicultural ensemble of young leads including Latinx (YaYa Gosselin as Missy Moreno, Pedro Pascal as her father), Asian (Sung Kang, Akira Akbar), Black (Isaiah Russell-Bailey), and other ethnic backgrounds, alongside a wheelchair-using character (Wheels) portrayed without framing disability as a flaw to overcome. Reviews from sources like CBR and NBC News highlight the 'organically diverse' cast and representation of BIPOC characters as strengths, with Rodriguez himself noting his goal of creating opportunities for people of color and reflecting varied families. The inclusion of strong female figures like Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Ms. Granada and multiple empowered mothers adds gender balance. These aspects feel integrated into the story of kids uniting despite differences but are highlighted by critics as deliberate progressive representation rather than purely organic to the narrative. No heavy-handed lectures on identity politics, systemic issues, or social justice dominate; the focus remains on action, humor, and escapism. The messaging supports themes of unity and leadership without overshadowing entertainment, placing it in the noticeable but balanced category. Conservative-leaning critiques might view the emphasis on diversity as subtle pandering common in modern family films, though it avoids didacticism.
Plot
In We Can Be Heroes, alien invaders capture Earth's team of superheroes known as the Heroics. Their children, including Missy Moreno (daughter of Marcus Moreno, played by Pedro Pascal), are gathered at a safe facility. Missy, who lacks powers, rallies the superpowered kids—such as stretchy Noodles, time-manipulating twins Rewind and Fast Forward, singing-powered A-Capella, and wheelchair-using genius Wheels—to escape and rescue their parents. The group learns to combine abilities and work as a team. A twist reveals the invasion was a test orchestrated by Ms. Granada (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) to train the next generation. The 100-minute PG-rated Netflix film, released December 25, 2020, mixes action, comedy, and family themes as a spiritual sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
Analyzed by AI on September 10, 2026