Established comic characters receive gender swaps, such as the male Lucifer becoming female (Gwendoline Christie) and the male Lucien becoming female Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong). Desire is portrayed by non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park, amplifying fluid gender themes.

Most pointedly, the trans character Wanda is retained and integrated into the 'Brief Lives' arc (replacing a minor role), played by trans actor Indya Moore, with added dialogue on coming-out struggles and family rejection to foreground identity. The showrunner explicitly cited fears of 'trans erasure' accusations and conservative backlash as reasons for inclusion despite skipping the original 'A Game of You' arc.

Audience and reviewer backlash highlights 'male hate,' 'heavy-handed virtue signaling,' 'DEI forcing,' and 'woke agenda' dominating subplots, with Metacritic users calling it a 'cliché of woke ideology' that distracts from the story. While the core premise remains Dream's familial and prophetic conflicts, these elements are prominent, intentional, and central to reception, reflecting activist framing layered onto the fantasy.