Diverse casting includes prominent POC actors like Zoe Saldana, CCH Pounder, and Laz Alonso voicing motion-captured Na'vi characters, adding incidental representation that aligns with modern diversity norms but feels organic to the alien tribe without clashing source material. James Cameron openly described the film as political, critiquing foreign policy, war, and capitalism, later tying it to indigenous activism.

However, these elements are not centrally driven by contemporary identity politics, DEI mandates, or social justice activism; there's no race/gender-swapping, LGBTQ+ focus, gender fluidity, or lectures on systemic barriers tied to human identities like race or gender. Progressives criticized the 'white savior' trope (paraplegic Marine Jake Sully leading the Na'vi), diluting any pure ideological push, while conservatives decried anti-military tones without invoking 'woke.' No significant audience backlash labeled it woke or tied to 'go woke go broke'; it achieved massive broad appeal as spectacle-driven entertainment.