The film gender-swaps the established comic character Ajak from male leader to female (played by Salma Hayek), a change explicitly tied to diversity goals. Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is portrayed as a married gay man with a husband and young son; their family life and his rediscovery of faith in humanity through this relationship form a central emotional subplot and motivation for rejoining the team, marking the MCU's first on-screen gay superhero family with a same-sex kiss and domestic scenes integrated into the narrative.

Director Chloé Zhao and producer Kevin Feige highlighted the inclusion as intentional representation, with Feige calling it "just the start" of such elements. These choices sit alongside a heavily promoted diverse ensemble that includes a deaf Makkari, but the gender swap and queer family arc elevate the ideological framing beyond incidental background casting.