Peter's best friend is reimagined as Nico Minoru (voiced by Asian actress Grace Song), and the supporting high school cast emphasizes broad ethnic and gender diversity, as seen in the poster’s bus scene with multiple non-white students. Showrunner Jeff Trammell, a Black writer, stated his explicit goal was to ensure “New York felt inclusive and representative of present day New York” with “all types of people, colors and creeds” and to carry forward “proper representation” from prior work.

Voice actor Hudson Thames publicly expressed initial fear the show would be “annoying and woke,” highlighting awareness of the intent. Audience reception includes widespread fan criticism labeling the changes as forced DEI and “woke nonsense,” with some reviews defending the swaps as adding depth while others note queer elements and identity-focused subplots. These alterations influence character dynamics and world-building without making identity politics the central plot driver of Peter’s origin story or Norman mentorship arc.