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We Can Be Heroes
Movie

We Can Be Heroes

2020 • Animation, Action, Comedy

Woke Score
5
out of 10

Plot

When alien invaders kidnap Earth's superheroes, their kids are whisked away to a government safe house. But whip-smart tween Missy Moreno will stop at nothing to rescue her superhero dad, Marcus Moreno. Missy teams up with the rest of the superkids to escape their mysterious government babysitter, Ms. Granada. If they're going to save their parents, they'll have to work together by using their individual powers - from elasticity to time control to predicting the future - and form an out-of-this-world team.

Overall Series Review

The movie is a family-friendly superhero adventure that centers on the children of Earth's greatest heroes, The Heroics, who must rescue their parents from alien invaders. The main thrust of the story is the 'Adults Are Useless' trope, as all the grown-up heroes are quickly captured, leaving the super-powered kids to save the day. The protagonist, Missy Moreno, is a non-powered Hispanic girl who leads the diverse team of children, succeeding not through physical strength, but through her intellect and strategic leadership. The plot involves escaping a government-managed safe house led by the intimidating Ms. Granada, a major adult antagonist. The film concludes with a twist revealing the entire crisis was a staged test by the parents to prepare their children to take over. The narrative heavily promotes themes of teamwork, generational change, and celebrating diversity over traditional forms of power or authority.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics7/10

The casting is explicitly diverse, positioning a non-powered Hispanic girl as the strategic leader who unites a team of super-powered children. The powerful, generic white male hero archetype is quickly defeated and rendered useless in the main conflict. The film establishes a clear intersectional dynamic where the intellect of a non-powered minority female is superior to the physical strength of others, including established white male heroes.

Oikophobia3/10

The government institution responsible for the heroes (The Heroics Program) is initially framed as antagonistic, and a major adult authority figure, Ms. Granada, is positioned as a villain, suggesting a mistrust of established institutions. This vilification is heavily mitigated by a plot twist, revealing the crisis was a staged training exercise created by the children's parents, reframing the action as a celebration of family and generational transfer of power rather than an attack on Western civilization.

Feminism7/10

The core protagonist, Missy Moreno, is instantly perfect as a leader and strategist, fitting the 'Girl Boss' trope by succeeding entirely through intellect and will while the adult male heroes are sidelined by capture. Her ability to lead a team of super-powered individuals without having powers herself elevates her above all other characters, male and female. The strong positive portrayal of father Marcus Moreno and the pro-natalist theme of generational succession slightly temper the overall high score.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative contains no explicit centering of alternative sexualities or gender ideology. The focus is entirely on a diverse group of children, their superpowers, teamwork, and the traditional male-female family units of the parents (e.g., Sharkboy and Lavagirl) as a normative structure.

Anti-Theism1/10

The film's themes are entirely secular, dealing with superpowers, aliens, government, and family. There is no presence of traditional religion, faith, or spiritual themes, and therefore no opportunity for hostility toward them. The moral framework is a secular one of objective good (saving the world) and bad (villains/aliens).