Butterfly

The show shifts the original comic's European setting to South Korea to highlight Asian and Asian American representation. The cast features a predominantly Asian and Asian American lineup, led by Daniel Dae Kim. This casting was a deliberate choice by the creators to promote diversity on screen rather than a purely story-driven necessity.

The series does not contain heavy political lectures or active social justice dialogue. The characters speak in normal ways for a spy thriller. They focus on survival, secrets, and family conflict rather than political agendas.

The narrative explores themes of identity, estrangement, and family loyalty within an Asian American context. While the plot follows a standard cat-and-mouse spy chase, the creators intentionally use the characters' cultural backgrounds to shape their relationships and emotional struggles.

The show features a corrupt private intelligence agency called Caddis as the main villain. This is a common trope in spy fiction and does not offer a deep critique of Western systems, whiteness, or patriarchy. The corrupt behavior is treated as individual greed rather than systemic failure.

The show makes major changes to the original comic book source material. The setting moves from Europe to South Korea. The characters are changed from white Westerners to Asian Americans. The creators openly stated that these changes were made to explore Asian American identity and provide more diverse roles.

There has been no notable anti-woke backlash or complaints from right-leaning viewers about this series. Audiences and critics treated it as a standard action thriller, and its cancellation was met with disappointment rather than political debate.

The creative team is a mix of apolitical professionals and progressive advocates. Co-creator Steph Cha and casting director Julia Kim are highly active in promoting diversity and equity. Producer Daniel Dae Kim also advocates for Asian representation. Other writers and directors have standard, apolitical backgrounds.