Taboo

Representation / casting choices

Tom Hardy, a white actor, plays the mixed-heritage lead whose indigenous mother ties into the backstory; this drew isolated online complaints of mismatch, though supporting cast uses period-appropriate actors without modern diversity quotas or signaling.

Political / ideological dialogue

Some characters denounce the East India Company's greed and crimes, but these remain personal and business conflicts within the 1814 setting rather than ideological speeches or activist framing.

Identity-driven story themes

Delaney's mixed background and "savage" rumors from his Africa years add to his outsider mystique and gothic tone, serving revenge and atmosphere rather than identity affirmation or modern social themes.

Institutional / cultural critique

The East India Company appears as a corrupt, murderous corporate power complicit in slavery and exploitation alongside working-class hardship; this stays historical anti-tyranny storytelling without reframing into current activist critiques of capitalism, patriarchy, or Western institutions.