The Equalizer

Queen Latifah plays Robyn McCall as the prominent competent black female lead in a gender and race swapped version of the original white male character. The core cast includes multiple black actors in key family and law enforcement roles. Marketing and reviews repeatedly frame this as a milestone for black women in action leads.

The pilot includes direct dialogue where Robyn tells her black daughter that society’s odds do not favor black girls and warns against giving the world reasons to marginalize her. Some episodes add references to systemic issues and inequality.

The premise follows a black single mother vigilante helping the downtrodden and people who fall through the cracks, frequently from minority or marginalized groups. Early storylines tie personal redemption to broader community and racial challenges.

Robyn operates outside police and government rules because the system fails vulnerable people. Coverage notes emphasis on systemic forces, corporations, and inequality, plus a black detective character chafing against the system, timed with post-2020 social commentary.

The iconic Robert McCall from the original series and films is reimagined as Robyn McCall, a black female former CIA operative and single mother. The change was publicly discussed and marketed as a deliberate reimagining to feature a black woman in the role.

Viewers and critics on social media, Reddit, Metacritic, and sites like Breitbart complained about the race and gender swap as DEI casting, called it woke propaganda, and criticized physical miscasting in action scenes along with messaging that favors minority characters and systemic critiques.

Queen Latifah as star and executive producer has a record of centering black female empowerment and has publicly acknowledged her female partner while expressing Pride support. The reboot development and marketing stressed representation. Other key creators show minimal activist history.