Is The Terminal List: Dark Wolf anti-woke? Creator Jack Carr addresses label

Ever since The Terminal List: Dark Wolf has been released on Prime Video, it is clear that the noise that comes with it is not just about action sequences and Navy SEAL gut.

The question on many lips is whether the show is "anti-woke." Fans debate endlessly, critics have been raising their eyebrows, and the creator himself, Jack Carr, stepped in to clear the air.

His answer? The show is not built on politics at all. It is built on loyalty to the books and respect for military experiences.

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The roots of the “anti-woke” debate for The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf is a prequel diving into the backstory of Ben Edwards, played by Taylor Kitsch. The show follows his transition from Navy SEALs into CIA Special Ops, all wrapped in the tone fans loved in Season 1 of The Terminal List. But along with the action has come a label that the franchise has been carrying since day one, i.e., "anti-woke."

So where did this label come from? The original show did not adjust its characters or plot to insert diversity that wasn't in Jack Carr's novels. That choice alone was enough for critics to brand it as a pushback against modern Hollywood trends. Some reviews were sharp.

The Daily Beast once called the show "an unhinged right-wing revenge fantasy." The labels, however, never scratched the show's popularity and now The Terminal List: Dark Wolf has shot up Prime Video's streaming numbers within days of release.

Jack Carr has been very clear about his stance. Speaking to Fox News, he said that critics often misinterpret what they see:

"We don't mention right, left, conservative, liberal, none of those things are even mentioned. But they see an American flag and they get upset."

For Carr, the goal was never to push an ideology but to create something veterans could sit down and recognize as real.

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Jack Carr’s defense: “It’s not woke or anti-woke”

When asked directly about the "anti-woke" tag, Carr has given the same answer over the years: It doesn't apply. Back in 2022, he said,

"We didn't make it for critics. What's important to me and to Chris Pratt was that we made something that would speak to those members of the military who went down range over the last 20 years so they could sit down and say, 'These guys put in the work and made a show that speaks to me.'"

As he put it simply, the series is not about pleasing everyone; it's about respect for those who lived it.

Chris Pratt has the same stance in his own words. Talking to Collider, Pratt explained,

"We're making a show. We're making it authentic, and if you don't like it, it's just not for you, and that's okay."

This sentiment has been consistent: the production prioritized military detail, realistic gear, and raw storytelling instead of trimming content to match trends or soften impact.

This push for accuracy in The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, combined with unapologetic storytelling, has been mistaken for politics. Carr, however, insists the show is not in that fight.

He had further told Fox News a couple of years ago,

"There's no 'woke' or 'anti-woke...but just because there's not this 'woke' stuff that's shoved into it, then it's perceived — by critics, at least — as not promoting their agenda, so they're going to hate it."

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The Terminal List: Dark Wolf has been stamped "anti-woke" by critics, but Jack Carr rejects the label outright. For him and for Chris Pratt, the mission was never political. It was to create an authentic, gripping story rooted in military life, one that veterans could see themselves in.

Whether the audience calls The Terminal List: Dark Wolf "anti-woke" or simply refreshing, the series has made its mark, proving that sometimes staying true to a story is enough to spark a cultural storm.

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