How to Train Your Dragon‘s live-action remake has an in-universe explanation for the film’s increased diversity, and it’s a perfect little expansion of the film’s lore and global appeal. The new take on the hit animated franchise brings Toothless, Hiccup, and the rest of Berk into live-action for the first time on the big-screen. Part of this fresh approach has been incorporating diversity into the cast of How to Train Your Dragon, with some notable characters like Astrid now played by actors of color instead of relying on an entirely Caucasian cast.

This has generated some controversy and push-back, which director Dean DeBlois has addressed during a How to Train Your Dragon media event attended by Screen Rant. It turns out that on top of Nico Parker earning the role of Astrid off her impressive take on the character, DeBlois and the rest of the creatives on the new film actually found natural ways to incorporate diversity into the world of the franchise and how Berk works.

How To Train Your Dragons New Birk Backstory Explains The Movie’s Added Diversity

Birk Is A New Haven For Warriors From Around The World

How to Train Your Dragon‘s 2025 live-action remake introduces a lore tweak to Birk’s backstory that perfectly explains the film’s larger sense of diversity. In the 2010 animated version, How to Train Your Dragon‘s viking population of Berk was portrayed as entirely Caucasian. However, the new film focuses on a version of Berk that is more culturally and racially diverse, with major supporting characters like Astrid and Fishlegs being portrayed by young actors of color. As explained by Dean DeBlois, this is because the new Berk has been established as a community of people brought together from around the world.

Berk is recast as a haven for all of the world’s greatest hunters and warriors, who have naturally stagnated just in time for Hiccup to shake things up by revealing the true nature and potential of dragons.

“If [dragons] were a menace to all these cultures,” DeBlois said, “that could be sort of the basis of them coming together for the purpose of wiping the dragons out. Then it gives a sense of urgency and purpose to the start of the story in Berk.” Coupled with DeBlois’ tease that this unification occurred generations before the events of the film, Berk is recast as a haven for all of the world’s greatest hunters and warriors, who have naturally stagnated just in time for Hiccup to shake things up by revealing the true nature and potential of dragons.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Diversity Reflects Real Life History

The Real Life Vikings Who Inspired How To Train Your Dragon Traveled The World

One of the interesting things about this tweak is that it does actually have some basis in real life. While Berk is set in a fantasy setting where the regular rules of history and location are far more fluid, the vikings that inspired them did explore the real world at large. For DeBlois, this served as inspiration for the new Berk. “The truth is, the Vikings did travel far and wide. They were on the Silk Road. They’re in the Far East. They’re in North Africa. They even had a name for North Africa, which is called Bláland.”

“They interacted with all of these cultures and traded with all of these cultures. So it makes sense.” There are historical accounts of vikigns trading with people from all across the planet, even taking up some crew members from different cultures. Berk is now enhanced by taking that idea to a logical conclusion, recruiting notable figures from all these locations in the name of making a truly exceptional viking culture. This gives the village of Berk a historical connection to the vikings as well as a natural reason to embrace hunters from around the world.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Diversity Makes Sense For 2025

A More Diverse Cast Makes Sense For A Modern Family Fantasy Epic

On a certain level, making the world of How to Train Your Dragon more diverse makes sense from a business perspective as well. The global success of the original animated films highlighted how the world at large embraces the story and themes of the franchise, but a live-action family fantasy epic with an entirely white cast isn’t reflective of growing diversity around the world. By casting major characters like Astrid with actors of different ethnicities, the film gains a natural universal appeal.

This can grant the film a greater global appeal, while also ensuring that more kinds of people see themselves repersented on screen. Astrid is a great example of this, given that the character is portrayed in the story as a capable warrior. DeBlois highlighted some of the changes made to Astrid beyond her ethnicity, explaining that she’s been preparing herself to someday take the role of Chief from Stoick when he steps down. This positions a young woman of color as a major leader in the community, a strong example of diversity being used to elevate a character’s aspirational qualities.

How To Train Your Dragon Underscores A Major Subplot By Being Diverse

Astrid’s Character Arc Works Better If She’s Not Played By A White Performer

That diversity for Astrid naturally underscores a new element to her arc. As DeBlois explained to the press, he always felt the original Astrid in How to Train Your Dragon was an underdeveloped character. While acknowledging her importance in the story and likable nature, DeBlois explained that “it felt like she was pretty thin, but she potentially had more [depth]. This was a chance to just get in there [and] to better understand why she’s got such an acrimonious relationship with Hiccup in the beginning.” Astrid’s natural ambition and well-trained talent doesn’t earn her the advantages that Hiccup gets.

This gives the film a clear allegory for minority groups facing up-hill battles to stand out against those with privileged backgrounds. “She’s worked really hard for the attention that she gets. She’s the kid [Stoick] would have loved to have had. Hiccup is never focused on this destiny. His mind goes elsewhere. He has the benefit of privilege. He’s the son of the chief, and so he coasts by. Astrid can really call him out on that.” This gives the natural diversity of the casting an effective way to play into the themes of Astrid’s arc.

How To Train Your Dragon’s Diversity Is A Net-Positive For The Movie

How To Train Your Dragon Works Better With A Diverse World Of Characters