When writer Garth Ennis and illustrator Darick Robertson decided to create a comic book about corrupt superheroes, they probably had no idea that it would one day be adapted into a hit series. That might be the reason why they kept the plot so dark. Luckily, the R-Rated nature of the comic book didn't prevent it from attracting interest from the right parties.
A couple of changes were made while adapting the comics into the Amazon Prime series. The changes don't alter the plot in a major way but they are impossible to miss for fans of the comics. While some of the changes can be seen as an improvement, some are dull, hence making the comics appear better. Here are the best and worst changes.
Best: Making The Boys "Powerless"
In the Amazon series, The Boys don't have any special powers. They are simply brave humans who are skilled in fighting techniques and weapons handling. The only exception to this is Kimiko aka The Female.
The Boys get access to the serum Compound V in the comics, hence they become as equally powered as The Seven. This cuts out the excitement. In the series, The Boys are logically weaker hence the odds are against them. This makes it easy to root for them as the underdogs. In the comics, it's a fair fight.
Worst: Flight 37's Story
One of the saddest moments in the series happens when Homelander allows Flight 37, which is full of children, to crush. To top that, he uses the tragedy to generate public interest to the idea of using Vought International’s heroes in the military. While the story serves to highlight Homelander's personality, it isn't quite as good as the one in the comics.
In the comics, The Seven managed to intercept a plane that has been hijacked by terrorists. Interestingly, the plane is heading for the Twin Towers. The terrorists are killed but the Supes fail to put the plane safely on the ground, so it crashes into the Brooklyn Bridge. Vought then tries to cover up the failure of the heroes.
Best: Giving Stan Edgar A Face
In the comics, the CEO of Vought is a man named Mr. Edgar. He is only mentioned but never seen. It is later mentioned that he has died. James Stillwell then nominates someone to take his place.
In the series, Stan Edgar is introduced later in Season 1 as the CEO of Vought International. After the death of Madelyn, Stan becomes even more involved in the daily operations of the company. This is a brilliant move because of the casting decision. Giancarlo Esposito, who never goes wrong while playing villains, gives an amazing performance as the overarching antagonist.
Worst: Making Hughie Less Tougher
The producers of the Amazon Prime decided to alter Hughie's appearance as well as his personality. In the comics, he is shorter, muscular and bald. In the series, Hughie is quite tall and he has plenty of hair too. While there's nothing bad to say about his appearance, his personality leaves little to be desired.
Hughie is often conflicted in the series. Despite getting tougher in the second season, he still has reservations about taking extreme measures for the greater good. The Hughie in the comics is much tougher. He doesn't hesitate to kill when he needs to. He also adapts to life with The Boys much faster.
Best: Kimiko's Background Story
Kimiko aka The Female happens to be a younger child in the comics. She accidentally swallows Compound V and gains unlimited powers. She can't communicate properly but she always helps The Boys whenever they need her.
The series grants her a better background story. She is said to have been a child soldier who was forcefully injected with the Compound V serum by the senior solders. How did they get Compound V? Well, Vought International was shopping it to terrorists for profit, and also because they just liked the idea of a world full of supervillains.
Worst: Mallory's Relationship With Butcher
CIA agent Mallory gets a gender swap in the series. In the comics, there is Greg Mallory, an army vet who joined the CIA and helped create The Boys. In the series, there is Grace Mallory, the former Deputy Director of the CIA.
While both versions work with Billy Butcher, their relationship is more intense in the comics. They fight a lot and constantly differ on the direction that The Boys should take. Eventually, Greg stops working with the vigilantes. In the series, the relationship between Grace and Billy is more amicable, thus providing fewer tense moments.
Best: A-Train And Popclaw's Relationship
While A-Train And Popclaw's relationship in the series is a tragic one, the two didn't date at all in the comics. They were rarely even in the same place together.
The decision to make them date is a good one because the series has very few love stories. Most characters are interested in satisfying their sexual needs than pursuing love. Sadly, A-Train kills Popclaw to prevent her from exposing his dependence on Compound V. It's definitely tragic but it helps in making A-Train a stronger villainous character.
Worst: Making The Deep A Sexual Predator
The Deep is the most mature member of The Seven in the comics. He is a business savvy man with plenty of wisdom and is seen giving advice to his colleagues on several occasions.
Sadly, he gets turned into a sexual predator early on in the series. He sexually assaults Starlight, who used to look up to him before she joined The Seven. In the comics, it is Homelander, A-Train, and Black Noir who sexually assault Starlight. The Deep never commits any horrific crimes
Best: New And Improved Supes
The Amazon series added new corrupt superheroes that comic readers weren't familiar with. The three notable ones were Translucent, Ezekiel, and Mesmer.
Ezekiel is a actually an altered version of the Oh Father from the comics who had pedophilic tendencies. Refraining from including a pedophilic priest was definitely a good decision as it possibly would have triggered plenty of controversy. Translucent also appears to have been inspired by the alien-like and perverted comic character Jack From Jupiter. As for Mesmer, he is a totally new character.
Worst: Becca's Fate
The reason Butcher comes off as fierce and determined early on the series is because of the sexual assault and implied death of his wife Becca at the hands of Homelander. Viewers get a twist later on when it turns out that Becca is alive and she has Homelander's super-powered child. The fact that she is alive creates complications because Butcher mostly wanted to avenge her death.
This takes away the major factor that's driving Butcher. He thus needs a justification for everything he does going forward. He can't just be evil for no reason. In the comics, Becca died after her encounter with Homelander, giving Butcher something to drive him for the entirety of the plot.