Amazon series The Boys has become one of the most popular and wild shows in the streaming world. Based on the comic series from Garth Ennis, it takes place in a world where superheroes are corporate-owned sociopaths, and a covert group of humans seek to expose them to the world as the villains they are.
The Boys is a violent, intense, and hilarious ride that fits so much into each episode. There are no doubt things that viewers are missing with the show's blend of genre commentary, real-world details, and nods to the source material. If the wait for Season 3 is too long to bear, try a rewatch and keep your eye out for these subtle details.
Simon Pegg
Jack Quaid provides a great lead performance as Hughie, a mild-mannered young man roped into this crazy and dangerous world. In a few Season 1, Hughie’s father is featured in a few episodes, played by Simon Pegg. Not only is it always fun to see Pegg pop up, but it is also a fun nod to the comics.
The comics Hughie had his look based on a Pegg, who was apparently quite flattered. Pegg was attached to the adaptation for a while but by the time the show started, he was deemed too old for a major part.
Justice League
At the center of the superhero world is a group of supes known as the Seven. Just like in the comics, these characters and their abilities bear a striking resemblance to the iconic DC superhero team, the Justice League.
The group’s leader, Homelander, is a clear stand-in for Superman; Queen Maeve is a take on Wonder Woman; Black Noir is Batman; A-Train is the Flash; and the Deep is obviously Aquaman. The comics feature a character known as Jack of Jupiter, a take on Martian Manhunter, though he was replaced with Translucent.
Black Noir's Weakness
One of the most mysterious members of the Seven is Black Noir. The silent masked supe is a formidable warrior and seems to be virtually indestructible. However, Queen Maeve exposes a major vulnerability for him that is actually surprisingly simple.
When saving Starlight from Black Noir, Maeve shoves an Almond Joy down his throat and when he collapses, she explains he has a nut allergy. This is actually something that was written into the show because actor Nathan Mitchell has that same allergy.
Stormfront
One of the most memorable additions to Season 2 was the character of Stormfront, a very powerful supe who becomes the newest member of the Seven. At first, she seems like someone who might be able to shake things up with the team, but then her true evil nature is revealed.
It turns out that Stormfront is actually very old and one of the first supes. She is also a full-blown Nazi and wants to bring back some of those evil beliefs into the world. But perhaps her villainous identity was not hidden as well as we thought as Stormfront is also the name of an infamous online message board for neo-Nazis.
Music Shirts
The musical tastes of the characters come up regularly in the series and some of the characters show their love of certain artists through their clothing. But this could also speak to deeper character development.
Throughout the show, Mother's Milk is seen wearing various hip-hop shirts, always of groups rather than solo artists. Conversely, Hughie initially wears shirts depicting solo artists but gradually begins wearing ones with groups as he becomes more ingrained in Butcher's team.
Stormfront And Epstein
While the show deals with superheroes capable of amazing things, it also comments on our own society in a variety of ways. A lot of the storylines address cultural and societal events that feel very current, while also throwing in a few hidden gags about our modern times.
In a brief moment that many overlooked, a file on Stormfront shows that she was responsible for the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was the financier and suspected sex trafficker with links to some powerful people. His death in prison became the subject of a lot of conspiracy theories.
Church Of The Collective
A funny subplot in Season 2 involves the Deep joining a religious group known as the Church of the Collective. This group promises to put him on the path of redemption and improve his public perception, but they end up being quite controlling.
The group is a fictionized and satirical invention of the show, but some fans have pointed out its similarities to the Church of Scientology. That organization has also been known to have celebrities among its membership while also touting several controversies.
Comic Book Cameos
Though the spirit of the comics is captured faithfully in the show, it has also departed from the source material quite a bit. This includes forgoing the inclusion of several characters from the comics whom fans were no doubt eager to see.
However, some of these characters do get the chance to show up in brief mentions and even some clever cameos. The fan-favorite character of Tech Knight is mentioned in Season 1; the Seven member Jack from Jupiter shows up in an adult film; and the character of Love Sausage makes an unforgettable cameo where he fights Mother's Milk in a graphic way.
Girls Get It Done
The show constantly has fun with the superhero genre, which is very prevalent in movies today. One example of this is the "Girls Get it Done" initiative seen throughout Season 2 featuring the female supes. This culminates in the females teaming up to deliver a brutal beatdown to Stormfront.
As it turns out, this was a direct shout-out to the female superhero team-up from Avengers: Endgame. While showrunner Eric Kripke admits to enjoying the MCU, he found the moment pandering and created the moment of the female heroes beating up Stormfront as a reaction to that.
Dawn Of The Seven
In a much more direct spoof of the superhero genre, members of the Seven all star in their own superhero films as part of the Vought Cinematic Universe. This culminates in the team-up movie, "Dawn of the Seven." The title is clearly a play on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice but that's not where the similarities end.
While pitching the film, the director mentions a score by Hans Zimmer, who scored Zack Snyder's DCEU films. There is also mention of a "Joss rewrite" hinting at the well-publicized fact that Joss Whedon took over Justice League from Zack Snyder.