The Boys FINALLY Rules Out The Comics’ Black Noir Twist

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3's finale

Chances were pretty slim already, but The Boys season 3's finale conclusively rules out the comic books' Black Noir clone twist. Amazon's The Boys broadly adapts Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic books, but enjoys ample creative freedom along the way. As season 3 has now proven, that freedom even extends to the story's ending. The Boys' closing comic volumes pit Billy Butcher against Homelander at the White House, but their fated battle is interrupted by Black Noir, who shockingly unmasks to reveal himself as a Homelander clone. From the very beginning, it was Noir committing Homelander's darkest deeds, including the assault on Becca Butcher.

The Boys season 3 veered away from that plot twist by confirming Black Noir as a Black man called Earving. Viewers saw him conspiring with Stan Edgar while in Payback, getting burned by Soldier Boy in Nicaragua, and standing loyally by Homelander's side in the Seven. Through those backstory details alone, The Boys very strongly indicated that Black Noir was no Clone-lander.

Nevertheless, the twist wasn't completely killed by Earving's unmasking. Badly injured and gasping for breath, maybe, but not left for dead. Vought merely had to abduct Black Noir quietly between The Boys seasons 3 & 4 (easily done with a nutty snack) then seamlessly switch him for a Homelander doppelganger. Thanks to The Boys season 3's finale, however, such loopholes are forever closed.

Why The Boys' Black Noir Twist Is Impossible After Season 3

The boys why black noir removed his chip

Soldier Boy's shocking declaration of fatherhood might flip Homelander's world upside-down, but knowing Black Noir hid the truth hurts infinitely more. Noir was Homelander's only ally when the latter debuted as a superhero (see The Boys Presents: Diabolical) and they share a unique friendship uncharacteristic of the Seven's brutal leader. Plagued by the trauma of growing up in a loveless lab without parents, however, Homelander's twisted mind perceives Black Noir's literal and figurative silence as the reason he didn't have a daddy. The patriotic brute barely hesitates as he executes his best friend with one punch through the gut.

Let's hypothetically imagine Black Noir had been killed by Billy Butcher down a dark alley with no witnesses. Vought could've swept up the body and replaced Noir with a Homelander clone without anyone realizing. Even Butcher might've assumed Noir's wounds recovered. But because Homelander kills Noir himself, knowing with absolute certainty that his friend is deceased, Vought can never sneak a secret clone into the Seven under Black Noir's mask.

And just to make doubly sure the Black Noir comic twist is impossible, The Boys season 3's finale confirms Homelander's x-ray vision actually penetrates Noir's mask. Even if Vought could still hide a clone in the Seven (by somehow convincing Homelander that his pal survived total disembowelment...?) the Seven leader would immediately spy his own chiseled face staring straight through Neo-Noir's mask. If The Boys had any intention of adapting Noir's original ending, that mask would've been zinc-lined and impossible to x-ray from the very beginning.

Why The Boys Is Right To Ignore Noir's Comic Twist

The Boys: Black Noir's Animated Backstory Explained By Showrunner

Not only does ruling out Black Noir's clone twist ensure an unpredictable ending for comic readers and TV-only viewers alike, but The Boys' change of direction wisely keeps its villain focus firmly on Homelander. Revealing the Seven leader's worst crimes were actually committed by a secret clone somewhat dilutes Homelander's evil journey, not to mention the intensity of his feud with Billy Butcher. Simplifying the source material to keep Homelander responsible for everything makes his rivalry with Butcher much more powerful.

A Snow White-esque, almond-avoiding Black Noir also works much better for live-action than an authentic comic version would've. The Boys season 3 turns Noir into a multi-faceted, deeply tragic hero in his own right, rather than just an anonymous blank face designed for a last minute rug-pull. More significantly, Noir's death means Homelander has finally gone properly rogue ahead of The Boys season 4. With Stan Edgar, Stormfront and Black Noir all gone, no one in The Boys holds any measure of psychological control over Homelander's violent impulses. That's... not ideal.