The Boys is unafraid to include satirical barbs in its blackly comic second season, and even mocks the controversial Church of Scientology and its most vocal proponent, Tom Cruise, via The Deep's Church of the Collective storyline. Since its debut last year, The Boys has made a name for itself as one of TV's most brutal and unapologetic satires. The violent, clever adaptation of Garth Ennis' cult comic series of the same name parodies the phenomenally popular superhero genre by introducing a team of seven deeply flawed, cynical, and sometimes sociopathic "supes" and the titular vigilante anti-heroes out to take them down.
The critically-acclaimed first season of The Boys uses pitch-black humor to take aim at everything from celebrity culture to pharmaceutical industry corruption, and already season 2 has pushed boundaries even further than its predecessor. One of this season's most notable new arrivals, Aya Cash's Stormfront, is a neo-Nazi superhero whose very name is a reference to a prominent real-life white supremacist web forum whose members have claimed responsibility for numerous atrocities in recent decades.
But the show isn't always so obviously pointed in its satire. At times The Boys opts for a more subtle approach, such as the second season's veiled parody of Tom Cruise's controversial religion (or cult, according to some). The show's Church of the Collective can be read as a satirical riff on the real-life Church of Scientology, and their promises to save both the soul and public image of The Deep has dark parallels with Cruise's time in the Church of Scientology. The real-life institution is famously litigious; The Boys wisely opted to follow the example of Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, which changed details of Scientology to make its inspiration less obvious. The show's creator (and Screen Rant) is quick to note that these similarities may be entirely coincidental and have nothing to do with satirizing (or condemning) the practices of Scientology.
The Deep Mocks Tom Cruise's Scientology Journey
The Deep's season 2 arc sees the disgraced former Seven hero hitting rock bottom — and being plucked up by the Church of the Collective. From the first episode of season 2, the show establishes The Church of the Collective as an institution bent on building power and influence by finding prominent public figures and offering to rehab their image (and mortal soul) in exchange for both money and their public support. The Deep is specifically targeted when he's at his lowest ebb, drunk, alone, disowned by Vought, and all-but-ignored by the public. The Deep is a more complicated character than he initially appeared, and seems genuinely repentant for his season 1 actions, but unfortunately, his "salvation" comes from a church who immediately demands fealty from him while dismissing therapy as destructive and unnecessary. These practices are both claims often leveled at the Church of Scientology — and the latter, Tom Cruise is remembered for repeating in public.
After The Deep's (Patton-Oswalt-voiced) gills speak to him and bring him to an epiphany about his misogyny, the Church convinces the Deep into an arranged marriage with another Church member — all in the name of rehabilitating his public image. The Deep's subsequent attitude toward his newfound paramour is reminiscent of Tom Cruise's attitude toward Katie Holmes, with whom the actor professed he was madly in love during the pair's very public courtship. The Deep's press tour is a toned-down version of Cruise's infamous couch-bouncing Oprah appearance, while the interviewing process throughout the preceding episode is intended to illustrate that the entire affair is a carefully constructed PR stunt designed to boost membership of the Church — with the supe's eventual match being picked out of a literal line-up.
The Boys Introduces Its Own Version of Supe Scientology
The Boys treads carefully with its satirical comparisons between the Church of the Collective and Scientology, offering its own unique version of the (in)famous religion. The fictional Church's powerful nature and questionable tactics are reminiscent of The Church of Scientology; for example, the latter has been accused of using underhanded means to gain blackmail fodder on their most prominent members, according to King of Queens actor Leah Remini, a former member who now campaigns against the institution. Scientology is also an intimidating and influential organization — not unlike The Boys' Church of the Collective, which seems to boast a significant amount of cultural clout.
There are numerous big differences between The Deep's adoption by the Church of the Collective and his likely celebrity inspiration Tom Cruise's love affair with Scientology, however. Obviously, The Boys features superhero celebrities rather than Hollywood actors. Furthermore, the Deep was established as one of the show's most morally-repugnant heroes (which is saying something in a show starring Homelander and Stormfront), having been introduced sexually assaulting Starlight in the first episode — after she admitted that she was a fan. Cruise's connection to Scientology began at the height of his blockbuster superstardom in the early nineties rather than in an attempt to win back public favor, and the actor hasn't been accused of anything as heinous as The Deep's onscreen behavior. But the show has been known to obfuscate specifics to make broader satirical points. For example, the series changed Stormfront from the recognizably fascist Nazi Übermensch of the source material into a likable, irreverent young woman to reflect the changing face of real-life far-right recruitment figures.
What This Could Mean For The Boys Season 3
After Vought, the Church could well be set up as the show's next major villains in season 3. Although Vought's history of superhero production offers the show plenty of room to satirize overpowered corporations, apathetic and corrupt politicians, and the pharmaceutical industry, in particular, it could be time for a fresh new villain to give the show renewed focus. Stormfront's obvious parody of nationalist far-right movements means that a scathing indictment of organized religion shouldn't be far behind. The show creator Eric Kripke was quick to distance the Church of the Collective from Scientology in one interview, noting that many organized religions are similarly corrupt and citing the example of Smallville star Allison Mack's involvement in the Nxivm "sex cult."
But whether The Boys takes the daring route and laser-focuses into criticisms of the Church of Scientology, or uses the Collective to make a broader satire of organized religion's attempts to maintain power in a changing world, the Church of the Collective would make for a compelling new villain in The Boys season 3. Despite numerous popular documentaries such as Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and Louis Theroux's My Scientology Movie taking Scientology to task, few prominent pieces of fiction have been willing to touch on the Church's growing influence, so The Boys could still be the first major show to offer a cutting critique of the institution in its upcoming third season (or at least, as cutting a critique of overpowered institutions as any Amazon-funded series can manage).