Warning! SPOILERS for The Boys season 2 ahead.
The Boys showrunner, Eric Kripke, explains the twist surrounding Stormfront (Aya Cash) revealed at the end of season 2, episode 3. The first three episodes of The Boys season 2 are now available on Amazon Prime, and the rest of season 2 will release every Friday throughout September and October. The popular Amazon web series is a spin on the superhero genre that tackles dark themes and features gruesome, bloody action sequences. The Boys is also known for confronting of social issues and controversial topics, including sexual assault and racism.
When the The Boys season 2 first dropped, fans were introduced to Aya Cash’s Stormfront. Initially, she seemed to offer a fresh perspective to The Seven’s misogynistic and problematic attitudes, as she appeared to be a feminist with a huge social media following. But as audiences reach the end of episode 3, they see Stormfront reveal her true colors - she passes through an apartment building in order to get the Kenji, or the Super Terrorist, and kills every single person of color she sees. She then happily slaughters Kenji, snapping his neck and calling him a “yellow bastard” while his sister Kimiko watches helplessly.
This twist is a surprising one for Stormfront’s character, and recently, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke explained the reveal in an interview with The Wrap. He described Stormfront as being representative of how white supremacy and nationalism are often presented in savvy and friendly packages online to attract young people and turn them towards hate. Read an excerpt of the interview below.
“We sort of intentionally misdirected that in the beginning [of Season 2] for the frankly disturbing reason that, if you look at a lot of nationalism and white supremacy these days, it’s online. It couches itself in very savvy, friendly terms to attract young people. And we wanted to reflect that, because hate doesn’t come at you with a big neon sign that says, ‘Hey, we’re hate.’ They come at you in pretty insidious and attractive packages because they know how social media works. So we wanted a character that when you first met her you’d be like, ‘Oh, wow. What a free thinker. She’s so attractive and interesting.’ And then you sort of reveal that she’s peddling the same s–t that people have been peddling for a thousand years."
It is safe to say that Kripke’s purposeful misdirection with Stormfront in The Boys season 2 was set up very well. Not only was Stormfront gender-swapped for the TV show, she seemed to be a threat to Homelander both in terms of physicality and mindset. This diverted expectations and seemed to offer a character who could bring about change in Vought. Now, with her racist tendencies revealed and having traumatized Kimiko, a showdown between the two female characters seems to be in store for season 2, as is a power struggle between Stormfront and Homelander.
At a time when the superhero genre is trying to approach darker themes, The Boys raises the bar on dealing with social issues and problematic characters. The topic of sexual assault was well-executed and handled even better than the comics in season 1, and now it will be interesting to see how Kripke and other creators of The Boys will handle racial inequality. However, it may be difficult for the showrunners to provide a detailed commentary on modern-day racism, especially those found online, in a way that is both true to reality and understandable and in tune with the show’s satirical atmosphere.
Source: The Wrap