The Boys Season 3 New Characters: Every Marvel & DC Parody Explained

Promotional material for The Boys season 3 has introduced audiences to multiple new characters, and it seems the parodies of Marvel and DC’s most popular properties are continuing in full inglorious force. The show, inspired by the comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is an ironic take on superheroes and what kinds of behaviors, good or bad, any of them might engage in when placed in tempting environments or vulnerable situations. For two seasons, The Boys has remained one of Prime Video’s most-streamed TV shows and received acclaim for its clever, and often shocking, portrayals of super-powered individuals. Part of its appeal has been the not-so-subtle similarities the characters have with some of the most popular personalities in the Marvel and DC catalogs, and The Boys season 3 looks to be adding quite a few new names to its roster.

With movies about comic book characters ubiquitous in pop culture, Marvel and DC superheroes have become much more recognizable to general audiences by their costumes and powers. The Boys has definitely leaned into that by giving its team of superheroes, referred to as The Seven, abilities and outfits that resemble many of the best-known figures in the comic book movie genre. The Seven is very much a parallel of DC’s Justice League, with its members being detestable versions of their DC counterparts to varying degrees. Marvel, too, is included in the perverted parallels, but The Seven is definitely what the Justice League would look like in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

While the first two seasons of The Boys have already taken aim at a respectable (or disrespectable, as the case may be) number of superheroes, season 3 has no shortage of new material. Characters that audiences are already familiar with will be developing new stories, of course, but The Boys season 3 will introduce new characters in another team of superheroes known as Payback. If The Seven is a satiric take on DC’s Justice League, then Payback is the subversive version of Marvel’s Avengers. The Boys plays on the fan-generated rivalry between both superhero squads by portraying them as clashing teams. Though the teams fight against each other, neither has many admirable qualities or consists of many honorable members. Similar to The Seven’s DC parallels, each member of Payback has a Marvel counterpart superhero that Stan Lee most likely would never have approved of. Here are all the new parodies of Marvel and DC characters to be introduced in The Boys season 3.

Soldier Boy (Captain America)

One of the most anticipated additions to The Boys' season 3 lineup is Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy. Soldier Boy is a patriotic leader who fought in World War II after being one of the original recipients of the superpower-inducing chemical Compound V. He was likely cryogenically frozen after the war and reanimated in the present day. It’s hard to miss the parallels between him and the leader of The Avengers, Captain America (played by Chris Evans in live-action). While Soldier Boy’s name might not scream “patriot” the way Homelander’s (Antony Starr) does, his outfit is extremely similar to Marvel’s star-spangled man with a plan. His helmet, shield, and tactical attire are basically dark green versions of what audiences saw Captain America donning in most of his cinematic appearances. Soldier Boy even sports facial hair similar to the beard Steve Rogers had toward the end of his MCU run. It remains to be seen just how patriotic Soldier Boy will behave on screen, but his comic book origins show him just as loyal to the country’s cause as Captain America–even if he's not nearly as noble or brave.

Crimson Countess (Scarlet Witch)

The Boys is also adding Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden) to the Payback team. While her powers of fire manipulation aren’t particularly similar to any of the classic members of The Avengers, her clothing and red hair make her an unmistakable reflection of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)–arguably with shades of Black Widow. Both characters even have a similar shade of red in their superhero moniker. Crimson Countess has also been romantically linked to the robotic superhero Mind-Droid. This romantic pairing bears something of a resemblance to the relationship between Scarlet Witch and the synthetic Avenger Vision. Though Crimson Countess’s similarities to Scarlet Witch don't seem to extend to her abilities, her superpowers on screen may differ a bit from the comics. In the trailer for The Boys season 3, there is a moment that seems to show her causing a statue (or possibly a person) to explode. This type of chaotic ability is similar to Scarlet Witch’s powers of Chaos Magic and reality manipulation shown both in the comics and in the MCU.

Supersonic (Quicksilver)

Not much is known about the character of Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva) in The Boys season 3 as he doesn’t appear in the comics. He is said to have had a relationship with Starlight (Erin Moriarty) before the events of the show, but his powers are not explicitly mentioned in any promotional material. However, with a name like “Supersonic,” it’s possible he is another speedster like A-Train (Jessie Usher) from The Seven. If that’s the case, and going with the fact that Payback is meant to be an Avengers parody, Marvel’s Quicksilver is definitely an easy comparison.

Blue Hawk (Ground Hawk) – (Wolverine)

Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler) is another character that doesn’t explicitly appear in The Boys comics, but it’s possible he’s a variation of one of the Payback team members named Ground Hawk, who did appear in the comics. Ground Hawk was meant to be a parody of Marvel’s Wolverine. The comic book character’s costume included headwear that was reminiscent of what Wolverine also wore in the comics. Both have an animal in their codename, and both land surprisingly brutal punches. While Wolverine has a skeleton laced with adamantium and claws that emit from his hands, Ground Hawk has hammers where his hands should be. The Boys season 3 has altered the character quite a bit to make him more realistic, but, as Blue Hawk, he wears a leather jacket that bears a striking resemblance to the one Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) wore in many of his appearances in the X-Men franchise. Even without metal hands, the Wolverine likeness is still there.

Gunpowder (Judge Dredd & Deadshot)

the boys season 3 gunpowder Judge Dredd deashot.

The Boys season 3 may have used two different superheroes as inspiration for Gunpowder (Sean Patrick Flannery) and from two different comic book universes, although neither of them is Marvel. The creators of the character modeled him after an early Judge Dredd. However, seeing as how Gunpowder’s special skills involve highly accurate bullet trajectories and increasing the speed and impact of any projectile, there’s reason to think he draws some inspiration from the DC character Deadshot (Will Smith). Not much has been revealed about what kind of role Gunpowder will play in The Boys, but the outfit he is seen wearing does resemble what both Judge Dredd and Deadshot have worn on screen.

Since comic book movie lovers will likely never have the chance to see the Justice League and the Avengers square off, watching parodied versions of both teams go at it in The Boys season 3 is probably as close as most people will get. The action and effects will for sure be spectacular, but the violence and irreverence likely will be, too. Fortunately, that's part of what sets The Boys apart from every other superhero series out there and makes the show so memorable. It's quite the achievement when a series creates parodies of characters that become just as exciting as the characters they're parodying.