The Boys' showrunner has revealed one crucial detail that explains why Vought did not feature a tribute for Black Noir after his death in season 3. From being solely meant for comic relief in seasons 1 and 2, Black Noir becomes a poignant character in The Boys season 3 after his tragic backstory comes into the picture. Just when it looks like Black Noir's resentment towards Soldier Boy is worth rooting for, Homelander stops trusting Noir in The Boys and ruthlessly kills him before he can plot his revenge.

As Noir's imaginary friends bid him a heart-wrenching farewell during his final moments in The Boys season 3, it is hard not to be convinced that he is actually dead. However, The Boys' long-standing history of red herrings — especially the ones with supe deaths — raises suspicion surrounding the plausibility of Black Noir's demise. The fact that Vought International religiously churns out tribute videos for all dead supes but leaves Noir out of this recurring gimmick further hints that the supe's journey in The Boys is far from over.

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After all the foreshadowing and downplaying, The Boys' showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that Black Noir will be back in season 4's supe roster. However, given how Antony Starr's Homelander clearly kills him in The Boys season 3, his return is not as simple as it sounds. Nathan Mitchell, who has played the masked Black Noir since The Boys' season 1, was not the actor who played maskless Noir in the season 3 flashbacks. This was purposefully done to give both Mitchell and his Black Noir demeanor a whole new direction in The Boys season 4.

What Black Noir's Season 4 Return Could Mean For Homelander

Black Noir and the Seven in The Boys

Kripke revealed that Mitchell will still be returning for The Boys season 4, but this time around, he will play "a different character who wears the Black Noir suit." This confirms that even though the Black Noir from the first three seasons is actually gone, the showrunners have not entirely eradicated him from The Boys' overarching narrative. Black Noir's return in The Boys season 4 as a different character could either be an effective cover-up for Homelander's season 3 mess, or it could be Vought International's ploy to mess with Homelander's head and somehow bring him down. If the new Black Noir ends up joining the Seven, his presence could also negatively or positively affect the supe group's dynamic based on what he intends to achieve by carrying the original Noir's mysterious facade.

Black Noir's return, even as a different character, raises some intriguing prospects and will likely add new comical layers to his existing shtick. Although it is surprising that Eric Kripke has already given away such a critical piece of information from The Boys season 4's storyline, it only affirms that the show's creators have even bigger shock-and-awe tricks up their sleeves to captivate audiences. How exactly the new Black Noir will influence The Boys' character beats is yet to be seen, but it is quite evident that it will be "diabolical."