Queen Maeve suddenly has the ability to fly in The Boys Presents: Diabolical - but this is no mere continuity error. Since The Boys premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2019, audiences have learned to love all kinds of washed-up, emotionally damaged supes. One of the more redeemable among those is Queen Maeve, played by Dominique McElligott. Jaded by life in the Seven and her disastrous romance with Homelander, Queen Maeve's despondence and addiction issues shadow a genuine and kind heart. As a parody of Wonder Woman, Queen Maeve possesses superhuman levels of strength, agility, speed, and durability.
Along with Homelander, The Deep and Black Noir, Queen Maeve (voiced by McElligott) makes a cameo in The Boys: Diabolical - an animated anthology spinoff telling standalone stories from the world of The Boys. Appearing in "I'm Your Pusher," Queen Maeve acts as a guest of honor at Great Wide Wonder's Hall of Fame ceremony, where she watches on miserably while Frenchie's drug causes the high-speed hero to make a bloody mess over the assembled crowd. Fans of The Boys' TV series may, however, be surprised when Queen Maeve arrives at the event by descending gracefully from the skies just like Homelander - then leaves by soaring into the heavens alongside her Seven pals.
This isn't a superpower Queen Maeve possesses in live-action. Indeed, when she and Homelander "rescue" a crashing plane in The Boys season 1, Maeve's inability to fly means relying on her ex-boyfriend for a lift, and helplessly leaving the plane victims to their fate. She can leap great heights, sure, but doesn't glide through the air like her counterpart in The Boys: Diabolical. Though some might assume Queen Maeve's "she flies now..." moment is a continuity error on The Boys: Diabolical's part, her new ability can be explained by the fact "I'm Your Pusher" was written by original The Boys creator, Garth Ennis.
Though Ennis' version of the Seven is broadly the same as the grotesque gang seen on TV, a few notable changes are made for the benefit of live-action. These include Queen Maeve's powers, since she can actually fly in the comics, and it was Amazon's adaptation that decided to deprive her of that gift on TV. Since The Boys: Diabolical's "I'm Your Pusher" is the spinoff's only episode set within Ennis continuity rather than Amazon canon, meaning we get rare glimpses of authentic designs for Butcher and Hughie, the return of Jack From Jupiter as a Seven member, Queen Maeve's silver costume, and the restoration of Maeve's flight ability.
Rather than "why can Queen Maeve fly in The Boys Presents: Diabolical?" the question should perhaps be "why can't Queen Maeve fly in The Boys?" Though no official explanation has been offered, it makes sense for The Boys to limit powers of flight to Homelander, since this boosts his air of superiority over the other Seven members. In Garth Ennis' original comic books, a huge number of supes are capable of flight compared to the TV show. By bringing that number right down, Homelander begins to look even more special and unique among his own kind. Unfortunately, that means Queen Maeve having her wings clipped.