Season 3 of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys recently concluded, and it brought with it a whole host of new superheroes for the titular vigilantes to face off against. From a whole new superhero team to a man with some super genitalia, The Boys definitely ramped things up for its third outing.
The Boys wears its inspirations for its twisted superheroes on its sleeve, from Homelander being an evil version of Superman to Queen Maeve being a traumatized take on Wonder Woman. Each of the main supes are a parody of some classic hero, and these new additions to the cast are no different.
Soldier Boy - Captain America
Soldier Boy was the biggest new arrival to the cast of The Boys in Season 3. Portrayed by Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles, Soldier Boy is the show's dark reflection of Captain America. With the military background, patriotic imagery, and trademark shield, Soldier Boy is a definite reference to Marvel’s star-spangled man.
Unfortunately, Soldier Boy does not share Captain America’s noble and honorable personality, instead being a self-centered abuser. He is also shown to be somewhat sexist and racist. He may be a far cry from patriotic inspiration, but Soldier Boy holds up as one of Jensen Ackles best roles.
Termite - Ant-Man
Termite is the first new superhero introduced in season 3 of The Boys, and he makes quite the impression in his relatively short screen time. Able to shrink down to insect size, Termite is clearly a parody of Marvel’s Ant-Man. Unfortunately, instead of using his powers to fight crime like his Marvel counterpart, Termite uses them for some rather shocking sexual purposes.
If the similar names and powers were not enough to make the comparison, The Boys gave fans what they wanted by having Termite carry out the internet’s favorite plan to defeat Thanos on a random man at a party, crawling inside of him and expanding to normal size. It is just as gross as it sounds.
Crimson Countess - Scarlet Witch
Crimson Countess is one of the first and primary members of Soldier Boy’s old team Payback to be introduced. Her name and costume are a clear to homage to Marvel’s Scarlet Witch, with both being very close to the original character. Like Scarlet Witch’s recent outings in the MCU, Crimson Countess is one hero who acts a lot more like a villain.
Crimson Countess very quickly proves to be a double-crosser and more of a danger to others than to any actual bad guys, blowing up several of her own soldiers and an innocent park mascot in her few episodes. Crimson Countess’ powers themselves are quite different from Scarlet Witch’s, but they do share similarities, with both projecting red energy from their hands.
TNT Twins - The Wonder Twins
Two more short-lived members of the Payback team, the TNT Twins are a pair of dysfunctional sibling supes. The most clear inspiration for the characters come from DC’s Wonder Twins, another twin duo whose powers go hand in hand, albeit much less literally. While the TNT twins’ powers are completely different from the Wonder Twins, it is hard to deny the overall similarities.
While the Wonder Twins can shape-shift into useful animals and water-based items, the TNT instead can shoot lightning from their hands when touching. Unfortunately for them, this limits the two quite a bit during combat, especially as they struggle to even work their powers when Soldier Boy returns. The pair also share similarities to Marvel’s Strucker Twins, but the Wonder Twins seem to be the clear inspiration.
Swatto - The Wasp
Another bug-themed superhero, Swatto is another member of Payback. His role in the show is very short-lived however, as he is killed in a flashback in his single episode. Swatto is based on Marvel’s The Wasp, and though the show never says if he can shrink as well, his wings and similar costume are a clear parallel.
Swatto is very different from his Marvel inspiration, instead of being an intelligent and brave hero, Swatto proves himself to be both careless and cowardly. Unfortunately, Swatto did not live long enough to team up with Termite and complete Marvels’s insectoid duo, but given how the two handle themselves in the show, this is probably for the best.
Blue Hawk - Blackhawk
Differing between the The Boys show and the comics, Blue Hawk is an original character created for the show. He does not have as specific of a character inspiration, but he does share some similarities to the DC character Blackhawk. Blackhawk is actually a name taken on by multiple members of a superhero team, with a very heavy military theme.
Blue Hawk in the show is shown to be a racist with a penchant for unnecessary brutality. While the Blackhawks were usually portrayed as morally upright, they operate free of oversight, and the comics themselves have received criticism for insensitive portrayals of cultural stereotypes. One major difference however, is that the Blackhawks did not have superpowers.
Mindstorm - Professor X
Mindstorm is The Boys’ resident telepath and another former member of Payback. There are many telepathic characters in comics, from the Purple Man to Mastermind, but the obvious choice for the most influential is X-Men leader Professor X. There is not too much in The Boys to compare Mindstorm specifically to Professor X versus other telepaths, but the way he uses his powers is most similar to Xavier himself.
Mindstorm has some of the strongest powers in The Boys, and uses them like a dark reflection of Professor X’s abilities. Mindstorm’s most unsettling feat was trapping Butcher in mental loop of his worst memories, proving that Mindstorm’s powers could be close to that of the mutant leader’s. Sadly, or thankfully, he never got a chance to show what he was truly capable of.
Gunpowder - The Winter Soldier, Bullseye
Season 3 was not Gunpowder’s first appearance on The Boys, but it was his introduction as a fully fleshed character. Gunpowder is based on two similar villains in Marvel’s Bullseye and DC’s Deadshot. Gunpowder does not seem to have too many powers outside of some enhanced strength, but his real skill, much like his two inspirations, is his impeccable aim.
Gunpowder shares some similarities in his costume to his Marvel and DC counterparts, but the scene where he ricochets a bullet through a parking garage at Butcher is the most obvious connection to the two. Gunpowder’s sidekick role to Soldier Boy also makes him the equivalent of The Boys’ version of the Winter Soldier, although it is revealed that the partnership was less than friendly.
Love Sausage - Mr. Fantastic
The superhero referred to as “Love Sausage” technically appeared in Season 2 of The Boys, but he had a very minor role essentially as a throwaway joke. In Season 3, however, he becomes a full character, albeit still a very minor one. Love Sausage is based on superheroes such Marvel’s Mr. Fantastic and DC’s plastic Man, who are able to stretch their body parts into various shapes. Unlike them, Love Sausage has this ability only with one very specific body part.
Love Sausage has a prehensile penis that he can stretch and use as an extra limb, much like Mr. Fantastic can do with his actual limbs. Thankfully, this is about where the similarities end between the two characters. Love Sausage is not a direct character parody, but he is clearly inspired by other stretchy supes such as Mr. Fantastic.
Supersonic - Vibe
Poor Supersonic was one of the few supes in The Boys who seemed like he could actually be a force of good. With a rare moral compass on the show, it was a shame that Supersonic never even got a real chance to show off his powers. Supersonic has the ability to create powerful sound waves with his hands, like his primary comic inspiration, DC’s Vibe.
Both Vibe and Supersonic were briefly in the premiere superhero team in the world, the Justice League and the Seven respectively. Both heroes even have connections to music, as Vibe was a break dancer, and Supersonic was in a boy band. Sadly, both were unceremoniously killed off early on.