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9 Ways ‘The Boys’ TV Series Differs from the Comics

When it comes to superhero movies, The Boys have taken a conventional approach and twisted it inside out. Based on the comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the blockbuster Prime Video series presents its “heroes” as malevolent supes who would stop at nothing to get their way. They’re called The Seven, and they’re led by the most heinous one of them all, The Homelander (Antony Starr). Frustrated at the manner in which they act and the pain they bring to innocent people, the titular “Boys”are a group lead by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) who make it their life’s aim to take down Homelander, investigating every available route to do so.

Whilst the series pulls most of its visuals and plots from the comics, there a few important modifications the show makers thought necessary to make. Let’s take a look at some of these alterations and how they’ve impacted the landscape of Ennis’ original tale.

Ryan’s Story

Onscreen we meet Ryan, the first natural-born supe. A result of a severe sexual attack by Homelander on Butcher’s wife Rebecca, Ryan is hidden away with Rebecca out of reach of Homelander and Butcher. Both rivals are originally persuaded to believe that mother and kid died due to a traumatic childbirth, but it soon comes to light they were alive and well in a Vought complex. While Ryan appears to be an ordinary kid at first, it soon becomes evident that he was born with special abilities that he keeps hidden out of obedience to Rebecca’s wishes.

Ryan’s whole life is a stark contradiction to the comics, where he was slain at birth in a fit of wrath from Butcher. There are a couple of reasons the show runners may have made this alteration. First and foremost, it adds a fresh chapter to the rivalry between Butcher and Homelander, giving the conflict a more personal tone and giving Butcher a deeper sense of purpose. Further to this, Butcher is someone we root for. It’s no secret he’s not the most morally sound character, but for the most part he has good intentions. Because a cold-blooded murder of a newborn didn’t exactly suit with this story, making the switch from paper to film was necessary.

Black Noir

In the series, we haven’t learned too much about Noir’s identity. He was Homelander’s clone in the comics, hence he had the same level of power. Not only does he have all of Homelander’s powers and features, he has a nasty side and is way even more murderous than the individual he was cloned from. Despite comic book readers’ initial excitement, it became evident in Season 2 that he is not a Homelander clone due to the fact that he is Black. Season 3 adds included flashbacks to his backstory, however he is not shown to be related to Homelander. This is quite a huge shift; in the comics Noir was just as strong, if not stronger, than the Seven’s commander, whereas in the series there is nobody so far who can compare.

Victoria Neuman

In one of a few gender switched roles, Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) actually appears in the comics as Victor Neuman. “Vic the Veep,” as he is also known, is a high ranking political person who operates as an inside man for Vought. Like Victoria (Giancarlo Esposito), the CEO of Vought, who is also a politician, this isn’t all that different. Beyond the obvious differences of being a woman on screen and being called “The Headpopper” by her peers, Victoria is shown to be a superpowered entity. This is unique to the TV series, and undoubtedly adds a fascinating dimension.

Flight 37:

The historic aircraft event, where Homelander and a reluctant Queen Maeve abandoned all the passengers as the plane fell into the water, had completely different roots. The comic’s version of events involved the September 11 attacks. In order to avoid another calamity, the supes diverted one of the attacking planes to the Brooklyn Bridge. This recounting of the narrative serves more to highlight the recklessness of The Seven, whereas onscreen it illustrates how Homelander is not much of a hero at all. In addition, the original plot line would have been inconsistent with the show’s timeline, which is set in the near future.

The Boys Season 3: is [SPOILER] Really dead ?

Simon Pegg as Hughie

Ennis and illustrator Darick Robertson originally modeled Hughie Campbell on Simon Pegg, which is shockingly obvious in their representations of him throughout. Pegg was too old to play Hughie when the series was translated for television, so the studio cast Jack Quaid, who does an excellent job. Of course, Pegg does appear in the series as Hughie’s dad, Hugh, which is a nice reference to the actor and his inspiration for the character.

Mother’s Milk

As much as the show emphasizes Ryan’s natural-born superhuman abilities, this isn’t the case while reading the comics. A child named Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) was born with superhuman abilities due to the fact that his mother worked in a plant that had been polluted by Compound V. He doesn’t have many powers, and perhaps that’s why he isn’t really regarded much of a supe, but he does have extraordinary strength. It’s unfortunate for him that his surname is a byproduct of this taint. He will not be able to live without the constant nursing he receives from his mother. There’s no hint of this being introduced into the onscreen world of The Boys, it would surely be an odd addition, but who knows what could happen?

The Deep

Chace Crawford is mesmerizing as The Deep, but if the series had stuck to the comics we would have scarcely seen his face at all. That’s because the original iteration of the character was cursed and had to always wear a helmet. His role in the storyline was minimal at best, and he didn’t have much of an impact on the main plot. Starlight’s sexual assault was arguably the most important storyline in The Deep, but in the comics it was considerably more evil and involved no The Deep at all. The assailants were Homelander, Black Noir, and A-Train. The Deep had more of a professional character in the comics and was one of the least evil of The Seven.

Kimiko

The only member of The Boys with permanent abilities is the Female, or Kimiko as she is known in the live-action series. However, the origins of her abilities are different in the two versions. The Shining Light terrorist group enlists her as a young soldier, and we see this on television. Here, as part of Vought’s goal to create supervillains all across the world, she was given Compound V. In the comic’s version of events, she ate some V as a young child, which gave her the capabilities she has, including her regeneration skills. She is also suffering from selective-mutism in the comics, and at one point does speak. In the show, her mutism is explained away as a result of the stress of witnessing the murder of her parents, but she has yet to speak in the show.

Stormfront

Season 2 of The Boys developed Stormfront (Aya Cash), and enlightened the viewers to her Nazi allegiances. Her background and powers in the comics are quite similar, but that’s about where the likeness stops. In the original version of The Boys, Stormfront is first and primarily a man. The gender swaps in the series are rather a pleasant shift, as they allow for greater female representation in what would otherwise be a largely male narrative. In addition, Stormfront was the initial leader of Payback, a group that competed with The Seven. We learn about Payback in Season 3, although there’s no glimpse of Stormfront, and they are instead headed by Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) (Jensen Ackles). It’s also a departure from the comics, where the male Stormfront character really goes after Queen Maeve.

The Nazi allegiances of Stormfront developed in the comics were definitely an excellent starting point for the show runners to put in a new enemy, but they have taken a lot of creative license with the character and modified her to advance the complexities of Homelander’s arc.

heroes

The Boys: Erin Moriarty Teases Shocking Season 4 Storylines

Season 4 of Prime Video’s The Boys has already begun production, and the group is already teasing spectators with all of the surprises in store. Specifical

Season 4 of Prime Video’s The Boys has already begun production, and the group is already teasing spectators with all of the surprises in store. Specifically, actress Erin Moriarty, who teased something unusual on social media.

Moriarty remarked in an Instagram story, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Attached was a photo showing herself and co-stars Jack Quaid, Karen Fukuhara, Tomer Capone, and Laz Alonso gazing out of a vault-like area, similar to the one they were in during Season 3.

CONNECTED: The Boys BTS Photos Reveal the Massive Sets Used for Season 3’s Termite Scene

The Boys' Erin Moriarty Teases Shocking Season 4 Storylines

Vernon Sanders, Amazon Studios’ head of global television, previously teased the escalation of The Boys, saying before Season 3’s release, “We knew from our first conversation with Eric Kripke and the creative team about Season Three of The Boys that the show was going to get even bolder – an impressive feat given the show’s Emmy-nominated second season… The Boys keeps pushing narrative limits while simultaneously being compulsively entertaining and threading the line on social satire that seems all too true.”

Initially, The Boys’ Homelander Soldier Boy Twist Wasn’t in the Plan

Season 4 was announced before of Season 3’s broadcast, with actor Karl Urban announcing in March, “I’m filming The Boys until the end of the year.” This followed previous claims, dating back to 2021, that Prime Video had approved a fourth season.

RELATED: Cameron Coleman’s The Boys Vought claims he was ‘forced’ to take VNN+ off the air.

In Season 3, Billy Butcher and Hughie used a temporary version of Compound V to take on the Vought and members of The Seven. Butcher and the Boys, desperate to bring Homelander down, searched for and awoke a dormant supe, Soldier Boy. While specifics about the new season’s narrative are scant, actor Jensen Ackles hinted that the Seven’s previous leader may not have met his end.

Season 4 of The Boys won’t be available on Prime Video for a while, but the Vought Universe has lots more in store. Prime Video is producing a spinoff series set on a supe college in addition to a second season of the anthology series The Boys Presents: Diabolical! The project, dubbed Gen-V, is the franchise’s first live-action spinoff. Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, Chance Perdomo as Emma Shaw, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Golden Boy, Sean Patrick Thomas as Polarity, and Marco Pigossi as Doctor Edison Cardosa are among the cast members.

The Boys’ first three seasons, as well as The Boys Presents: Diabolical!, are now accessible on Prime Video.

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Jensen Ackles Landing The Role On The Boys Just As Supernatural Was Ending (And Beat Movie Stars To Do It)

Jensen Ackles is no longer Dean Winchester from Supernatural, and his follow-up role as Soldier Boy on The Boys took a drastically different turn. His new

Jensen Ackles is no longer Dean Winchester from Supernatural, and his follow-up role as Soldier Boy on The Boys took a drastically different turn. His new post resulted in a Supernatural reunion, since creator Eric Kripke also oversees the Amazon Prime program. The actor has spoken openly about how he landed Soldier Boy just as Supernatural was wrapping up. It even included defeating some Hollywood stars.

Eric Kripke described how Jensen Ackles got the part of Soldier Boy in 2021, but now it’s Ackles’ turn to tell his side of the tale. In a recent interview with Men’s Health, he discussed his experience on The Boys and how he got the part of Supe. Soldier Boy was originally intended for an older actor, but when Ackles contacted Kripke to ask his thoughts on a different project, the discussion took an unexpected turn: “I said, ‘So what’s going on over there at The Boys?” We were about to finish watching Supernatural when I realized, ‘You know, I’m going to be jobless.’ I just tossed it out there playfully. ‘Look, dude, if you want to come over to The Boys, I’ll bring you over here no problem,’ he offered right away. I’d be delighted to have you.’ ‘Sign me up!’ I said.

Given that Supernatural was nearing the end of its 15-season run, it’s no surprise that Ackles leaped at the chance to join The Boys! The actor said that Kripke gave him several audition tapes and that he instantly wanted in.

However, Ackles was skeptical that he would even receive the role. While he didn’t say who since he’d be blacklisted, he did say that after hearing who was on the shortlist, he was certain he wasn’t going to get Soldier Boy: I do know that there were certain names that I believe the network was considering. A brief list of names was provided. And when [Kripke] recited a handful of those names to me, I said to myself, ‘Oh, well, there’s no way.’ I don’t stand a chance. Those people are Hollywood stars.’

Fortunately, Jensen Ackles was cast as Soldier Boy, and the rest is history. It makes me wonder who else was up for the position and who made Ackles so concerned that he wouldn’t win it. Maybe one of those actors will appear as a different hero in The Boys Season 4, when it airs?

Meanwhile, Ackles was not the only Supernatural performer to go right into a new project once the show wrapped. Jared Padalecki agreed to play the title character in the Walker revival before the last season of Supernatural had even wrapped (and prior to the COVID shutdowns). Walker launched in SPN’s timeslot the following year, and the third season is already in the works, with prequel series Walker: Independence set to debut this autumn. In addition, Ackles’ Supernatural prequel The Winchesters will air in a few months.

The Boys Season 3: The 18 Most Dangerous and Bloody Scenes

There isn’t much information regarding The Boys Season 4 or if Soldier Boy will return. It’s unclear if he’ll return to cause more havoc now that he’s been taken back under and frozen in the season finale. Jensen Ackles, on the other hand, has been cast as a series regular on ABC’s Big Sky.

Season 3 of The Boys is now accessible with an Amazon Prime membership, while all 15 seasons of Supernatural are available with a Netflix subscription.

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heroes

In One Important Way, The Boys’ Soldier Boy Outperforms Captain America

While The Boys’ Soldier Boy seemed to be a crude parody of Marvel Comics’ Captain America, the copycat supe actually outperformed the original in one essen

While The Boys’ Soldier Boy seemed to be a crude parody of Marvel Comics’ Captain America, the copycat supe actually outperformed the original in one essential way—at least in terms of the live-action version.

Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is a Super Soldier in the Amazon Prime Video original series The Boys who was produced via the usage of Compound V—a serum that can convert individuals into superhumans. Soldier Boy was originally only extraordinarily strong and invulnerable. However, after extensive testing in a Russian laboratory, Soldier Boy obtained the ability to take away the abilities of other superheroes with a catastrophic explosion that he can generate from inside his own body. While that powerful skill is amazing (and one that Captain America lacks), it isn’t the reason The Boys’ Soldier Boy is more impressive than Captain America. The true explanation is significantly more subtle, but immensely more helpful in combat settings.

Related: Captain America Became The Leader Of The Avengers Fans Think in Opposite Ways

The Avengers receive a distress call from a region of the planet that has been taken over by communist tyranny in Avengers #18 by Stan Lee and Don Heck, which was a huge matter given that this issue was published not long after the ‘Red Scare’ in the United States. Following a distress signal from a place in eastern Asia, the Avengers are met by communist officials from that region who pose as people in danger in order to deceive the Avengers into falling into their trap, all as part of their strategy to show that communism was better to capitalism. When the Avengers realize their error in taking this call, they are promptly attacked with a knockout gas that renders all of them unconscious, including Captain America.

The Boys’ Soldier Boy is Superior to Captain America in One Key Way

Season 3 Finale of The Boys: Cast Answers Burning Questions

M.M. tosses a smoke grenade at Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3 episode 6 titled ‘Herogasm,’ but Soldier Boy picks up the grenade and inhales the deadly smoke merely for the head rush, indicating that it has absolutely no effect on him at all. Captain America’s physique isn’t as powerful as Soldier Boy’s, as seen by Cap being put unconscious by the same chemical that took out Hawkeye, who is practically just an ordinary human, in Avengers #18. Being resistant to sleeper gas during a combat is very valuable since it is generally one of the first things an adversary would attempt to employ to target a group of heroes they intend to capture. Soldier Boy can only be knocked unconscious by a fatal nerve poison, therefore if he had been in Captain America’s place in this Avengers issue, the enemies would have had no idea what struck them.

Of course, this comparison is only valid between the comic book Captain America and the live-action Soldier Boy, since Soldier Boy in the comics cannot compete with any version of Captain America. Butcher immediately kills the Soldier Boy from The Boys comics after he is repeatedly insulted and molested by Homelander. Soldier Boy in the comics is the polar opposite of Captain America in terms of strength and ferocious courage. While The Boys’ live-action Soldier Boy is similarly a dark twist on a Captain America-like figure, he is more strong than the original since his body can withstand much more torture than Marvel’s top Super Soldier.

Following that, Captain America’s Avengers training is much too grueling for the MCU.