As superhero movies continue to dominate pop culture, there’s no better time for someone to knock the costumed do-gooders off their ivory towers. Enter The Boys: the titular stars of Amazon Prime’s newest series that’s set to premiere in late July.
Based on the comics created by Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson, The Boys follows a government-sanctioned black-ops team of super-powered agents who use all necessary (violent) means to put the uncontrollable superheroes in their place. With just a few weeks left until the Boys throw the first punch and declare war on the wildly popular superhero team The Seven, here’s a short (mostly) spoiler-free list of what to expect from the upcoming show.
1. Sex, Drugs, and Compound V
To say that The Boys has an unfavorable view of superheroes is an understatement. Specifically, the comic depicts heroes as the worst kinds of celebrities possible. In this world, the colorful hedonists get off and high by any means necessary, without a care for those whose lives their inhuman abilities endanger.
With Preacher showrunners Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen handling yet another Ennis adaptation, it’s safe to say that the creative duo’s love of raunchy jokes and pitch black humor would be put to good use in their latest episodic project. Add Supernatural creator Erick Kripke to the mix, and the show is basically a match made in heaven.
2. Bootleg Superheroes
The Boys fought countless pastiches of comic heroes, villains, and teams while also eviscerating their repetitive tropes in the source material. Case in point, the story arc Herogasm finds our anti-heroes in the middle of a crisis crossover event (think of DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths or Marvel’s Secret Wars) that serves as a cover-up for an annual orgy where the sex-starved capes let loose.
The comics’ streaming incarnation will most likely uphold this tradition, fittingly targeting the current superhero boom and the ongoing trend of shared cinematic universes. From the blatant X-Men stand-ins called the G-Men to a sleazy yet sympathetic parody of Stan Lee known as The Legend, keep your eyes out for the mockeries and jabs aimed at today’s biggest avengers, sidekicks, and leagues of saviors.
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3. Super Incompetence
Ennis is known for his limitless hatred of superheroes, and The Boys may very well be his heaviest condemnation of the costumed lot. A core theme of the source material is how incompetent yet dangerous the heroes are. Simply put, they’re the equivalents of walking nuclear bombs that possess the mental capacity of a spoiled reality TV star.
We’re used to seeing heroes use their amazing powers to save the day or at least nobly go down swinging. With The Boys, we’ll get to witness the exact opposite of this altruism through the sheer stupidity and unchecked self-indulgence of The Seven and their contemporaries. This will provide the story with some well-timed moments of dark humor and tragic turns for the worse.
4. Real Powers, Real Problems
The Boys takes the concept of superpowers to a logical extreme, where heat vision and limitless strength in the hands of the wrong people results in entitled thugs at best and aspiring tyrants at worst. In a world where enhanced abilities are as commonplace as celebrities, there’s nothing more dangerous than an unstoppable superman with an insatiable hunger for debauchery and delusions of godhood.
The show’s other targets would obviously include today’s heated political climate and the amoral corporations that would finance dangerous supermen if they could turn a profit. With these, Amazon’s latest offering has the potential to bring superhero storytelling to new satirical heights and lows. Get ready to see costumed crime-fighters, stereotypes, and the fictional yet familiar world they live in under a different and wholly uncomfortable light.
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5. Unbreakable Camaraderie
A hallmark of Ennis’ works is the kind of brotherhood that can only be forged through violence and bodily fluids that fly all over the place. The Boys is no exception, with the titular team forming an unbreakable bond after they survive enough encounters with the depraved superheroes and spend some quality time together in their base of operations.
The Boys’ most noteworthy tandem is that of head honcho Billy Butcher and rookie Wee Hughie, because of how questionable their supposed friendship is. In the comics, Butcher habitually manipulates and condescends on Hughie under the misguided belief that he’s toughening up his newest recruit. How this will translate in the series is something to look forward to, since a dynamic this sincere yet and shady is something rarely delved into.
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