The Boys is a web TV series based on the comic book series of the
same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.
It’s set in a world where superheroes exist, but these superheroes – “Supes”,
as they are loosely called – have essentially become corporate brands and just
another class of toxic celebrities.
Thus, just like many real-life celebrities, Supes are all about
maintaining an image of smiles, decency, and wholesomeness, but underneath
their public personas, they are really corrupt, arrogant, hedonistic,
self-serving a-holes. And just like
real-life celebrities, Supes have resources, connections, lobbyists, PR staffs,
and fixers that work on upholding their positive, squeaky-clean public image
and sweeping any scandals and liabilities arising from their debaucheries or
recklessness under the rug.
At the top of the superhero hierarchy (and,
therefore, the worst) is “The Seven”, a superhero team that works for the sleazy, powerful
corporation Vought International. The
team is composed of Homelander (Antony Starr), a Superman-analogue who
functions as the Seven’s leader and is secretly the most sinister and sadistic
of the bunch; Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), a Wonder Woman-analogue who
has been swallowed by the system and is experiencing burnout; Black Noir
(Nathan Mitchell), a silent, ninja-esque superhero reminiscent of dark, stoic,
loner-type characters like Batman and Snake Eyes; A-Train (Jessie T. Usher Jr.), a Flash-analogue
who will do whatever it takes to keep the title of “fastest man in the world”; Translucent
(Alex Hassell), a superhero who can become invisible and who has impenetrable,
diamond-hard skin; The Deep (Chace Crawford), an Aquaman-analogue who sexually
assaults Starlight; and Starlight (Erin Moriarty), the wide-eyed newcomer to
the Seven who sincerely wants to become a good superhero.
Determined to bring them down is Billy
Butcher (Karl Urban), an ex-CIA operative with deep hatred for Supes. To help him on his crusade, he recruits his former
CIA buddies “Frenchie” (Tomer Capon) and “Mother’s Milk” (Laz Alonso) as well
as Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), a mild-mannered electronics store employee
whose girlfriend is accidentally killed by a reckless, unapologetic A-Train. Later, they are joined by Kimiko a.k.a. “The
Female”, a Vought human test subject who gains superhuman powers. Together, the five of them are the eponymous “Boys.”
The Boys has easily one of the best spins on the superhero genre
that I’ve ever encountered. Making
superheroes realistic, gritty, and cynical isn’t a new concept. But I believe The Boys could be the most believable and grounded attempt so far.
Indeed, if ever superpowers and
human nature meet, superheroes will turn out exactly how The Boys depicts them to be rather than how they have been
traditionally depicted in the Marvel and DC comic books. Those who gain superpowers in real-life will
rarely embrace altruism. They will only
consider becoming heroes if they will be benefited by it. And most certainly, corporations will step
in to partner with them and monetize them.
Meanwhile, the general, non-powered public will adore them no matter what. This will then nurture a climate where superheroes
will turn into plastic and entitled people.
How can we be sure of this?
Well, isn’t this already the case with our real-life celebrities – people
that have remarkable faculties that our society deems are worth rewarding and
celebrating? If superpowers are real,
they would simply be another remarkable faculty for our society to reward and
celebrate, and superheroes will simply become another class of celebrities.
Thus, in a sense, it can be
argued that The Boys’ depiction of
superheroes is a metaphor of real-life celebrity culture.
But other than this, The Boys is an interesting superhero
story because, well, it’s very well-told.
The layers of its plot are peeled off masterfully, keeping things engrossing
and subversive from start to finish. Binging
through the debut season felt faster than its eight-episode length is. I enjoyed its “underdog” angle most of all. Not only are the protagonists non-powered individuals
taking on super-powered opponents, but they also have to contend with the fact
that their opponents are backed by unlimited corporate resources and are
favored by public opinion.
Meanwhile, the characters are well-realized
and complex. None of the Supes are
one-dimensionally “evil villains pretending to be heroes.” There are varying nuances to them, and one
can really understand why they are broken the way they are. On the other hand, “The Boys” aren’t
completely sympathetic as well – especially Billy Butcher. In the end, I don’t think anyone will
comfortably root for Billy.
Overall, I extremely enjoyed The Boys. I haven’t read the original comic book series
(though I’ve learned enough details of it to know it by reputation in the past
years), and it’s probably a big reason why this show comes off as so fresh to me. Regardless, The Boys is one of the best new TV series in 2019, if not the best. I can’t wait for season 2!
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