'The Boys' Is a Fresh, Cynical, Profound Take on the Superhero Genre

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!