The Boys has revolutionized the superhero genre. Based on the comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, this Amazon Prime Video hit takes a darker view of superheroes. These heroes, particularly The Seven, use their powers for personal gain and evil purposes. Led by Homelander (played by Antony Starr), who is portrayed as evil, The Seven commit horrific atrocities against the lives of innocent people. Opposing them is a group called The Boys, led by Billy Butcher (Karl Urban); together they are determined to take down Homelander. The downside to this approach is that it follows the comics closely but some key changes alter the story.
Sister Sage: An Original Contribution
A notable difference from other characters in the latest season is the character of Sister Sage. Susan Hayward plays Sister Sage who is an intelligent person who has some past connection to A-Train. Homelander includes her in his plan for super domination. Sister Sage is an original character who does not come from the comics.
Internally, its introduction increases the show’s narrative depth by enhancing the relationship between Homelander and characters like Victoria Newman (Claudia Doumit). In terms of intellectual capacity and dark ambitions, she can be considered even stronger than Homelander.
Ryan’s story: A turning point
Cameron Crovetti plays Ryan, who is quite different from the comic book version. This season featured the first naturally born super, Ryan, born of Homelander’s rape of Butcher’s wife Rebecca. Initially hidden, Ryan adds a personal dimension to the Butcher vs. Homelander feud.
In the comics, Ryan dies when Butcher kills him, meaning he does not survive past birth. However, keeping him alive on screen redefines Butcher’s role, making it more human and less morally ambiguous. This change brings out many layers within his story, giving him responsibilities as well as a deeper connection to Homelander’s feud.
Black Noir: A Different Identity
Another significant change is in Black Noir’s identity. In the comics, Black Noir is a clone of Homelander, with the same powers and motives. However, the series reveals that Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) is not his clone.
Season 3 details his backstory through flashbacks, revealing that he was never a clone. Thus, this redefinition of Black Noir affects the power dynamics within the Seven as he is no longer a direct threat to Homelander’s supremacy.
Victoria Newman: Gender change in a unique way
Another character different from her counterpart in the comic book is Victoria Newman (Claudia Doumit). The original Victor Newman, also known as Vic the Veep, was a politician working for Vought. As an aside, the show depicts this person as female and adds an unexpected element; Victoria herself is a super known as The Head Popper.
This creates mystery in her life and makes her one of the most dangerous enemies in the series. Victoria becomes even more important when she teams up with Homelander to conquer the world and thus becomes one of those central characters in terms of plot development.
Component of Compound V
In the series, Compound V is a rare drug that gives superheroes extreme happiness as evident in characters like Popclaw (Brittany Allen) and A-Train. Temp-V, also used by The Boys, is another form of Compound V that gives them powers for a limited period of time so they can fight powerful superheroes like Victoria Newman, Homelander, and others.
In the show, the distribution of Compound V is controlled by Vought who decides who gets it for the creation of new heroes. Also, there have been instances when Compound V leaks into nature and affects the abilities of animals causing them to have terrifying abilities.
On the other hand, in the comics the effects of Compound V can be genetically passed from one generation to the next, leading to some superheroes being born with superpowers outside of Vought’s influence.
Flight 37: A Tragedy
The infamous Flight 37 dark incident, when Homelander and Queen Maeve (Margaret Shaw) leave the passengers to die, has different origins in the television series and the comic book. In the comic book, there is a reference to the September 11 attacks, where Superman hijacked a plane and turned it towards the Brooklyn Bridge, causing another disaster.
This change shows how reckless The Seven can be in the comics while in the movie it’s all about the lack of heroism on Homelander’s part. It would be impossible for the comic storyline to fit into the series’ current setting, so that change is needed.
Mother’s Milk: A Unique Character Writing
In this case, Ryan is hailed as the only natural super while the others are not. However, in the comics, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) is a baby who has powers because his mother was exposed to Compound V while carrying him.
He’s very powerful, but he gets his name from being forcibly breastfed by an infected mother, which is the strangest reason he’s still alive.
These quirks were removed from the Mother’s Milk character in an adaptation where she is shown as a tough guy who can’t be easily defeated. While this may seem difficult, the inclusion of such quirks in the series’ development will make you wonder.
The Deep: A Rebellious Character Transformation
Chace Crawford’s portrayal of The Deep is very different from the one he appeared in the comics. In most cases, he had a curse on him: The Deep always wore a helmet, making him one of those background characters who didn’t have much of an impact on the plot.
His storyline includes a controversial attack on Starlight, among others, whereas the original version omits this entirely, with Homelander, Black Noir, and A-Train being responsible for the attack while the Deep has nothing to do with it.
Everything else about him remains constant; the old Deep remains more refined than many of the Seven members.
Kimiko’s transformation
One of the most notable changes is Kimiko, also known as The Female (Karen Fukuhara). In the show, Kimiko’s powers are derived from her time as a child soldier in the Shining Light terrorist group, where she received Compound V to create supervillains around the world.
On the other hand, the comics have given Kimiko such an ability, which was given to her by feeding her Compound V as a child. Yet, the comic book reveals that Kimiko has selective mutism due to trauma, while in this TV series she has not spoken any dialogue on screen other than breaking the fourth wall since her debut.
Rebuilding Stormfront
Stormfront (Aya Cash) The Boys season 2 introduces Stormfront who is associated with the Nazis. Despite being similar to the comics, there are some differences regarding her origin and powers. For example, while Stormfront is a man in the comic books; the television show depicts her as a woman.
As a result, this marks a gender revision which is a good thing since a higher percentage of their cast is made up of male actors. Payback is changed to Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) in this adaptation and the comic Stormfront follows Queen Maeve, unlike the TV series where her relationship with Homelander becomes complicated which adds depth to her.
These changes highlight how the creative direction enhances narrative structures while respecting the original works. The Boys continues to captivate audiences through its bold approach to the superhero genre.
Also read: ‘This might be our best one yet’: Writer Eric Kripke gives major The Boys season 4 update; here’s all you need to know
