Superheroes are a fascinating bunch. They come in all shapes and sizes, with different powers and origin stories. Yet sadly, the vast majority of them are also quite formulaic. They all have superhuman powers, and barring a few notable exceptions like Deadpool and Punisher, are all a bit too saintly.
If you want a break from this monotony, just check out the works of comic writers like Garth Ennis. His comics are very distinctive, with a penchant for extreme graphic violence, black humor, generous use of profanity, and a general sense of irreverence. To say that they amply deserve the R rating they get would be an understatement!
The latest of his creations to hit the small screen is “The Boys,” a comic that was originally published between 2006 and 2018. And since its recent launch on Amazon Prime, the series has become something of a smash hit, garnering rave reviews
We will try to keep this one as spoiler-free as possible since we highly recommend this show to anybody even remotely interested in the superhero genre.
Inverting and subverting the superhero tropes all at once
The Boys is a superhero tale with several twists. The biggest of them all is that the superheroes (or “supes”) here are the real villains of the story. They may wear gaudy capes and tights, but they are heroic only when in public.
In their private lives, these superheroes hang out in brothels, frequent casinos, swear and cheat, play slots and drink booze. Nothing is off-limits. You only need to watch the first episode to start thoroughly detesting virtually all the supes in this series.
And what about the real heroes? They are all ordinary guys who have been affected by the careless actions and violence of the supes. One guy lost his wife, while the other is forced to watch in horror as his girlfriend is literally ripped apart in an accidental collision by an out of control supe. That shocking scene, at the very beginning of the first episode, sets the tone for the entire series.
There are no perfect, angelic characters here. They are all damaged goods in one way or another. The supes just happened to be more dangerous, because they have awesome powers that can wreak havoc on humanity. We cannot speak too much about the Boys themselves since that would involve spoilers.
The villains are all inspired by popular heroes
What makes the series so compelling is the fact that all the supes are clearly inspired by regular heroes from the DC and Marvel universes. This makes their depiction as evil characters particularly unsettling.
Take Homelander for instance. He is a hybrid of Superman and Captain America, with powers and looks derived from both. And he is also the main antagonist in the series, and arguably the one with the most psychopathic tendencies.
The Deep is Aquaman in all but name, and unlike the latter, has all the insecurities a superhero of his limited powers would have when part of a club that includes the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman.
Speaking of the Amazonian Princess, she too has her alter-ego in The Boys – Queen Maeve – whose costume looks extremely similar to the one worn by Gal Gadot in the movies. And though not as bad as Homelander, she too does not come across as very heroic in her actions as we progress through the series.
Then there is A-Train, a superfast hero in the mold of The Flash, the enigmatic Black Noir, and the invisible Translucent. Together, they form the Seven, a supergroup of heroes similar to the Justice League.
A riveting tale of underdogs
In the Avengers or DC comics, you never feel as though you are rooting for the underdog. Regardless of the level of opposition, you always know that somehow, the heroes are going to pull through.
In The Boys, (or at least, the TV version), the heroes are all ordinary humans with grievances against the superheroes. In the comics, they can use a special chemical called Compound V to acquire superpowers to fight the Supes head-on.
But in the series, The Boys are fighting against almost impossible odds. There is this palpable tension when you progress through the first season – if any of the members find themselves in front of Homelander or even A-Train, they are as good as dead.
This was a very clever choice by the creators of the series. If they had chosen to match the source material in the way Compound V is depicted, The Boys would have ended up as a different show altogether.
You cannot escape the politics
Much of Garth Ennis’ comics depict many of his views on religion (he is an atheist) and politics in general. Through black humor and sheer irreverence, The Boys attacks everything from Evangelical Christians to populists and supporters of Donald Trump.
The scenes where a megalomaniacal Homelander invokes themes like national security and the American way of life to get a crowd worked up reminds you of recent GOP rallies. And these scenes are not very subtle either, given the brash tone of The Boys.
The MeToo movement also gets the superhero treatment, when young Starlight (a Supergirl clone) joins the Seven only to get forced into sex by a senior superhero. Homelander, Translucent, and other male supes all show strong misogynistic attitudes all through the show.
It is all about corporate greed in the end
All the supes in the series are managed and employed by a corporation called Vought. They have an army of people to handle everything about these superheroes – their personas, costumes, social media profiles, virtually everything.
In this regard, The Boys is way more contemporary than any other comic book adaptation out there. The supes here are like social media celebrities in many ways, with a manufactured persona.
The Vought Corporation is all about profit, masking under the pretension of fighting crime and evil. They have a monopoly on managing superheroes and are shown trying to milk it to the hilt for profit. Both the comics and TV series has no love for big businesses!
With excellent casting, taut storyline, and stellar performances, it is no surprise that The Boys is climbing the online popularity charts. The series has some clear differences from the comics, so you don’t need to be a fan of the books to enjoy the on-screen adaptation. The Boys is available exclusively online on Amazon Prime streaming service.