With season 3 of Amazon Prime’s The Boys just around the corner, the series has only grown in popularity and is attracting new fans every day. However, in a time period where superhero media dominates the screens, The Boys is a series that needs some context and/or warnings before watching.
While many superhero shows will follow the superhero formula, The Boys TV series is probably the most unconventional comic book series on television currently and may not have exactly what viewers are looking for. However, if viewers are fans of the original comic and looking to get into the TV adaptation, there are some differences to be aware of before watching.
10 The Amazon Prime Series Is Based On A Garth Ennis Comic
The Amazon Prime series is based on a comic by writer Garth Ennis who is best known for his visceral and hard-edged stories. He is best known for his work on The Punisher series. His stories are dark and gritty and show the worst aspects of humanity.
If viewers want to get a sense of the tone of The Boys, they'd want to pick up a few of Ennis’ projects before they watch the TV series. The original comic itself has 72 issues and is completed as of November 2012.
9 It Is Strictly For Mature Audiences
This series is not for younger audiences by any means. It is gory, violent, and extremely explicit. The first episode opens with a woman being eviscerated by a passing speedster. The show also heavily focuses on trauma, abuse, and addiction.
It plays less like a superhero story, and more like an assortment of individual character studies with people who have faced certain hardships as a result of their superpowers or from being in contact with a ‘Supe.’ The graphic gore and sexual assault make the series hard to watch even for some mature audiences.
8 It's Another Evil Superman Story, Kind of
Many can look at Homelander and view him as an evil Superman type, and they’d be correct in doing that. He is a reflection of American idealism and warped US patriotism jam-packed with all of the blue boy scout’s powers.
He is part of a team of Justice League equivalents such as Queen Maeve and A-Train. However, the reason behind his evildoings is different and more layered than most evil Supermen. Behind the god complex and the showboating is an incredibly frail and desperate man who lacks any proper connection in the world.
7 There Is No Protagonist
There are no ‘good guys' in The Boys, in both the show and the comic. The Seven, the team of superheroes are all corrupt. And The Boys, the group that challenges them, are not the heroes of the world, they are just people who have been hurt in some way by The Seven or Supes in general and have vowed to kill them.
Even one of the main characters, Hugie, is not entirely good. He manipulates people and lies to protect himself and has no hesitation when killing beloved heroes.
6 The Superheroes Are Not Virtuous
Were it not for the immense corporate presence of Vought, the heroes of this story would be viewed as villains. It is very rare that they’ll do anything out of the goodness of their heart. Everything The Seven have done has been to improve their social standing. Every act of good or person saved is either a well-constructed marketing ploy or glory chasing.
With Homelander ruling over the team like a king, watching each of their public perceptions, they do not connect like an actual team. They are more like a cast of actors who do not get along.
5 It Does Not Follow The Comic
Fans of the original comic may be disappointed to hear that the TV series does not follow the story of the comic. The TV series drifts off to follow a story more suited to the era it is made in.
With the original comic being released in 2006, many of the themes wouldn’t have suited an audience of today. Instead, the show presents a cast of characters who are not good or evil but act as products of their experiences. However, the TV series has been well received by fans and newcomers alike, some even claiming that the series is better than the original comic.
4 The Fights Aren't Great
Unlike other superhero shows and movies, the fights are not the highlight of the series. They can feel rather uneventful when two Supes go at it. The real gem of the series is how characters interact through dialogue.
It’s best to not look forward to the fight scenes as they lack the dynamic action and scale of other superhero media. While the FX budget makes the powers look realistic, they lose their spectacle when it comes to combat.
3 It Is Not A Superhero Story
There is no mystery to solve, and there is no villain to overcome. While the comic had a number of ‘villains’ that turned out to be creations of Vaught, the TV series features no characters that can fall under the supervillain category.
While The Seven can be viewed as villains, many of them have character arcs that dissuade them from staying as villains. The story breaks from conventional hero story points by choosing instead to explore a world corrupted by superheroes on a corporate payroll.
2 The Show Is All About Politics
The show's political focus primarily centers around superhero presence in the military. This is Vaught and Homelander’s main goal throughout the series in the pursuit of power. The politics of the show relate to the comic in that they explore the ramifications of corporate greed and the scale of control that companies can attain in politics.
Homelander is a prime example of this anti-capitalist story. He was born powerful and never faced any weakness and continues to search for power at the cost of human lives.
1 Even The Worst Characters Have Ambiguous Moments
The show’s determination to expand the characters outside of their binary boxes of black and white and present them in an ambiguous setting is what makes the show so enjoyable for many. While the focus may not be on redemption, the show explains that these characters are not all completely evil, but rather they are people who have developed bad traits through a life of privilege and have become distant from the people they claim to protect.
Characters such as A-Train explore the effects of public pressure and addiction, while Billy Butcher has allowed his hatred of Homelander and The Seven to grow so dense that it leads to a general hatred of all Supes regardless of their character.
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