Superheroes being, well, less than super has become a common trend nowadays, with characters like Superman being given evil renditions, most notably in the Injustice: Gods Among Us storyline.
Well, I finally watched the first season of The Boys and I can clearly say that it knocked any previous rendition of evil superheroes flat over.
Developed by Erik Kripke for Amazon, and based off the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boy follows Hughie (Jack Quaid), an average guy whose girlfriend is brutally killed in an accident by the superhero A-Train (Jessie T. Usher).
After being recruited by superhero hater Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie learns the dark truth about the world of superheroes and sets out with Butcher and his allies Frenchie (Tomer Capon), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonzo) and the Female (Karen Fukuhara) to uncover a super conspiracy and take down the corrupt system.
First of all, The Boys is an incredibly dark show with a lot of shocking moments.
These parts come not only from the lengths Hughie, Butcher and the rest of The Boys go to so they can have their revenge but also through the “heroes”, primarily Homelander (Antony Starr).
To say that Homelander is an evil version of Superman would be the understatement of the century.
Homelander makes the evil Superman from Injustice: Gods Among Us look like a puppy.
He is absolutely terrifying and his presence is all the evidence I need to say that giving anyone the kind of powers that he has would be a terrible idea.
However, not all the heroes are completely evil as many of them do have sympathetic sides, despite their horrific misdeeds.
The only hero who deserves the title, not having committed any wrongs, is Starlight (Erin Moriarty), whose depiction in the show is extremely reminiscent of the #MeToo movement based on what she goes through.
Thankfully, this is done in a respectful way that makes you cheer for her, and her emerging relationship with Hughie is genuinely sweet.
Although, my favourite character dynamic of the entire season would definitely have to go to the Female and Frenchie whose growing bond is great to watch.
Sadly, its not all sunshine and rainbows because, as I mentioned, the show can get extraordinarily brutal, with at least one jaw droppingly dark moment every episode.
This is best encapsulated by the season one finale, which has one of the most shocking cliffhangers that I have seen in a while and made me incredibly excited for season two.
All in all, The Boys is the best example of superheroes gone bad story out there, with fantastic characters and a nice blend of humor and horrifying moments.
This all comes together to make The Boys a true Spice Girls quality show… just watch it, you’ll get the reference.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 