The Boys: The Batman Easter Egg You Likely Missed

It's vital for the first episode of a new TV show to grab viewers' attention. "The Boys" accomplished that in spades.

One of the first scenes shows Hughie (Jack Quaid) walking down the street with his girlfriend, Robin Ward (Jess Salgueiro). As they share a cute moment, Robin's obliterated by A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) running at super speed, turning her into a puddle of gore. It's the inciting incident of the series, as it draws Hughie into the world of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and the boys. But seeing how "The Boys" is a satire of pop culture's obsession with superheroes, it's only natural for a Batman Easter egg to be present at that moment some viewers may have missed. 

Hughie's girlfriend's name is "Robin," which naturally has a strong connotation with the Caped Crusader. Robin is the mantle of Batman's sidekick, but there's more. In the comics, Robin's last name is "Mawhinney," but it's changed to "Ward" for the Amazon Prime series. Robin is often referred to as Batman's ward throughout the franchise. It could also be a reference to Burt Ward, who played Robin in the 1966 "Batman" TV series. It feels like a cheeky nod to comic book lore within one of the grisliest moments of "The Boys."

Robin's crucial moment in "The Boys" is slightly different from how it plays out in the comics. In the original version, Hughie and Robin are at a fair in Glasgow, Scotland. A-Train throws a supervillain toward Robin, crushing her as they land against a wall while Hughie is left holding her detached arms. The same basic premise remains in the TV show, but now, it bears a striking similarity to a moment from "SpongeBob SquarePants." Yes, really.

Based on a post by Redditor u/Mr_Muda_Himself_V3, in a 2018 episode titled "Bubbletown," SpongeBob visits a place occupied entirely by bubble people. Everyone goes smoothly until SpongeBob starts slipping and collides with various bubble buildings. At one point, we see a bubble person propose to his bubble partner, who enthusiastically accepts. But the happy moment doesn't last long as SpongeBob soon pops her. It's visually reminiscent of the scene from "The Boys," even down to the couple having a conversation about taking a next step in their relationship before tragedy strikes. 

The "SpongeBob" episode is from 2018 while the first episode of "The Boys" was released in 2019. Is it possible "The Boys" was influenced not only by Batman but by SpongeBob SquarePants? It's unlikely, but it's humorous to watch the two clips back to back and see how drastically different the tones are for essentially the same scenes.