The Boys' 5 Best Characters Who Didn't Appear In The Comics
The following article contains mentions of sexual harassment and sexual abuse.
"The Boys" television show is based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's Dynamite Comics series of the same name, but some of the Amazon Studios adaptation's most noteworthy, scene-stealing characters never appeared in a single panel in the comics.
When "The Boys" was introduced on the small screen, it largely focused on characters from the source material. The Seven is mostly comprised of the same Vought International 'heroes" from the comics, with Homelander (Antony Starr) leading the group with an iron fist in both incarnations. Meanwhile, the Boys themselves feature a similar team to the source material, with Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) all being part of the Supe-fighting squad.
One of the major changes made from the comic to the television series is how the show handles the overall concept. "The Boys" comic is an (often needlessly) edgy superhero satire. Meanwhile, the streaming series is much more a parody of modern-day politics (showrunner Erik Kripke has succinctly addressed recent criticisms of the series being "woke" messaging). As a result, the show is nuanced and complex, especially compared to its comic counterpart, though it does maintain the absurd violence and shock value of the original's story.
Another area where the projects differ is in their casts. The television series introduces several original characters made specifically for the show, from new Supes to others who are forced to provide damage control to their actions, some of whom are among the best "The Boys" universe has to offer.
Ashley Barrett shows the difficulties of working for Vought
Ashley Barrett (Colby Minfie) has seen her sanity start to lapse even as she continues to be promoted up the ladder at Vought International.
Beginning as Madelyn Stillwell's (Elisabeth Shue) assistant, Ashley quickly learns how frustrating it can be to keep up the public image of the company while dealing with numerous scandals and constant mistreatment at the hands of The Seven. When Homelander kills Stillwell, Ashley takes her place, becoming further entrenched in the world of morally reprehensible Supes. She gains more power on the PR side before getting recommended by Homelander to take over as the new CEO of Vought. However, along with the added responsibility, Ashley realizes she is just a pawn in Homelander's web of corruption, a situation that causes her such extreme stress that she begins to pull her own hair out. She becomes much less tolerant of The Seven's repugnant habits and stands up to the likes of The Deep (Chace Crawford) and A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) despite not having any powers herself. But even with her leadership position, Ashley still trembles in fear of the Supes, as, despite her political power, she's still a normal human working amongst egomaniacal "heroes."
While Ashley doesn't exist in the comics, her habit of pulling out hair is based on the same stress-based actions exhibited by Jess Bradley, the personal assistant to Vought American CEO James Stillwell, in the source material. Weirdly enough, Bradley, who is the closest comic counterpart Barrett has, is the civilian name of Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), although this appears to be the only real similarity between the two characters.
Translucent is an original member of The Seven
In "The Boys" comic, The Seven features a member who is only briefly mentioned on the show: Jack From Jupiter. A parody of Martian Manhunter, Jack is an alien who is an original member of the team. However, "The Boys" streaming series opted to keep things more grounded, replacing him with an all-new Supe: Translucent (Alex Hassell).
Translucent is capable of turning his skin into a super-strong material that also makes him invisible, but only when he's completely naked. With his powers, the perverted Translucent often spies on his fellow heroes while they're in compromising situations, but when he catches Hughie trying to bug Seven Tower, the Boys capture the peeping tom. Realizing they can't simply kill the Supe due to his impenetrable skin, the Boys insert a bomb into his backside. When Translucent tries to escape, Hughie is forced to detonate the bomb, brutally blowing up his invisible adversary.
Exploding Translucent serves as a pivotal moment for Hughie, as it's the first time he's killed anyone. Perhaps even more importantly, Translucent's death opens the door for a much more horrifying Supe to join the Seven when the Nazi Stormfront eventually takes his place.
Victoria Neuman gives supes political stakes
In "The Boys" comic, there is a character named Victor K. Neuman. In the show, we have Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). While both characters serve as Vice President of the United States, the similarities end there.
On the page, Neuman, despite his political power, is a degenerate moron who operates without realizing he's under Vought's control. He eventually becomes President of the United States, only to die during Homelander's rampage and final stand against Black Noir at the White House. Victoria, on the other hand, is a fiercely intelligent Supe in disguise, rising up the political ranks from her position leading the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs to becoming Vice President, all while secretly working alongside Vought International as the corporation's controlled opposition. The adopted daughter of Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), Neuman is one of the most powerful Supes in "The Boys" and is able to use her blood-bending abilities without anyone realizing she even has powers. She presents herself as a caring, relatable person, but in reality, she's a cold-blooded killer who has utilized her head-bursting abilities to rack up one of the highest kill counts in the entire series.
Neauman appears to be one of the main counterforces in place to keep Homelander in check. In the "Gen V" spinoff, she obtains a virus capable of killing all Supes. It may be her only contingency plan against the red, white, and blue-clad hero in the event that he tries to take over the world. But her goals are anything but altruistic — she wants all that power for herself.
Ryan adds a new foil to Homelander's world
In "The Boys" comic, Black Noir is revealed as Homelander's clone, specifically created to take the Superman-esque hero out. In Prime Video's streaming series, Homelander's son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) appears to be the person who will stop his dad when the time comes.
When Becca dies during childbirth after being assaulted by Black Noir in the comics, her super-powered baby is quickly killed by Billy Butcher after it unleashes laser eyes at him. In the show, however, Ryan is secretly born and hidden from Homelander. But after Homelander learns about his son, the leader of The Seven convinces Ryan to join him, and he trains under his father as the first natural-born Supe. Ryan's addition to the franchise's mythos creates a fascinating dynamic between Homelander and Butcher. The former wants the young boy to be his true successor, while the latter wants to honor Becky and keep her son away from a life of violence and corruption as a Supe. With the show taking a different path from the Black Noir twist in the comics, Ryan seems poised to take that character's place when it comes to stopping Homelander.
Ryan is still learning to be a Supe, but despite his biological father's wishes, that doesn't seem to be the route he wants to follow. It seems inevitable that Ryan will eventually turn on his father, leading to Homelander's downfall. The youngster is one of the few Supes in existence who could take Vought's primary hero out, especially after he becomes more skilled in using his god-like abilities.
Pretty much the entire cast of Gen V
At first glance, "The Boys" spinning off a series about college students studying to become Supes with a primary cast comprised of original characters seemed like a pretty wild idea. But "Gen V" and its world-building storyline quickly proved to be a great addition to the franchise.
"Gen V" is loosely inspired by the G-Men, the source material's parody of Marvel's X-Men. However, the show takes the concept in a very different direction, entirely ditching the comic's sexual abuse angle at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting and instead showcasing the new Supes' journey into a messed-up world populated by corporate-controlled heroes. The cast includes blood-bender Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), magnetic manipulator Andre Anderson (the late Chance Perdomo), the size-changing Emma Meyer (Lizza Broadway), the telepath Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips), and more. One comic book character who plays a prominent role in the original series, Tek-Knight (Derek Wilson), is completely reinvented from a sex-addicted joke of a superhero to a sex-addicted true-crime TV host who works for Vought.
"Gen V" shows the potential of "The Boys" universe has when it steps beyond the source material, giving this group of almost entirely new characters plenty of chance to shine. Now, members of the cast are poised to appear in Season 4 of "The Boys" before Season 2 of "Gen V" arrives in 2025.