The Boys Season 4 Ruined A Controversial Gen V Character - And Fans Hate It
Contains spoilers for "The Boys" Season 4, Episode 6 — "Dirty Business"
The following article contains references to sexual assault.
"The Boys" Season 4 has proven to be the superhero satire's most divisive outing yet. Critics still seem to enjoy the show, with Looper's review praising the great cast and awesome set pieces. However, the Prime Video series' audience score on Rotten Tomatoes leaves something to be desired, with many fans sharing the belief that the new season of "The Boys" is focusing too much on shock value rather than advancing the story. That criticism appears to be at play in a big way for "The Boys" Season 4, Episode 6, with fans angry about how it handled one particular character.
Tek Knight (Derek Wilson) was introduced on "Gen V" as a menacing detective who has a weird fetish for holes. While he was presented as a multi-faceted character, "The Boys" focuses almost exclusively on his sexual side when he's not making racist comments toward A-Train (Jessie T. Usher). A Reddit thread breaks down how he changed across the two shows, with u/DistributionJust976 writing, "They ruined his character, a complete and utter waste with no Iron Man suit like in the comics except one tiny low quality frame from a made up fighting game."
It's not even like the show can present him differently down the line as Tek Knight's killed off by the episode's end. This makes his presentation even more disappointing to many fans. "He was actually my favourite character in Gen V despite showing up for only one episode," wrote u/Beneficial_Box6263. "He was really memorable. I am kinda disappointed they killed him off like that." Now, Tek Knight's characterization can go in the pile of things fans believe "The Boys" has dropped the ball on.
Fans think Tek Knight was more of a menace during Gen V
"The Boys" Season 4 doesn't really utilize Tek Knight's special abilities of recognizing subtle details that give away information. Instead, it focuses on his sexual proclivities, spending much of the episode in the Tek Cave as he's sexually assaulting Hughie (Jack Quaid). While Tek Knight's fetish was on full display on "Gen V," many fans liked how he was presented as a genuine detective, with the show really utilizing his powers in an interesting manner.
One Redditor's detailed breakdown explains how Tek Knight came across so much more menacingly on "Gen V" compared to "The Boys." "Everyone in the university was on edge with him on campus and he would've unravelled everything if the dean didn't stop him," they wrote. "The zoomed in shots of him using his powers were some of my favorite parts of the episode and he was an overall very intriguing antagonist." On "The Boys," Tek Knight really only uses his powers to determine Web-Weaver isn't actually Web-Weaver based on Hughie's subtle finger twitching.
Some Redditors argue that Tek Knight's brain tumor may have gotten bigger between appearances on "Gen V" and "The Boys." As a result, he focuses more on his sexual compulsions than detective work. However, even on "Gen V," he couldn't really control himself. But while one could argue trying to have sex with a rock can be played for laughs, his sexual assault of Hughie is not funny on any level, and fans found themselves furious at "The Boys" showrunner Eric Kripke for saying he viewed that whole scenario as "hilarious."
Tek Knight's death on The Boys could be seen as karmic retribution
Another point Redditors have converged on regarding the depiction of Tek Knight on "The Boys" is that he's a far cry from his comic book counterpart. We never see him actually don his mechanized suit on the show, and while he has a similar sexual compulsion, he does try to reign it in. That said, it still manages to get the better of him at points in the comics, as exhibited by the revelation that he once attempted to penetrate his butler's ear.
On the show, Tek Knight's butler Elijah (Tyrone Benskin) is the one who ultimately dispatches the billionaire. He says he's wanted to kill his boss in response to having to deal with his antics for all these years, but on a meta level, it can be viewed as the put-upon butler finally getting retribution for how Tek Knight treated him in the comics. The "hero's" comic death doesn't quite have the same level of karma attached, as the character hallucinates sacrificing himself to prevent a meteor from striking Earth. In actuality, a wheelbarrow falls on him and kills him, which offers more in the way of random, dark humor.
There are numerous things "The Boys" has changed from the comics, oftentimes for the better. But based on this Reddit thread and other sentiments found across social media, it seems as though many wanted something a little more for Tek Knight.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).