The Boys: 20 Biggest Differences from the Comics
We're not surprised they didn't adapt everything from the comics! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the 20 biggest differences between The Boys comic and its tv adaptation. Beware of major spoilers for both ahead.
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00:00I'd have let you take the spotlight.
00:02What father wouldn't want that for his son?
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 20 Biggest Differences Between The Boys comic and its TV adaptation.
00:13Beware of major spoilers for both ahead.
00:16Beck, she's great. We talked earlier, and she's really great.
00:23Number 20. Maeve's Sacrifice
00:25Now, Maeve, we have bigger fish.
00:27I don't.
00:30I said not now.
00:33At the end of Season 3, Maeve was willing to do anything it took to kill her old enemy, Homelander.
00:38Although she tried her best to win, she just barely managed to injure him.
00:42Maeve ended up abandoning her quest when an explosion threatened to kill all her friends.
00:46Without hesitation, she put her body on the line to save everyone.
00:50Maeve was willing to make a similar sacrifice in the comics.
00:54When Homelander tried to stop her from leaving with Starlight,
00:56the Amazon-themed heroine threw her companion to safety.
01:00Unfortunately, Maeve didn't survive the ensuing battle with Homelander.
01:04That's why fans were surprised to see the show deviate from the comics by
01:07having her survive after risking everything for her friends.
01:10You gonna be okay?
01:13Slowly, painfully, like every other powerless schmuck in America.
01:19Number 19. Annie and Huey's Complex Relationship
01:23Who are you?
01:26I'm a fighter.
01:31After Huey and Annie, also known as Starlight, both have terrible days,
01:35they end up sharing a park bench and some friendly conversation.
01:38Unfortunately, they don't realize that their jobs make them enemies.
01:42During Season 1, Huey realizes Annie is a superhero fairly quickly.
01:46Annie? Annie! Annie, hi!
01:50Huey? From the bench the other day?
01:53You're, uh, you're Starlight.
01:56While using her to get intel on other heroes, Huey and Annie start dating.
02:00Their relationship temporarily ends when Annie finds out she's being used.
02:04You are the only thing that I can count on.
02:06I'm still me, Annie, please. You know me.
02:10I don't know you. Never did.
02:14Huey's comic counterpart is much more oblivious. Although he dates Annie for months,
02:18he's unaware she's a superhero until she literally floats off the ground.
02:23They eventually get past this reveal and end up married in the end.
02:26Hopefully the show will follow this path and let the cute duo tie the knot.
02:30Number 18. Little Nina's Journey.
02:32I know you. You're the one who introduced us. You're the one who pays the debt.
02:38You work for me now.
02:39The TV version of this villainess originally wanted to get revenge against someone who crossed her.
02:44While it was clear Little Nina was sadistic, her ultimate goals are still a mystery.
02:49Her comic counterpart made her ambitious plans very clear.
02:53In the source material, Little Nina worked with Vought to create a small army of Supes.
02:57She planned to have them cause chaos all over Russia
03:00before she stepped in with a secret weapon to kill them.
03:02Before executing her grand plan,
03:04Butcher took her out with a bomb planted in one of Little Nina's special toys.
03:09While the boys certainly have a grudge with her on the show,
03:12it's unknown if they'll use the same method to dispatch her.
03:15Nina!
03:15You must choose, Sergei. If not, I will kill both of them,
03:19and when you've finished screaming, crying, I will kill you too.
03:2317. Kimiko's backstory
03:25She's a soldier.
03:30There's a flag with a two-headed snake on it.
03:33In the pages of the comics, the first female member of the boys got her powers by accident.
03:38When she was a toddler, she accidentally crawled into a bucket of Compound V while
03:42her mother wasn't paying attention. The nameless girl spent years being
03:45captured and chased until she met the boys. When she was adapted for television,
03:50she was given the name Kimiko and had a much bigger backstory.
03:53She and her brother Kenji were forcibly drafted into an army when they were young.
03:57Her brother. That's what she was trying to tell me.
04:02At some point, the army subjected the siblings to illegal experiments that gave them both
04:07superpowers. Changing Kimiko's story so that she knowingly received abilities against her will
04:11made her origins darker than ever.
04:1416. Stillwell's storyline
04:16None of that really matters. Because job one is managing, supporting, and advising
04:26the brave heroes.
04:27Don't let the fancy clothes fool you. The executive that oversees the Seven is responsible
04:32for a lot of bloodshed. In the comics, this role is occupied by James Stillwell. The man is so cold
04:38and dedicated to his job that he ordered the mass murder of an entire superhero team to avoid bad
04:44He's also formidable enough to stare down an angry Homelander and outlive nearly every member
04:48of the Seven. The show gender-swapped the character and renamed her, something they
04:53also did with the boys' former leader Mallory. Although Madeline Stillwell is just as ruthless
04:58as her comic counterpart, she also has a disturbing and intimate relationship with Homelander.
05:03You have to listen to me. And then we both can get what we want.
05:09That is, until Homelander catches her in a lie and kills her.
05:1315. Huey's first kill
05:17Shortly after joining the boys, Huey ends up killing someone for the first time.
05:21In the comics, this pivotal event occurs after the boys humiliate a superhero team called
05:26the Teenage Kicks. When one of its members, Blarney Cock, yes, that's his name, attacks Huey,
05:32Huey accidentally kills him in self-defense. His homicide in the show, however, is 100%
05:38intentional. After the boys capture the hero Translucent and insert explosives inside his
05:44body, Translucent tries to escape. Huey initially decides to let the hero go,
05:59but he ultimately decides that it's time to get his hands dirty and detonates the bomb.
06:04Huey's decisive action makes his first kill feel darker and more malicious than in the comic.
06:10You're a murderer. We didn't have a choice.
06:13There is always a choice.
06:1414. Stormfront and Homelander's twisted love affair
06:19We found each other. And now neither of us has to be alone ever again.
06:26Two of the most hateful supes in the boys' universe somehow manage to fall in love with
06:30each other. After getting off to a rocky start, Homelander and Stormfront bonded over their mutual
06:35feelings of superiority and lust for power. While he certainly didn't love every aspect of her
06:40twisted personality, he was severely hurt when she was grievously injured. This plotline never
06:46played out in the source material. In the comics, it's mentioned offhand that the male Stormfront
06:51dated Maeve for a brief time. That fact kept us from seeing Homelander maintain a real relationship
06:57until he appeared in live action. Additionally, Stormfront's death in the show eventually pushes
07:02Homelander to deliver a public rant that changes how everyone sees him.
07:06I am done apologizing. I am done being persecuted for my strength. You people
07:12should be thanking Christ that I am who and what I am because you need me.
07:1813. What happens to Annie?
07:20Both adaptations of the boys depict mature and disturbing events that highlight real social
07:25issues. One of the hardest scenes to endure is Annie's assault. In the comic, Annie is assaulted
07:30by Homelander, Black Noir, and A-Train, who corner her and threaten her with expulsion from the Seven.
07:36On the show, this role is taken over by the Deep.
07:39Just roll with the punches for like three minutes, maybe. It's not a big deal.
07:46And then you know what happens? All your dreams come true.
07:50While the comic heroes are never directly punished for the crime,
07:53Deep faces heavy consequences on the show. After Annie exposes him on live TV,
07:58the Deep is forced to make a public apology and is indefinitely suspended from the Seven.
08:03Overall, the show's focus on Annie's assault and its aftermath
08:06provided a better take on this difficult storyline.
08:08Sorry, I don't do discretion anymore. If anyone asks me who did it, I'm gonna answer honestly.
08:1512. Huey's appearance
08:17If you picked up a boys comic, you'd see that Huey is a dead ringer for the fantastic Simon Pegg.
08:22This version of the character is Scottish, sports a buzzcut, and is shorter than his allies.
08:27The show's take on Huey is tall, American, and has a full head of hair. In a brilliant
08:33bit of metacasting, his father Hugh is played by the real Simon Pegg.
08:37I thought Robin's service was nice. Did you see how many people came? Wow.
08:44While both versions of the character struggle with anxiety and morality,
08:48Hugh's presence makes a big difference. Although he's initially skeptical of his son's capabilities,
08:53he worries about him and tries to show him love and support.
08:56It makes Huey's descent into darker territory feel all the more tragic.
09:00Were you going somewhere? Yeah, for a while.
09:03Where? Uh, I don't know.
09:08Wait, you're scaring me, Hugh.
09:1011. Lamplighter's final fate
09:13So why didn't you stop me?
09:14Maybe you like watching people burn, too.
09:20There's no happy ending for this fiery soup in any medium. In the comics,
09:24Lamplighter burned innocent members of Agent Greg Mallory's family to a crisp.
09:28The CIA operative retaliated by killing the soup as soon as he got the chance.
09:33Unbeknownst to Mallory, Vought attempted to revive Lamplighter later,
09:37but their efforts failed, and he essentially became a mindless zombie.
09:41On the show, Mallory spared Lamplighter after being convinced he could help expose how corrupt
09:46the superhero community was. He initially seemed prepared to testify in front of Congress.
09:51But before we could see how that plotline would unravel,
09:54Lamplighter brought his story to an end by taking his own life inside of his former superhero home.
10:00I wanted to do it in front of my statue.
10:02Do what?
10:0310. Huey tangos with the Seven right away
10:06All right, let me just get this straight. You want me to go to Seven Tower
10:10by myself, and you want me to plant a bug?
10:13Huey knew the Seven as an untouchable team of superheroes. But when his girlfriend is
10:18carelessly killed by the hero A-Train, Huey teams up with Billy Butcher and the boys to take the
10:23heroes down. In the comics, Huey helps dismantle less notable superhero teams before confronting
10:28the Seven. This gives him time to become a competent spy and legitimate threat.
10:33He has much less time to hone his espionage skills on the show. Within a few days of meeting Butcher,
10:38Huey's sent to bug the Seven's headquarters. During the mission,
10:41Huey's cover is blown and he's nearly killed by Translucent.
10:44You think I wouldn't find this thing?
10:51Huey.
10:52Perhaps he should have taken a cue from his comic counterpart and gained experience before
10:56taking on the world's most powerful heroes.
10:599. Butcher's team isn't part of the CIA
11:02In the first episode, Butcher introduces himself as an FBI agent.
11:06You're a Fed? You don't sound like a Fed.
11:10What, I can't immigrate?
11:11Although Huey questions Butcher's credentials, he still follows his new companion's lead.
11:16But after the duo knocks Translucent unconscious, Butcher confesses that he's not with the FBI.
11:21Yeah, okay, so look, technically I'm not a Fed.
11:27What?!
11:28His lies are a hilarious twist on the comics. On the page, Butcher and the boys are licensed
11:33and funded by the CIA. Their government connection gives them access to passports,
11:38jets, and a decent headquarters. The boys have so much pull that they
11:42even get away with killing heroes on a public street.
11:44Although the TV version of the team eventually gets government support,
11:48they made it remarkably far with only a handful of connections and nearly empty pockets.
11:53Locking up a couple of nobodies ain't winning.
11:56They got all the money and all the power and they want us dead. We're outmanned and outgunned.
12:018. A-Train and Huey's strained relationship
12:05The Seven's speediest superhero was quick to cover up that he was
12:08responsible for the innocent Robin's death.
12:11My deepest condolences to Robin Ward's family.
12:15I was chasing these bank robbers. She just stepped in the middle of the street.
12:20Huey reacts to this news very differently between mediums.
12:23In the comics, he learns about A-Train's carelessness and his
12:27involvement in a vicious crime against Starlight.
12:30Both revelations push Huey to kill A-Train on the spot. In the TV universe, the speedy hero
12:36has a heart attack while trying to injure Starlight. Instead of letting him die,
12:39Huey starts to give him CPR.
12:42One, two, three. Call an ambulance.
12:49He'll never stop coming for you.
12:52I know.
12:53A-Train would later return the favor by giving his longtime enemy crucial dirt on Vought.
12:58While Huey hasn't tried to kill A-Train since,
13:01there's still a chance their strained relationship will end violently.
13:04My heart is just fine. Take a step closer and I'll show you.
13:07Hey, I saved your life, asshole. Now you're coming after us?
13:137. Newman is an active player
13:16The testimony we're about to hear today will prove that Vought is guilty of corporate
13:21malfeasance and multiple felonies. It initially seemed like Victoria Newman was an ordinary
13:26politician who was genuinely interested in ending superhero corruption. But in a shocking twist,
13:31it was revealed that she was an assassin and the daughter of a high-ranking Vought executive.
13:36Shortly after the boys learned about Newman's buried past,
13:39she began making moves to get into the White House. While her comic counterpart sworn into
13:44office as the vice president, he didn't have to work nearly as hard. The comic Newman was
13:49a complete idiot who does whatever Vought wanted him to. He even stumbled his way upwards and
13:54became the president without any effort. If Victoria becomes the POTUS on the show,
13:58we have a feeling it'll be completely intentional.
14:01As the next vice president, I will work hard to provide a safe and secure future for all citizens
14:07on both sides of the political divide. And that's why I am so proud to have her on my team.
14:146. Starlight allies with the boys
14:17At a certain point in the comics, the brightest member of the Seven recognized that the soup
14:21community was heading in a very dark direction. Starlight decided to get far out of Dodge before
14:26the entire world of capes and costumes came crashing down. But the live-action Annie January
14:32wasn't content with a quiet existence. Although Starlight does attempt to leave her superhero
14:37career behind, she returned to the life to help expose the evils of her industry.
14:42Most heroes don't care about you. They only care about their image, and
14:50Homelander is the worst of them.
14:53By the time we reach Season 3, she's routinely providing insights and information that could
14:57help Huey's team. Starlight's determined efforts and continued courage ended up earning her a spot
15:03on the boys.
15:04I see you wanted the boys. Me too.
15:085. Soldier Boy's presence
15:11There isn't a whole lot to be said about the comic versions of this Captain America parody.
15:15While the first two Soldier Boys died after making bad decisions, the third was killed after
15:19a fight with the boys. The single TV version of the character had a much greater impact on the
15:24overall story. On the show, Soldier Boy carelessly killed members of Mother Milk's family.
15:29You killed my family.
15:32Which one?
15:33This incident inspired the grieving man to join the boys. Soldier Boy also gained the ability
15:38to generate radioactive blasts that can devastate cities and remove superpowers.
15:43But most significantly, it was revealed that the Soup is Homelander's father.
15:47The ramifications of that revelation alone led to major changes to the narrative.
15:52Weak? Um, you.
15:56I know.
15:574. The Plane Incident
16:00If you bring those passengers back alive,
16:03not one congressman will have the balls to vote against our bill.
16:06When Stilwell hears that terrorists have hijacked a plane,
16:09she sends Homelander and Maeve to save the passengers. But during the rescue mission,
16:13Homelander accidentally fries the controls. Unable to land the plane,
16:17the heroes abandon the mission and leave the passengers to die.
16:29As bad as that sounds, the comic's version of events is even worse.
16:33In the comic, the plane is hijacked on September 11, 2001. After the seven fail to save it,
16:39the plane crashes into the Brooklyn Bridge. By associating the incident with real historical
16:44events, it made for an even more horrifying and harrowing scene.
16:473. Black Noir's Identity
16:50Viewers first got to peek under this mysterious Soup's mask in Season 2.
16:54After that glimpse, it was later revealed that he was a man named Irving.
16:58People don't even know it's me under this thing. I gotta wear it just to get a cab.
17:00He chose to wear the mask full-time after his face was severely damaged and burned by Soldier Boy.
17:06In the comics, there was a much more shocking reason why he kept his face hidden. While
17:10Homelander was leading a coup, Black Noir revealed that he was a clone of the red,
17:14white, and twisted Soup. The masked villain was ordered to keep his true identity a secret.
17:19After exposing the truth, Black Noir ended up killing Homelander. In an ironic twist of fate,
17:25the TV version of Homelander slayed the first Black Noir before any clones came out of the woodwork.
17:312. The Boys and Superpowers
17:41How does a ragtag group like the Boys stand a chance against superheroes?
17:45Easy. In the comic, they all have superpowers. Both Mother's Milk and the female get their
17:50powers when they're young. The rest of the team uses the drug Compound V to acquire super strength
17:55and increase durability. On the show, the team is much more vulnerable. For a large chunk of
18:00the series, Kimiko was the only one of the boys who had enhanced abilities. The show briefly
18:05imitated the comics by allowing Huey and Butcher to get temporary superpowers. But after it was
18:11revealed that the Compound V was slowly killing them, they realized they couldn't count on
18:15enhanced abilities forever.
18:17How long they got?
18:19Months. Twelve. Eighteen on the outside.
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18:391. Becca Butcher's Fate
18:41It has been eight years since she's been missing. The cops never found anything.
18:46You never found anything. She's not alive.
18:50Butcher's hatred of superheroes is tied to his wife, Becca. In the comics, he awoke one night
18:56to find that she'd given birth to Homelander's superpowered son. Unfortunately, neither Becca
19:01nor the child made it to the morning. His show counterpart seemed to more or less share this
19:05backstory — until the Season 1 finale. In a shocking series of twists, it's revealed that
19:11Becca is alive, in hiding, and raising Homelander's son.
19:15Becca.
19:18Mommy didn't tell you.
19:20Unfortunately, her son Ryan accidentally causes her death later on.
19:24But his continued survival still changes the direction of the entire series.
19:28Ryan can choose to stick by his father Homelander's side or rebel against his dad.
19:33Whatever decision he makes, it's likely to shape the future of the TV world.
19:39All righty, everyone. This little guy here is my son, Ryan.
19:46What difference surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments.
19:49No matter what you do, I'm not going anywhere.
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