The Boys – Amazon Prime Video’s edgy superhero satire – opened to rave reviews and fan approval, all but guaranteeing its second season and possibly more to come. With new-found interest in the comics, newcomers and old fans alike are revisiting them – only to find out that some of the crazier characters are only mentioned in ing or don’t exist at all.
This is because the show is a pragmatic adaptation, meaning it took many liberties with the source material by omitting a lot of the story’s original heroes and humans. While some could appear in the future, others may not be so lucky. Without spoiling the comics’ biggest twists, here are some characters from The Boys that we want to see in Season Two, along with some we really don't.
Hope We See: Team Titanic
Comprised of ageing sidekicks no-one really cares for, Team Titanic is a very obvious stab at the Teen Titans and how often that team gets disbanded and reformed. While powerful, they’re relatively harmless and preoccupied with mundane matters like getting out of Cleveland.
Because they’re not as depraved as The Seven, Team Titanic is one of the few decent teams in The Boys. Their petty annoyances and apathetic outlook would make an appropriately silly addition to the series and serve as a contrast to the worse teams. They also have Gumchum, whose power is... offering chewing gum to people.
Hope We Don’t See: Jack From Jupiter
Despite being one of the original Seven in the comics, Jack From Jupiter was seemingly replaced by Translucent. The two share the ability to turn their skin invulnerable, although Jack doesn’t turn invisible and he says a magic word to do so.
Translucent isn’t a bad update for Jack, who is an outright hedonist in the comics. If anything, Translucent is a more sympathetic and tamer version of the same character. That, and bringing Jack in would kill the joke about Translucent’s death never being addressed, since Vaught can get away with it by filming air.
Hope We See: Superduper
Vought owns many superhero teams in The Boys, but Superduper stands out for being the only nice one. Unlike their adult counterparts, the team is comprised of young and ineffective heroes who genuinely want to save the world by helping their small community.
They also serve an important function in the comics, as their mere existence contradicts Butcher’s narrow opinion of superheroes while planting the seeds of doubt in Hughie. The series has done a good job of showing the questionable side of the superhero lifestyle, and there’s no better time than now to show that world’s polar opposite.
Hope We Don’t See: The G-Men
The Boys is a merciless demolition of superheroes and the X-Men arguably get the worst of Ennis’ hatred of the costumed lot. Named G-Men after their founder John Godolkin, these “mutants” were recruited through less-than-savory means.
The G-Men effectively shows just how amoral the heroes are, although one can’t overlook just how mean-spirited Ennis was when he set his sights on Marvel’s school of mutants. Amazon’s adaptation is thankfully more even-handed, so hopefully the G-Men never see the light of day on the show.
Hope We See: Tek-Knight
A cross between Batman and Iron Man, Tek-Knight is a billionaire-turned-hero who fell out of the public’s grace. No matter how hard he tried to stop himself, Tek-Knight had an uncontrollable urge to trying and seduce anyone and anything.
Despite this, Tek-Knight is actually one of the few heroes in The Boys who was actually heroic. Unlike the others, Tek-Knight’s debauchery was caused by a fist-sized brain tumor, not his immaturity or unchecked lust. He’s been mentioned every now and then in Amazon’s show, and he wouldn’t feel out place in it.
Hope We Don’t See: Kessler, aka Monkey
While Butcher’s CIA-lifeline Susan Rayner appeared in the series, her liaison Kessler, aka “Monkey,” does not. Perhaps this is for the better, given his backstory.
Monkey isn’t just a walking punchline who often gets kicked in the groin, but an incredibly shady character. The Boys may be irreverent at times, but it doesn’t have go this low.
Hope We See: Vasily “Vas” Vorishkin, aka Love Sausage
Butcher hates superheroes with a ion, and the only one to get a in his book is Vas. A former member of the Soviet superhero team Glorious Five Year Plan, the heroic giant is The Boys’ trusted ally who helps them defeat Stormfront.
He also earned his name because of his hufe 'endowment,' which is also the source of his “kryptonite” (women with large breasts). Said giant genitalia is something Rogen and Goldberg wouldn’t be able to resist adding in their show, making Vas’ live-action debut all but inevitable.
Hope We Don’t See: Stormfront
Stormfront would’ve been the worst superhero in The Boys were it not for The Homelander’s atrocities. The problem with Stormfront isn’t just his unabashed Nazism but the fact that he sucks as a villain.
Built up as the strongest foe Butcher and company faced, Stormfront is quickly killed after everyone gangs up on him. Granted, he deserved a humiliating defeat, but it was still anti-climactic. We sure wouldn't have wanted to see him on the show as we knew him then. Funnily enough, though, Stormfront has been confirmed for Season Two and will reportedly be a heroine this time, paving the way for a truly menacing and brand new take on the character.
Hope We See: Terror
In the comics, Butcher is never seen without his dog Terror. Terror can do a lot of things but he’s best known for violating whatever or whoever is in front of him when Butcher tells him to.
Previously, The Boys teased Terror’s presence in a single flashback. Other than that, Butcher’s loyal dog is never seen beside him in Season One but hopefully, this is rectified in the follow-up. While Terror’s signature attack wouldn’t feel misplaced in the show, it may be end up being toned down a notch or omitted it altogether.
Hope We Don’t See: The Legend
The Legend is The Boys’ version of Stan Lee, here a former editor for Vought-American’s comics publishing arm. He’s also Butcher’s main source of information and blackmail material, turning the majority of his spoken dialogue into exposition.
One major criticism of the comics was their choice to tell rather than show. The Legend’s only purpose in the story was to narrate Ennis’ opinions, bested only by Butcher’s (read: Ennis’) tiresome one-sided tirades. A pastiche of Stan Lee is a must for the Amazon series, but only if The Legend is an improvement of the printed counterpart.
