WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3
Did you spot every MCU and DCEU parallel in The Boys TV show exists in an era where every other blockbuster stars what Billy Butcher might call "a bloody supe." With so much material to work with, it's no surprise that parodies are eating well in 2022. The Boys has cherry-picked the finest MCU and DCEU tropes for its satirical soup, whether that be modeling Vought after a major studio, or the constant jokes concerning superhero "demographics."
Chief among The Boys' arsenal is "Dawn of the Seven" - an in-universe team-up movie starring Vought's Seven (or however many are alive during filming). The project is first mentioned in season 2, but The Boys season 3's opening episode ("Payback") begins at the "Dawn of the Seven" premiere after a turbulent production involving rehired heroes and a Nazi surprise.
Now that "Dawn of the Seven" has finally released (not in real life, sadly, though we can hope) and The Boys season 3 is moving toward Soldier Boy-shaped pastures, we look back at every MCU and DCEU trope and gag this fake flick has thrown our way.
Dawn Of The Seven's Title & Poster Mock Batman V Superman
Starting as it means to go on, the title "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the parallel goes far beyond a name alone. First revealed during Susan Raynor's explosive death scene in The Boys season 2, the "Dawn of the Seven" poster is a large metallic "7" upon a gunmetal gray background, with lettering that gradients from white to gray and dividers separating lines of text. This coloring, design and layout is virtually identical to the poster released for Zack Snyder's 2016 critical misfire starring the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader.
Dawn Of The Seven Is A "VCU" Movie
Every major franchise has its own shared cinematic universe these days, and Vought is no different. The Boys' "Dawn of the Seven" exists within the "VCU" franchise - a play on both the MCU and DCEU setups.
The Director's Storyboard Session Is A Zack Snyder Joke
In The Boys season 2, "Dawn of the Seven" director Adam Bourke pitches his movie concept, animatedly talking the Seven through a storyboard drawn in the style of a comic book. The scene references how Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice's director, Zack Snyder, is renowned for incorporating comic book s within his movie storyboards, faithfully following the source material's imagery in adaptations such as 300, and with "The Dark Knight Returns" for Batman V Superman specifically.
Hans Zimmer Composing & Joss Whedon Rewrites
Adam Bourke's original "Dawn of the Seven" pitch in The Boys season 2 specified who would be handling musical duties for Vought's big team-up - Hans Zimmer. The renowned composer has penned tunes on both sides of Hollywood's Marvel/DC divide, but importantly for our purposes, these include 2013's Justice League.
A Vought Tower Battle In New York Copies The Avengers
The main battle of The Boys' "Dawn of the Seven" takes place in the ravaged streets of New York City, with a weary Seven Tower providing a central focal point. The setting is deliberately reminiscent of Marvel's 2012 The Avengers, where the titular team do battle against Loki in New York City against the backdrop of Stark Tower.
The Dawn Glow Filter From The DCEU's Knightmare Scenes
You'll immediately notice The Boys' "Dawn of the Seven" parody is drenched in a permanent and oppressively cinematic golden glow. On one hand, The Boys uses this effect to signal narrative switches from reality to "Dawn of the Seven" scenes. On the other, it's a fun visual swipe at the DCEU Knightmare sequences from both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League. These post-apocalyptic flashforwards are denoted by a sandy orange filter like the sun is constantly rising, and the effect "Dawn of the Seven" uses is virtually identical.
CGI Alien Fodder Villains - Chitauri & Parademons
When Queen Maeve is filming scenes for "Dawn of the Seven" in The Boys season 2, a pair of stuntmen in bright green jumpsuits and silver helmets stroll past holding big sticks. These are the movie's fodder enemies - conspicuously easy to kill alien warriors littered across the battlefield, giving our heroes something to fight before the main event. The MCU and DCEU are both guilty of this trope. Marvel went first in 2012's The Avengers, where Chitauri invaders wreaked havoc upon New York, before Justice League followed suit in 2017 with its Parademons.
Dawn Of The Seven's Poor Representation
Despite (very) gradual signs of progress, DC and Marvel movies haven't covered themselves with glory when it comes to diversity and representation. Ray Fisher's accusations of racism against those involved with the DCEU are well-documented, while the franchise is predominantly heterosexual despite involving canonical queer characters such as Wonder Woman. The MCU drew justified criticism for not releasing a female-fronted solo movie until Black Widow in 2021, and for its token attempt at LGBTQ+ representation in Avengers: Endgame.
The Boys targets these failings with typically ruthless precision. First, Vought adds a cynical "Brave Maeve" moment to capitalize on the public reveal of her sexuality, making clear the company are trying to exploit a market rather than genuinely broaden their movie franchise's diversity. Secondly, Maeve s Starlight and Stormfront for a patronizing "girls get it done" scene that found itself understandably compared to A-Force moment.
Greg Grunberg Plays Agent Coulson
Played by everyone's favorite franchise-hopper, Greg Grunberg, The Boys season 2 featured "Agent Pearson" - a trustworthy and kindhearted secret agent ally to the Seven. MCU fans quickly draw the obvious parallel to Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson.
#ReleaseTheBourkeCut Riffs On DCEU Snyder Controversy
The Boys season 3 reveals how Stormfront's Nazi leanings almost resulted in "Dawn of the Seven" being consigned to development hell, until a fan campaign to #ReleaseTheBourkeCut pushed Vought into finishing the movie. This entire scenario - and the hashtag especially - parody how #ReleaseTheSnyderCut followed in the wake of 2017's Justice League and eventually resulted in Zack Snyder's Justice League premiering in 2021.
Dawn Of The Seven's Extensive Reshoots
During The Boys season 3's "Dawn of the Seven" premiere, it becomes clear that the movie underwent extensive reshoots thanks to both Stormfront's Hitler allegiance, and Andy Bourke's woefully poor first cut. Warner Bros' Justice League is the punchline once again here, with Joss Whedon infamously reshooting large swathes of footage. The Boys' reshoot gag perhaps applies on a wider scale also, with pickups now increasingly common for superhero movies (see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for the most recent post-production pandemonium).
Dawn Of The Seven Was Almost Dumped On Vought+
Adam Bourke its to a reporter that Vought almost dumped "Dawn of the Seven" on Vought+, the fictional company's in-house streaming service. Again, this gag takes both DC and Marvel to task. The line directly references how Warner Bros. released Black Widow was granted a same-day release on Disney+.
The Corny Final Battle Team-Up Scene
The final battle of any given superhero team-up movie inevitably features a scene where the superheroes gather together against the final villain, making quips about teamwork, never giving up, or something similarly trite. "Dawn of the Seven" is no different, as when Stormfront asks whether Homelander intends to take her down alone, the remaining Seven appear with Starlight quipping, "He's not alone." Take your pick of corresponding scenes from MCU and DCEU canon - the Avengers assembling in New York, the final stand of Sokovia, the "on your left" moment, the aforementioned A-Force scene, Wonder Woman's arrival in Batman V Superman, Cyborg's "I'm not alone" quote from Zack Snyder's Justice League...
Charlize Theron's Big The Boys Season 3 Cameo
The Boys season 3 pulls a genius stunt casting with Charlize Theron as herself playing Stormfront in "Dawn of the Seven." Whether by coincidence or design, this meta parody hits the MCU nail right on its post-credits head, as barely a month before "Payback" began streaming, Theron made a similarly shocking cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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The Boys continues Friday on Prime Video.