Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episode 7!

Summary

• New Black Noir in The Boys Season 4 can fly, giving him an advantage over the original supe.
• Both Black Noirs have super strength and durability, but the original had a healing factor.
• Original Black Noir had superior technique from years of experience as an assassin, making him deadlier.

The Boys season 4 has introduced an all-new Black Noir, and this scene answers the question of if the new Black Noir is stronger than the original. Throughout the first three seasons of The Boys, Black Noir was a staple member of The Seven, with him seemingly being one of the most loyal supes on the side of Homelander and Vought. However, The Boys season 3 made the surprise decision to kill off the original silent assassin, and while a new Black Noir has returned to the series, there are some big differences between him and the original.

The Boys season 4 is finally here, with the highly anticipated continuation of Amazon Prime Video's critically acclaimed superhero series now releasing on the streaming service. The Boys season 4 picks up shortly after The Boys season 3 ended, continuing the titular team's quest to kill Victoria Neuman before she is able to become Vice President of the United States as well as Butcher's goal of killing Homelander. The Boys season 4 introduces all kinds of new supes to The Seven, but one of the most interesting new additions is the replacement for the original Black Noir.

The Boys Season 4's New Black Noir Can Fly

Giving Him A Leg Up On The Original

The Boys season 4, episode 7 features a terrifying new addition to the new version of Black Noir, revealing that the replacement supe can fly. Although the supe is wearing the same costume as the original Black Noir, the man under the mask is really an actor that was hired by The Seven to cover up for Homelander's murder of Black Noir. While the new Black Noir is more interested in acting than being a member of The Seven, the looming threat of Homelander has caused him to commit some atrocious acts, as can be seen in episode 7.

In the episode, Black Noir s The Deep as they battle the Boys in the team's office, hoping to put an end to Hughie, Starlight, and Butcher once and for all. All seems normal while Butcher is initially battling Black Noir, but things quickly take a terrifying turn when the new Noir begins floating above the ground. This is a payoff to Noir's previous line which refers to the fact that his role as Noir is preventing him from using his ability of flight. However, this reveal makes the new Noir far more terrifying than he initially seemed.

Both Black Noirs In The Boys Have Similar Powers

Super Strength & Durability

Although the new Black Noir's ability of flight does give him a leg up on the original supe, both characters have similar powers besides this. Both versions of Black Noir mainly use super strength and durability, allowing them to trade blows with characters like Starlight and Homelander while not immediately being beaten. The full extent of the new Black Noir's powers haven't been fully shown yet, but he manages to take some brutal hits from Butcher in their episode 7 fight and shake them off fairly easily, proving that he is nearly as strong as the original.

However, the original Black Noir does seem to have some powers that the new Black Noir doesn't seem to possess. One of Black Noir's most helpful abilities was his healing factor, allowing him to recover from nearly any injury (with the notable exception being Homelander's death punch). The new Black Noir has not been shown to have this ability, although it is possible that he could have this power and The Boys simply hasn't shown it yet.

The Original Black Noir Had Superior Technique

Black Noir II Simply Can't Match Him

Although both versions of Black Noir have broadly similar powers, the original version of the character had far superior technique. The original Black Noir had spent decades working as an assassin, from his time as a member of Payback to the following years and his initiation into the Seven. The original Noir was one of the most dangerous of the Seven, with his years of training making him a silent killer who operated in the shadows proficiently.

While the new Black Noir has the potential to be as good as the original, his skills are a far cry from those of the original. Although the new Black Noir is a supe, he isn't a career superhero, with him preferring to live his life as an actor. Because of this, killing and battling with his super powers are fairly new things for the Black Noir replacement, making him inferior to The Boys original Black Noir.