Despite the overt comparison to DC’s Universe, there are few comics in the world as chock-full of digs atMarvelasThe Boys. Even if the likes of Homelander and his fellow Seven are impossible to see as anything but a riff on the Justice League, the story takes as many opportunities to lampoon, insult, mock, or tease Marvel’s icons.
Whether it’s the Avengers, the X-Men, or the countless examples ofThe Boys' version of Marvel characters, the dark satire from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson turns Marvel’s most stalwart heroes into absolute jokes at best, or downright monsters at worst. So to ensure that everyone can recognize and appreciate the fun being had at Marvel Comics’ expense, here are justten ofThe Boys’best shots at the Marvel superhero universe.
10Webweaver, The Boys' Version of Spider-Man
The Boys’version of Spider-Manis actually never seen in the series, though he is seen on Darick Robertson’s variant cover forThe Boys: Dear Becky #1. However, he is referenced inThe Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker #6, when Mallory and Butcher are looking for a Supe to take down to secure funding for their task force. Apparently,doing something unseen (and possibly unspeakable) toThe Boys’version of the Webheadwas what helped Butcher get the money he needed to finance his crusade against Vought-American.
9Shehemoth, The Boys' Version of She-Hulk
Some heroes get a bit more of the limelight, likeThe Boys’adult take on She-Hulk. InThe Boys #65, Homelander is leading his assault on the White House and several Supes have rallied behind him. As a brutal confrontation takes place in the Oval Office, the Supes are engaging with the United States military. One of the most ardent supporters in the lot isShehemoth, a hero clearly modeled after She-Hulk. Despite her words and tough-as-nails attitude, all the strength in the world doesn’t protect her when she’s hit by a missile and blown apart.
8Crimson Countess, The Boys' Version of Scarlet Witch
Crimson Countess might seem the most obviously reminiscent of the Avengers' resident sorcererScarlet Witch, but make no mistake, she’s nothing like Wanda Maximoff. In fact, in theworld ofThe Boys, Crimson Countess is actually a legacy hero, with the modern-day version being the third person to carry the name.
While she has a public relationship with the very Vision-like Mind-Droid, it’s a farce that hides her attempts to sleep with others (as well as other humiliating things) to earn a spot on the Seven. However, her shortcomings when compared to her Marvel counterpart become obvious when she has her neck broken by Billy Butcher, after she attempts to melt Butcher’s dog, Terror.
7Mind-Droid, The Boys' Version of Vision
The Vision may be one of the most powerful members of the Avengers, but his pastiche inThe Boysis possibly the biggest lie sold to the public.Mind-Droid is believedto be an android, an idea Vought-American placed in comics based on his life. In reality, Mind-Droid is a Supe who possesses extremely low levels of telepathy and simply pretends to be a machine.
Mind-Droid is nowhere near as powerful as the Vision, a fact that becomes blatantly obvious when he’s decapitated by Butcher during his elimination of the Avengers-like team, Payback.
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In The Boys' original comic not every member of The Seven lives to the ending of the story. But which supes live, who dies, and how are they killed?
6Soldier Boy, The Boys' Version of Captain America
Like most members of Payback, Soldier Boy is a legacy character, though Vought-American advertises him to be the original. Aside from the bastardization of Steve Rogers’ background,The Boysdoes everything it can to makeits embarrassing version of Captain Americathe complete opposite of the Avengers’ ultra-competent leader.
Where Rogers is confident and brave,Soldier Boy is cowardly and naive. He isn’t even granted the dignity of a quick death, having his nose bitten off by Butcher before he’s tortured for information and ultimately killed. He may be just as patriotic as Captain America, but he has none of the hero’s skill or charm.
Soldier Boy is given a significant redesign forThe BoysTV show on Prime Video, granting him a more heroic (or at least much more impressive) legacy. Certainly more than the three different versions of the hero from the comic, all of which are either cowardly, incompetent, or too unimportant to follow to the end of their story.
5Groundhawk, The Boys' Version of Wolverine
If there’s one heroThe Boysgets a lot of mileage out of mocking, it’s the X-Men’s Wolverine.Not only is he parodied as Groundhawk, the snarling, non-speaking member of the G-Men, but severalother ‘Wolverines’ are referenced inThe Boys. A Supe named Six Blades is seen on the cover of a Vought-American comic book, Butcher chops off the arm off of a Supe with Logan-like claws, and a literal wolverine kills the United States’ President inThe Boys#60.
The Boys’ writer Garth Ennis has earned a reputation for somewhat infamously writing Wolverine in a… less than positive light, most notably havingLogan lose to Punisher in the worst way imaginable. Given this tendency in the past, it should come as no surprise to comic readers that the writer’s distaste is made blatantly clear in this universe as well.
4The Blind Lawyer, The Boys' Version of Daredevil
In a similar vein to Wolverine, the iconic superhero Daredevil might be one character fans assume could hold his own, even in the upside-down reality ofThe Boys. Unfortunately, Marvel’s resident street hero Daredevil is referenced twice duringThe Boys, and neither one of them is complimentary. When Butcher first brings Hughie into the fold, the experienced agent details a story about “the savior of Hell’s Kitchen” and how Butcher cut off an intimate part of the hero’s body.
The main series never actually shows the Daredevil hero in action, the prequelButcher, Baker, Candlestick Makerarc showsButcher violently beating a (supposedly) blind laywer to get crucial information. Whatever this Supes’ deal is, he’s nowhere near the athlete or lawyer that Matt Murdock or Daredevil normally are, not even given the chance to fight.
3The Legend, The Boys' Version of Stan Lee
It’d be impossible to satirize comics and not have a spin on one of the most prolific figures in the medium. Helping Butcher and his crew in their mission to destroy Vought-American is the enigmatic characterknown as the Legend.Inspired by Stan Lee, the Legend was responsible for creating the stories that gave the world’s various Supes their stellar reputation.
While he assists the Boys, he’s portrayed as a lecherous, vulgar personality who isn’t afraid to let loose with obscenities and insults. Though inspired by the creator, the Legend is more crass and boisterous than Stan Lee ever was.
2Tek Knight, The Boys' Version of Iron Man
Out of all the members of the Avengers-mocking team Payback,the most egregious parody isThe Boys’version of Iron Man. Like Tony Stark, Tek Knight has no powers other than possessing a powerful suit of armor. But unlikeIron Man, Tek Knighthas a compulsion that has made him one of the biggest problem children in the series.
Due to a large tumor, Tek Knight is overwhelmed with sexual compulsion for living things and inanimate objects. Tony Stark has had control issues with alcohol, but Tek Knight goes to depths that Iron Man has never, and hopefully will never go.
1The G-Men, The Boys' Version of X-Men
By far the biggest, and darkest insult levied byThe Boysat Marvel Comics is its universe’s version of Charles Xavier. John Godolkin runs a facility much like Professor X for Marvel’s mutants. However, the Boys uncover a dark secretabout the G-Men whenthey find out thatGodolkin abducted children from their homes to brainwash them into becoming his own personal army.
Even worse, he went beyond training to actually abusing his team, and conditioned his victims to becoming extremely loyal to him. It’s a far darker and much sicker spin on Charles Xavier and his work with the heroic mutants.
The Boys
Cast
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
