The Boys is a part of this anti-superhero phenomenon, viciously ridiculing modern comics, superhero movies, and corporate culture, and decidedly standing out due to its nuanced writing. Among the parade of gory spectacles and mockery, there is a place for sincerity and compassion. The TV adaptation outshines the source material by transcending the nihilism of the anti-superhero genre, mostly because its characters are never one-dimensional, their relationships consistently complex and intriguing. Here is our ranking of the best characters of The Boys.
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8 Black Noir
Stealthy and enigmatic, Black Noir simultaneously serves as the most feared member of the Seven and comic relief. Dressed in an all-black getup, this silent loner is a master martial artist, a nod to Batman. His loyalty to Vought is unwavering, and he never questions orders. Unlike Homelander, A-train, or The Deep, though, he does not let himself stray out of line. Black Noir is shown to have some care for innocent lives, especially children.
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His sensitive side is explored mostly for the laughs, however, viewers are quickly reminded that Black Noir is no joke, as he efficiently and with ease overpowers his targets, even Kimiko, arguably one of the most powerful characters in the world of The Boys. The only way Maeve manages to win against him is by using the secret only those close to him would know. The superhuman, whose mere proximity has thrown other characters into a panic, is undone by a nut allergy — this twist is both hilarious and grounding.
7 Stan Edgar
Luke Taylor’s quote, “The story is as good as its villain,” rings especially true for superhero cinema. Madelyn Stillwell was an amazing villain, so much that her demise raised a question: how can creators top it? And then Stan Edgar came into play. Giancarlo Esposito was born to play a wicked mastermind and become the master of TV villainy. Edgar has no superpowers, yet his composure and cold demeanor are so subtly unsettling that his presence effortlessly intimidates everyone, unmanageable Homelander included, into submission.
6 Frenchie
Frenchie is a jack-of-all-trades. Someone has a problem? They come to Frenchie. Nobody knows his origins and how he came to an arms dealer lifestyle. He is quick on his feet and can make an explosive weapon out of anything — actually he is also somewhat explosive himself. A man of passion, he is inclined to act on his impulses and wing it instead of following the plan, which agitates his teammates, in particular Mother’s Milk. Upon meeting a girl in a cage, his life is irrevocably changed.
Frenchie is the one who finds a way to communicate with the mysterious mute brute, and they quickly form a strong connection. The fascinating bond between Frenchie and The Female has become the highlight of the show.
5 Stormfront
Stormfront is a compelling villain, lulling the viewers in the same way as she lulls in Starlight. She appears as a strong woman who challenges Homelander’s position as the leader of the Seven, earns Starlight’s trust by virtue signaling, and becomes the object of her admiration. Then Stormfront is revealed to be a Nazi, and even sociopathic Homelander finds himself disgusted with her antics. The interesting part is that Stormfront’s girl power proclamations are not disingenuous; they co-exist with her xenophobic beliefs. Stormfront is a biting social critique on the emptiness of commercialized wokeness, like T-shirts with feminist slogans, made by textile workers in inhumane conditions and miserable pay.
4 Hughie Campbell Jr
As supes fight with the villain of the week, without any regard for the destruction and casualties they cause, it is ordinary humans who are left to pick up the pieces. When enough is enough, those ordinary humans will invent ways to destroy even the indestructibles. Hughie’s humanity is constantly tested as he sets on the path of revenge after his girlfriend is killed by one of the Seven.
3 Annie January / Starlight
Annie January’s storyline is probably the most heartbreaking in the show. Groomed to become a superhero by her mother (a painful parody of pageant parents), Annie is forced to face the grim reality of the industry in the most brutal way. She is victimized by her teammates and by the company that dictates what she wears and what she says. In an attempt to escape from her insincere public persona and nauseating life, she forms a relationship with a kind stranger — only that turns out to be a lie too, as that stranger used her to get to the Seven. Hardships do not dim Annie’s light, though, as she stands tall against all odds and refuses to compromise her morals, learning to survive through the nightmarish tribulations that come with being one of the Seven.
2 Billy Butcher
Billy Butcher operates with high ideas about diabolical big corporations that manipulate and abuse ordinary people; however, he, too, preys on grief-stricken people, trying to get them to do his bidding. Billy Butcher’s raison d’etre is to kill all supes. His resolve is absolutely personal, and later on, it becomes perfectly clear that for him everything and everybody is either a means to fulfill his goal or an obstacle. He is an extremely unpleasant television antihero, and that is part of the reason why he is so interesting to watch. His deathly game with Homelander promises to get on a new, even more exciting, level, as Butcher’s body gets enhanced with Compound V, making it possible for him to face his worst enemy on equal terms.
1 Homelander
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Joining King Joffrey as the villain whose death on the screen will probably end up as a national holiday, Homelander is a twisted version of the gentle alien Boy Scout Superman. Although the prospect of evil Superman is not new at all, as even DC has done it numerous times, The Boys version is compelling thanks to an incredible performance from Anthony Starr and the sophistication with which his character is crafted.
Whenever he is on-screen, viewers are terrified for other characters. His invincibility made him apathetic to the human plight, and while he craves connection and love, he clearly disdains his fans and can turn on those he ‘likes’ at a moment’s notice. The sociopathic quickness of his warm smile changing to an unnatural, hollow expression, and his inability to understand human feelings make him the real alien.
