Well, after two seasons, that question has been roundly answered with The Boys and how it showcases a group of unbalanced individuals who all have deep-seated personal issues. However, The Boys doesn’t feature a league of heroes who defend the Earth against otherworldly threats. Instead, it concentrates on a renegade group of misfits who are intent on bringing down the corporate heroes. The rag-tag gang The Boys learns the truth about Vought’s involvement in creating superheroes, and each member of The Boys has their own personal reason for wanting to bring Vought down.
8. Homelander Fails to Save a Plane
Despite being a hero modeled after Superman, Homelander unfortunately lacks the human empathy that makes his DC counterpart a true hero. And Homelander’s true personality comes out during one sequence when he and Maeve are sent to rescue a plane from terrorists. When Homelander and Maeve first appear on the plane, they swiftly defeat the terrorists and make sure everybody on board is safe. But when the cockpit is damaged beyond repair and it’s clear the plane can’t be saved, Homelander readily abandons the passengers to their fate. Maeve pleas with him to rescue them, but Homelander refuses—and shows who he is for the first time to the audience.
7. Kimiko Dies Defending Frenchie
Kimiko’s introduction in The Boys is one of the series’ best, as she first shows up mid-way through the first season as a lethal female captive who unrelentingly slaughters those who do her wrong. The Boys are investigating other matters when they encounter a captive Kimiko—and after they free her, she runs away to kill more people who had a hand in her captivity. Eventually, The Boys subdue her and Frenchie even attempts to bond with Kimiko, though she won’t talk. After Frenchie allows Kimiko to go free for good, he encounters Black Noir—who’s ready to kill him. Just then, Kimiko shows up and defends Frenchie with her life in a bloody battle that ends up with her dead. Although, that isn’t the end…
6. Translucent’s Death
Translucent is the first “hero” death seen in the series, and it still remains one of the best yet. When Butcher and Hughie manage to take Translucent down, they cage him up and enlist Frenchie to help deal with him. The only problem? Translucent’s skin is impenetrable. So, they begin looking for solutions as to how they might destroy him anyway. Then, in one eureka moment, Frenchie stuffs explosives up Translucent’s butt—and when Translucent is trying to convince Hughie to let him go, Hughie detonates the bomb, splattering the “hero” all over the walls.
5. Butcher and the Laser Baby
When Butcher and MM investigate one of Vought’s laboratories where the corporation is using their Compound-V formula to turn babies into superheroes, they’re discovered and forced to fight their way out. However, their way out isn’t so simple—and they find themselves pinned down by the security team. So, Butcher uses the age-old art of improvisation, picking up a baby and using its laser-vision on the guards. The sequence is short but hilarious, as Butcher points a baby’s glowing eye-beams and mercilessly kills his enemies.
4. Black Noir Attacks The Boys
Black Noir, the silent assassin, is sent after Butcher. When he finally gets Butcher’s location—he’s at his Aunt Judy’s house—he’s then instructed to go inside and kill everyone inside. Butcher, MM, and Hughie learn about this ahead of time and set multiple traps for Black Noir—a lot like Home Alone but much more lethal—and wait in the basement for Black Noir to enter the house. After the bombs go off, the fight quickly turns brutal and Black Noir demonstrates that he’s an unrelenting machine as he comes within moments of killing them all. It’s only when Butcher calls Edgar at Vought to reach an agreement that The Boys’ lives are spared.
3. Heads Exploding in the Courtroom
When Vogelbaum (the former scientist who led Vought’s superhero creation program) is due to testify against the corporation, Vogelbaum is just about to spill the beans… when his head suddenly explodes. Then, the heads of several others in the courtroom also explode, leading Homelander to look around utterly confused, unable to see the enemy or comprehend what’s going on around him. Vogelbaum’s death is a blow to the gang. He was the key to them being able to leave the basement hideout, to finally knowing the truth about “heroes” and having it go public. To watch him die is as shocking to them as it was for us, who didn’t see it coming at all.
2. Boat Meets Whale
In one of the series’ most overtly hilarious moments, The Boys are escaping from armed forces when The Deep confronts them, desperate to show he has changed after being ousted from The Seven (because of his sexual assault on Annie). As he rides a whale to block the gang’s path, Butcher simply doesn’t stop the boat—which instantly causes The Deep to shift from standing heroically on the whale to the realization that they’re about to collide. The boat lands inside the whale, killing it. And while The Deep cries over its death, The Boys escape. It’s a sequence that one-ups the season one Dolphin “rescue” and further proves that The Deep is one of the most emotionally fragile heroes in existence.
1. Maeve Joins the Fight Against Stormfront
As season two comes to an end, everybody learns that Stormfront is the first “hero” created by her Nazi husband—and she totally disregards her public image and reveals her fascist leanings. Once her secret comes out, Stormfront tracks down The Boys and engages in a brutal fight against them, with Kimiko and Annie the only members capable of going hand-to-hand with her. Stormfront’s powers begin to overwhelm The Boys; however, Queen Maeve then shows up from behind Stormfront, and the three women go to town, beating her to a pulp. Seeing The Boys stand back and watch as two of their own and Queen Maeve hammer Stormfront is the epitome of what the show is about: pure, hard-hitting, yet slightly comedic brutality. Read next: The best characters in The Boys, ranked
