Lessons From The Boys, The Amazon Original Series

The Boys is an American Superhero Amazon Original series whose first season started in July 2019. With its dark, highly cynical, over the top and often outright crazy storylines, The Boys, which is based on a comics book of the same name, offers a novel portrayal of corruption through characters that are supposedly "heroes". For the sake of clarity, and to apply the proper context to this article, "corruption" in The Boys means the following: "The sadistic abuse of power for one's personal gains with no fear of repercussions". This lack of fear regarding consequences is an important feature when it comes to the primary antagonists of the series. Only extraordinary circumstances threaten, and eventually eliminate, what they assume to be a permanent benefit linked to their status.

What makes The Boys somehow realistic is how incredibly flawed (read: human) the heroes of the series are. Contrary to what is often seen in the DC Comics and Marvel universes, the heroes are only concerned about themselves. They will put on a good show to "save the world" but only if it can strengthen their own personal brands. Genuine interest to help ordinary people is mostly non-existent. Where a standard hero would display courage, altruism and self-sacrifice, the actions of a hero in The Boys are primarily based on self-interest, narcissism and callousness. This mix reaches sickening proportions with Homelander, the character whose powers are based on those of Superman but whose personality is closer to that of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. As horrific as his actions are, there is however an inescapable truth regarding Homelander: he is probably closer to what the average human would do if given that amount of power. Does that mean that every living person is a walking psychopath? Not at all. But power, incredible power, the kind that approximates that of a god cannot be handled by the average person. The level of moral soundness and mental stability required for that is simply too much and, frankly, unattainable. This is not meant to be judgmental. It is simply a fact with Homelander being an extreme fictional example. With this in mind, what can The Boys teach us? Below are three personal deductions.

1. Good and evil are not absolutes but degrees on a spectrum.

In a classic plot, good and evil face each other with good usually expected to prevail due to superior moral qualities and capabilities. Karma is supposed to be the catalyst that brings about the ultimate win for good since evil is bound to suffer the consequences of its actions. This "theorem" is at the core of every Disney movie and fairy tale with a happy ending. There is nothing wrong with this. After all, the entertainment industry has one job: Provide escapism from mundane and difficult realities. The Boys proposes an alternative to the common assumption mentioned above: A strong form of evil can only be defeated by a lesser one. Good cannot achieve this because its moral framework will eventually stop it from taking the drastic measures that will have lasting results. This is obvious when one considers what The Boys are: A group of dysfunctional vigilantes. With the possible exception of Hughie, they are all pretty messed up and hardly qualify as model citizens. William Butcher, the leader of The Boys, is the most explicit example. He repeatedly comes across as insufferable and even dangerous but is clearly the only one capable of strategizing a decisive assault against the invincible Homelander. Butcher's obsession with killing Homelander leads him to act in ways that sometimes make him appear as mentally deranged, but if that's what it takes to eliminate a completely insane version of Superman then so be it. Key Lesson: Good intentions are only effective when the opposition is committed to being reasonable. When that is not possible, being "good" will very quickly reach its limits.

2. Consider all potential consequences before making threats.

In Season 3, Starlight, one of the renegade heroes, threatens Homelander by telling him that she will release a video that will seriously damage his public image. Her promotion to co-leader of the Seven, the most powerful group of heroes in The Boys, gives her the misplaced confidence that she can override Homelander's authority. She can theoretically do so since she has the backing of the CEO of Vought, the corporation that funds and controls the Seven. There is only one problem though: Homelander's power is far beyond what she can understand and his morals are far below hers. Stralight's threat irritates Homelander and he counters with a threat that only he can execute. His reply goes as follows: "Go ahead. Release it. Let's light this candle, huh? I mean sure, I'll lose everything but then I'll have nothing to lose. First, I'll take out the nerve centers, the Pentagon, the White House, then any domestic defense capabilities and then critical infrastructure like cellular internet, that kind of thing. And then, I'll just wipe New York off the map. For fun." It is at this point that Starlight realises her massive mistake. Sensing her hesitation, Homelander goes for the kill: "See Starlight I'd prefer to be loved, but if you take that away from me, being feared is one okie dope by me." Starlight looks down in submission as Homelander glares at her by saying: "You have absolutely no leverage because I am the Homelander." This severe reality check shakes Starlight's confidence and shows her how utterly powerless she would be against an out of control Homelander. Key Lesson: Threats that are not carefully considered can backfire in ways that are completely unforeseen especially if they are made out of ego. The recipient of the threat is rarely as powerless as he or she seems.

3. Blood is not always thicker than water, but it does become very thick when external individuals cannot relate to one's circumstances.

One of the most interesting, but also perhaps less appreciated, secondary characters in The Boys is Ryan, Homelander's son. Born in sinister circumstances, Ryan initially grows up as a perfectly normal boy who is unaware of the superhuman capabilities within him. As Homelander's son, he has inherited several of his powers (flight, super strength, heat vision...) but he only learns about their extent in the most atrocious of circumstances: By intervening to save his mother from Stormfront, a major antagonist of the series, and inadvertently killing her. After this incident, Ryan has a very hard time forgiving himself and adjusting to his new self as a high-powered metahuman. He also believes that Homelander hates him for what he did and is afraid to confront him. For a while, William Butcher tries to get along with Ryan but finally snaps by accusing him of being the cause of his mother's death. Ryan's mother was Butcher's former wife and despite her pleas to him in her dying moments not to accuse Ryan for what happened, he does just that. This mistake brings Homelander back to Ryan at a most opportune moment. Ryan is lost and lacks faith in those around him. Homelander appears and calmly explains to Ryan that his action was nothing more than an accident and that nobody in the world understands this better than him because he is his father. One phrase from Homelander resonates with particular significance: "When you are as strong as we are, accidents happen". This implies that there only two of them in the world who can understand the extent of their power and that no one else can. From there on, a very strong bond takes shape with Homelander becoming fiercely protective of his son. This of course means killing anyone who attempts to harm Ryan. Key Lesson: The idea that only one's family can truly understand who one is is mostly true. There are exceptions but they merely confirm the rule.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the review aggregation website, one critic describes Season 3 of The Boys as "Balancing gore and irreverent, dark humor with surprising poignancy and depth. Said gore and boundary-pushing scenes never feel forced or gratuitous; they fit the show’s tone." No doubt that there be more boundaries getting pushed in Season 4.

Good luck,

Ashley Boolell | www.ashleyboolell.com

Please check my latest novel called Market Dystopia.

Homelander introduces Ryan