The showrunner of The Boys Season 4 addressed the major twist involving Homelander (Antony Starr) and Black Noir.
The Boys is back for its fourth season on Amazon Prime Video, giving comic book fans an R-rated series that crosses lines that Marvel and DC would likely never near.
Audiences are digging the new episodes, with Amazon reporting a 21% increase in viewers during its first four days of streaming compared to the launch of Season 3.
However, some significant changes have been made to the source material, primarily surrounding the new Black Noir in Season 4.
The Boys Showrunner Discusses Homelander & Black Noir Twist
The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke discussed with Variety the decision to deviate from the comics' portrayal of Black Noir as a clone of Homelander.
In Season 3, Homelander kills Black Noir after learning that Noir knew about Soldier Boy being his biological father. In Season 4, Vought's solution to the problem is putting an actor in the Black Noir suit, a major change from the comics.
Kripke explained that he "was never really into the clone idea," adding that he preferred the villain to be the character the audience has been following, rather than introducing a twist that the real villain was someone else all along.
While he expects fans to be mad, the creative visionary for The Boys series did not feel that it was "satisfying:"
"No, and I don’t mind saying it. In the comics he’s a clone of Homelander this entire time and is actually the one doing all these horrific things. And again, it’s a hell of a twist. But it’s like, well wait, the villain I’ve been following isn’t really the villain. And mileage varies, and I’m sure fans are mad I’m not going that way, but that felt not as satisfying to me. I’m like, if I’m going to follow this villain, I want this guy to be the villain. So I was never really into the clone idea."
The clone arc also goes against the style of the TV show, with Kripke stating that "superheroes are the only slippery banana" while the rest of the world and human characters are supposed to be "as grounded as possible:"
"Plus, cloning feels like too — I’m going to sound silly — but cloning feels too magical for the show. We try to say that superheroes are the only slippery banana, and that everything else we try to make as grounded as possible."
Comic Book Black Noir Explained
In The Boys comics, Black Noir is a direct clone of Homelander, created by Vought as a fail-safe to eliminate Homelander if he ever went rogue.
Over the years, Black Noir became increasingly psychotic due to his inability to fulfill this purpose, as Homelander initially remained a generally good person.
To force Homelander into villainy, Black Noir framed him for various heinous crimes, driving Homelander insane.
This culminated in Homelander's attempt to overthrow the U.S. government, where Black Noir revealed his true identity and purpose.
After a brutal fight, Black Noir killed Homelander but severely injured himself and was ultimately killed by Billy Butcher in the comics.
In The Boys TV series, Black Noir was given a sad origin story in Season 3, being shown as a victim of Soldier Boys' carelessness and selfishness.
The Black Noir that Homelander kills in the series was a sympathetic character who endured several brain damage among other facial injuries. While it is a stark contrast from Black Noir's devilish villainy in the comics, many fans have approved of the new iteration.
The Boys Season 4 is now streaming on Prime Video.
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