The Boys Season 5, Episode 6, saw another member of The Seven bite the dust, and the actor behind the mask was hoping that he could make it to the series finale—he didn't.
Warning - The rest of this article includes spoilers for The Boys Season 5, Episode 6.
While the main storyline of Season 5 focuses heavily on Soldier Boy and Homelander, the deteriorating bromance between Black Noir and The Deep has been playing out as well. As frustration grows between the duo, they find themselves constantly one-upping and getting back at each other in increasingly violent ways. After Black Noir goes too far by getting The Deep exiled from the ocean, The Deep snaps and kills Noir in a fit of rage.
The Direct spoke with The Boys star Nathan Mitchell, who plays Black Noir, and he revealed he hoped to last a little longer in the show's final season.
"I was gunning to go out in [Episode 8]," Mitchell explained, though he admitted that "it did make sense for [Black Noir] to kind of bow out around this time."
The saddest part about Black Noir's death is how it was done at the hands of his former best friend, The Deep. But when did that bromance truly start to fall apart?
Mitchell confirmed that "Homelander threatening their lives in front of the decapitated stage manager" was the beginning of the end of The Deep and Black Noir's bromance. The actor explained that in Season 4, Noir learned "that violence is power," and that's what he did as he kept getting back at The Deep.
Sadly, "it just becomes this tit for tat that ends in death." As for what Noir was thinking in those final moments, Mitchell admitted that it "happened so quickly, and it was such a shock that all he had time to do [was to] try to get off him," leaving little room for any notable last thoughts. The actor explained the situation as "a fight with your brother that goes too far."
For more coverage of The Boys' final season, check out The Direct's interview with Valorie Curry, where we discussed her character's shocking and sudden death at the hands of Homelander. The Boys is streaming on Amazon Studios' Prime Video.
The Boys Star Nathan Mitchell Wanted Black Noir To Live Longer
"I Would Have Loved to Be There For the Final Episode."
- The Direct: "I'm going to be honest. I felt like Black Noir was going to be one of the first to go this season. I mean, after A-Train, of course, he was always the first pick. But you lasted a while before heading into this final season. How long did you think your character was going to last for in this last string of episodes?"
Nathan Mitchell: I mean, honestly, like I was gunning to go out in [Episode 8]. I was like, 'Oh, my God, please let me, let me stay till [the finale].' It's like, we have so much to bring to a full conclusion [that] by the time we get to eight that it did make sense for [Black Noir] to kind of bow out around this time. But yeah, in my heart of hearts, I would have loved to be there for the final episode.
- The Direct: "What was going through your head when you read the script and you finally learned the fate of your character for the very first time, and how he was going to go out?"
Mitchell: Actually, Eric [Kripke] called me before I got the script, so we had a talk, and it's like, 'Hey, man, it's been great, but it's time, you know?' And I was like, I understand, and thank you for this amazing, wonderful ride we've been on for the last five seasons.
Mitchell elaborated on how he felt the character's journey and endpoint were "really fitting:"
Mitchell: I thought it was really fitting, you know, because if you look at Noir's arc and Noir's story, it's about mentorship, it's about brotherhood. You know, he's looking for direction. And in Season 4, he finds that in The Deep. And in Season 5, he finds that in Adam Bork, right? And he's also looking for care and bond and brotherhood, and he has that brotherhood with The Deep.
According to the actor, Homelander pitting The Deep and Noir against each other brought out "The Deep's worst qualities and insecurities," which were "[turned] against Noir:"
Mitchell: And in Season 5, in the beginning, Homelander, you know, in this, like, toxic, narcissistic family structure, he's created, pits [Noir and The Deep] against each other, right? And then that takes The Deep's, worst qualities and insecurities and turns them against Noir. And then all of a sudden, he's lost his brother, and he's looking for like, Okay, what do I do about this? He's treating me unfairly. He finds his guidance in [Adam] Bork, who's like, upstage the fuck out of him.
Mitchell explained that one of the key lessons Noir learned in Season 4 was "that violence is power," something he took to heart when he lashed out at The Deep:
Mitchell: And so he does, and then The Deep takes revenge. And what lesson did Noir learn from Deep in Season 4? That violence is power, and you find that with Adam Bork's advice, and he upstages them right back in another violent way, and it just becomes this tit for tat that ends in death.
Black Noir's Final Moments Explained
"It's a Fight With Your Brother That Goes Too Far."
- The Direct: "What was going through [Black Noir's] mind while he's being choked out just before he gets stabbed. What is he thinking in his final moments?"
Nathan Mitchell: You know it's, you have these, like, really intense, deep, complex thoughts. But I think at the core, they're archetypally these kids, right? And so when you're fighting with your brother at the age of, like, five or seven or ten, and it's going really bad, you're not having these deep [thoughts] [and] logic. Like, ow, that hurts, you know, stop, like, get off me, right? And I think that's what it was... It's like, yeah, you're my brother. Why are you doing this to me? But I think it also just happened so quickly, and it was such a shock that all he had time to do [was to] try to get him off him... It's a fight with your brother that goes too far.
- The Direct: "With that bromance, it was such a big part of last season. What do you think was the specific moment or event that started the downfall between those two?"
Mitchell: It was Homelander threatening their lives in front of the decapitated stage manager, and Noir choosing to stay silent when The Deep asked for backup in that moment. You know, he said nothing in front of Homelander. And then when they're walking down the hall, he still said nothing. And that was The Deep's last like, hey, you know what was going on there? What? I thought you had my back. You don't need to [stay silent]. You can talk. And when The Deep realized he couldn't reach Noir, and Noir was fully in Noir mode, then I think he realized he was on his own, and he had to look out for himself.
Black Noir's Thoughts on Homelander Revealed
"I Don't Think Noir Really Gave a F*ck."
- The Direct: "Do you think that this Black Noir that we just followed for two seasons, did his faith in Homelander waver? What were his thoughts in terms of where Homelander stood? Was he kind of against and just going through the motions because he didn't want to die? Or was he fully on Team Homelander?"
Nathan Mitchell: I don't think Noir really gave a f*ck. He was put in a scenario, in a situation where he wanted to do the best job that he could, and he wanted to stay alive. I often think of Noir as a stormtrooper in The Empire. The Empire itself is evil, but individual stormtroopers can vary widely. They can just be people doing their jobs, right? So I think I [never] thought Homelander was God.
[Noir is like,] 'I am an actor. I've been cast in this role. I have to do the best job, because that's what I want to do with my life. And I want to stay alive.' It's kind of just opportunistic, circumstantial. Like, if you put Noir, like, with The Boys in the inception, he would adapt and mold to that circumstance. He's very malleable, in the sense that he's going to do the best with whatever opportunity he's given.
The Direct's full interview with The Boys star Nathan Mitchell can be viewed below:
