15 Things We’ll Miss About The Boys

It’s hard to believe that after six years, The Boys is finally coming to an end with Season 5. This popular series not only expanded the superhero genre but also pushed the limits of what gory and satirical stories could be told on television.

From Homelander memes to Vought references, this drama has left a lasting impact on pop culture. In fact, The Boys was so successful that there have been several spin-offs ordered, including the beloved Gen V series and the upcoming Vought Rising series.

As great as these shows may be, nothing will quite be as special as the series that started it all.

In no particular order, here are 15 things we’ll miss the most about The Boys:

1. Hughie and Starlight’s Relationship

Even if Starlight and Hughie’s relationship has gotten a little darker in later seasons, they’ve been an iconic duo since they first met. Among the general chaos of the series, they’ve always served as a sweet breath of relief with their adorable, romantic moments.

The best part of their relationship is how supportive they are of each other. Hughie doesn’t mind letting Annie take the spotlight with her powers, but he also cares deeply about trying to protect her.

While Hughie is powerless, Annie doesn’t underestimate his capabilities on dangerous missions. These two make such an unstoppable couple and helped provide some wholesomeness to the otherwise gory show.

2. Superheroes with Ridiculous Powers

Compared to more serious superhero shows, The Boys gets to have a little more fun with its heroes. That includes creating some ridiculous heroes with powers that don’t make any sense.

For example, one of the most useless heroes is Lamplighter. He can’t actually produce his own fire, so he has to carry a lighter or a fire source he can manipulate. Some of the heroes in The Seven even have ridiculous powers, like The Deep, who can talk with sea animals and breathe underwater.

Most of these supers would probably lose in a fight against a DC or Marvel supervillain. The creative liberties that the writers took with creating characters for this show have been unmatched.

3. Kimiko

Kimiko might be a deadly fighter, but she’s also one of the most charming characters on the show. Despite her dark past, she smiles more than anyone else does and has a unique sense of whimsy.

But it’s equally as fun to watch her dark side come out. She’s easily the most skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and her fight scenes are always choreographed so beautifully.

It’s hard to watch The Boys without falling in love with Kimiko. What will be even harder is saying goodbye to seeing her on the screen.

4. The Spoofs on Real Life Events

The Boys operates as a funhouse mirror of America’s bleak realities. The show finds ways to poke fun at the declining state of unbiased political journalism, but also parodies significant moments in pop culture.

The best parody, by far, was the spoof of the “Imagine” video, led by Gal Gadot, during the pandemic. This video had been criticized for being tone-deaf, as it featured celebrities singing a John Lennon song to cheer people up during the pandemic.

Led by The Deep, the “Imagine” parody video on The Boys Season 3 Episode 6, “Herogasm,” perfectly captured the original incident’s lack of self-awareness. No other show can quite make such hilarious spoofs fit so effortlessly into the story.

5. Queen Maeve’s Pride

Rainbow capitalism — the practice of companies capitalizing on queer identity — has been an issue for the LGBTQ+ community. The Boys satirizes this practice through the perspective of Queen Maeve.

Her journey from faking a romance with Homelander to unwillingly becoming Vought’s sapphic champion was hilarious. From Pride Bars to a rainbow-themed section of a theme park, Vought truly made the most profit possible from Maeve’s LGBTQ+ identity.

While we might miss seeing her around, Maeve deserves to catch a break after all that Vought has put her through. She and Elena deserve their happily ever after in private after being in the public eye for so long.

6. Homelander’s Iconic Expressions

Homelander might be evil incarnate, but Antony Starr’s performance is spectacular.

Across social media, Homelander’s expressions have been turned into countless GIFs and memes. Even people who have never watched The Boys can probably recognize Antony Starr’s face from the iconic looks of disgust.

The expressions Homelander puts on are both sinister and hilarious. His range of emotions, from mildly pleased to terrifyingly outraged, is truly unrivaled by any other character.

7. Vought Studio’s Ridiculous Movies

Nowadays, people might feel superhero fatigue from the endless content that DC and Marvel seem to pump out. The Boys addresses this by parodying the genre of big-budget but low-quality movies.

The funniest one in-universe Vought movie was The Dawn of the Seven. A-Train’s confusion about the plot and his apparent dislike of how the movie depicts superheroes perfectly represented how many audiences feel.

After all, if Homelander gets his own movie series, one of which is titled Homelander: Rise of A Hero, there’s something ominous going on at Vought Studios for sure.

8. MM’s Leadership

Every ragtag team of misfit heroes needs its leader. For the boys, that leader is none other than MM, Mother’s Milk.

While his name might not inspire confidence, MM has proven time and again that he is perfectly suited to lead the boys’ operations. He may butt heads with Butcher over methods of execution, but he’s always looking out for his team first.

MM’s logic-first approach has kept the team alive up until this point. The best we can hope for him on Season 5 is that he gets the happy, restful ending that he deserves.

9. Butcher’s Character Arc

Butcher has to take the cake for having one of the most tragic backstories. He carries his trauma with him and serves as an example of how harmful turning to vengeance can be.

But over the course of The Boys, Butcher has slowly been learning to become more and more vulnerable. He still has trouble opening up to people, but The Boys team taught him the importance of love and care in their own way.

Butcher’s complex character arc has been so fascinating to follow. Hopefully, The Boys‘ final season will give him a satisfying conclusion.

10. Iconic Needle Drops

Every great series has one or two memorable needle drops. The Boys has over 15 needle drops that have stuck with viewers.

Some of the best ones include the sarcastic use of “Roar” by Katy Perry over Maeve’s pride moment, and Kimiko’s fight scene set to “Maniac” by Michael Sembello. Plus, Starlight, Maeve, and Kimiko beat the hell out of Stormfront to “Boys Wanna Be Her” by The Peaches was unforgettable.

The Boys always delivers delightful surprises for audiences who love rock songs. Season 5 will surely bring many more unexpected songs set to gory battle scenes.

11. Ashley’s Constant Stress

As CEO of Vought, Ashley has a lot on her plate, so her constant stress fits her character. Unfortunately, her hair has become a side effect of her dedication to keeping Vought alive after Madelyn Stillwell’s death.

While she might be an antagonist, Ashley stands out as someone who isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes. The lengths she’s willing to go to further her own status and keep herself safe from the Supes are admirable, even if a little unconventional.

Depending on what direction The Boys Season 5 heads in, there’s a good chance that, despite her efforts, Vought might fall. Still, it’s undeniably entertaining to watch her do everything she can to maintain the company’s status.

12. A-Train’s Redemption

From the The Boys Season 1 Episode 1, “The Name of the Game,” A-Train already left himself a ton of work to reach redemption. But since he realized that Vought might not be everything he had assumed it was, A-Train has been working from within to help the boys take down the evil company.

The gradual shift from A-Train solely acting to benefit himself to risking his life to support the fight against Homelander has been rewarding. Additionally, his brother’s injury resulting from A-Train’s involvement with the Supes was a tragic twist that added depth to his character.

He’s still on the road to redemption, but maybe by the end of the series, he will have done enough good to repent for all his previous wrongs.

13. Ryan’s Untapped Potential

Ryan’s existence was one of The Boys‘ biggest plot twists. Given that Homelander is his father, it makes sense that he would be one of the most powerful Supes.

Yet, Ryan also functions as a complex character, as he’s still young and figuring out his own identity. He has plenty of untapped potential, and every time he uses his powers, it’s impossible to predict what he might unleash.

The Boys Season 5 will surely address Ryan’s future. Even though he might be Homelander’s son, hopefully, he can find a way to become his own person outside of his dad’s wishes.

14. Black Noir’s Combat Skills

The only other character who might match Kimiko’s fighting skills is Black Noir. Of course, we’re referring to the original Black Noir, not the fake person posing as this Supe after his death on The Boys Season 3 Episode 8, “The Instant White-Hot Wild.”

Before his untimely death at the hands of Homelander, Black Noir had been one of the strongest members of The Seven. He was silent but deadly and didn’t need any flashy powers to prove that he was deserving of his title.

Black Noir’s fight scenes were also fun to watch because it was hard to predict which direction the battle would go. But as is the case with The Boys, fights always end in a gory mess, especially when it comes to Black Noir’s defeat.

15. The Boys Themselves

The Boys wouldn’t be the show it is without the main beloved team. While these characters might be a mess on their own, they have accomplished so much when working together.

In the brutal world of the show, there aren’t many opportunities to highlight hope. But seeing the boys team get together and defy impossible odds is what makes the series so great.

Like any team, the boys frequently get into disagreements with each other. However, at the end of the day, their care for each other and determination to save the world will always win.

—

That concludes our list! What will you miss the most about The Boys? Leave your thoughts in the comments below

The Boys Season 5 premieres on April 8th on Prime Video.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!