Top 10 Things You Missed in The Boys Season 3
#10: Talking to That Homelander in the Mirror “Herogasm”
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Homelander’s always been a Supe that’s looked to project strength and poise above all else. Yet we know all too well that his insecurities make him more unstable than anyone. And, apparently, so does his reflection. In Episode 6 of this season, Homelander is feeling unsure of his abilities to take down Soldier Boy. In comes his mirror self to get him to admit his foibles in an effort to stamp them out for good. Though it’s not beat-for-beat, comic readers will recognize a similar exchange happening in “The Boys” #49, wherein Homelander’s reflection similarly addresses his need for parental approval. Only that time things got much more confrontational between the lookalikes.
#9: Billy Joel “Payback”
Anyone who’s watched the first episode of “The Boys” will know Hughie loves Billy Joel. In fact, it’s probably seared into viewers’ memories since it’s basically the last thing he says to his girlfriend Robin before she gets swiftly eviscerated by A-Train. The show has since not been coy about using Joel’s music, but the appearance of “Uptown Girl” in the Season 3 premiere has a sort of reflective relationship with that aforementioned scene. Here, Hughie and Annie begin their day with a montage of the song, framing Hughie’s relationship with Joel in a positive light. But after Hughie witnesses Neuman explode Tony’s face at the end of the episode, the song plays again, bringing him right back to hating murderous Supes.
#8: 2A4EVER “The Only Man in the Sky”
Sufficient to say, “The Boys” doesn’t really portray any member of Payback in a positive light, but aside from Soldier Boy, the one Supe they’re perhaps the most critical of is Gunpowder. Soldier Boy’s former sidekick, Gunpowder is a firearm-wielding Supe who’s since become a staunch advocate of gun rights. When Butcher confronts him in a parking garage, the license plate on Gunpowder’s car clearly reads as “2A4EVER.” Knowing Gunpowder, it’s fair to say that the “2A” stands for “Second Amendment,” which people will know from the US Constitution for protecting one’s right to bear arms. “The Boys” has never shied away from real-world issues, nor does it shy away from including little details like this.
#7: Hughie Bloodied in the Season Premiere “Payback”
People getting bloody on “The Boys” is hardly surprising. But the Season 3 premiere solidifies a specific trend. After Neuman kills Tony, she explodes his whole body to hide the evidence, causing lots of little Tony bits to rain down on Hughie. This wasn’t the first time that Neuman got Hughie drenched in someone else’s blood. And in another season premiere no less, as back in Season 2, he and the other Boys were standing right in front of CIA Director Susan Raynor when her head went pop. Then of course, there’s the day everything changed for Hughie when A-Train ran through Robin. Hughie doesn’t know he’s on a TV show, but he may want to wear a raincoat when Season 4 premieres.
#6: Treats “The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies”
After Homelander kills Annie’s old friend Supersonic, Hughie tries to cheer her up by getting her candy bars and bath bombs. While these brands may seem randomly specific, they actually harken back to an exchange from Season 2. While on the road, Hughie and Annie bond by a vending machine when she gives him her Top 3 candy bars of all time. It’s sweet that Hughie remembered - no pun intended - despite what he thinks of them. In the same episode, Nina brings chocolate limes for Frenchie to give to Kimiko aka “The Female” when she wakes up in the hospital. This is a callback to issue #34 from the comics when Hughie finds the chocolate limes Frenchie left by the Female’s hospital bed.
#5: The Only Man in the Sky “The Only Man in the Sky”
Lots of episodes of “The Boys” are named after volumes in the comics, but this one has additional significance. Sent to rescue a young girl threatening to jump off a building, Homelander suddenly becomes disillusioned when he learns Stormfront took her own life. Now instead of talking her down, Homelander starts threatening the girl, name-dropping the title of the episode in a chilling line of dialogue. Though the circumstances are different, he says the same line in Issue #47 in the comics. After whisking away a family that’s won a dinner with him in a car, Homelander becomes disinterested in holding up the bargain, saying the same line before dropping their car out of the sky.
#4: Tony Gilroy Reshoots “Payback”
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When “Dawn of the Seven” finally premieres in the world of “The Boys,” there are plenty of allusions to real-life movie development. But one that you might’ve missed comes in an unexpected place. While Ashley 1 is having a tryst with “Dawn of the Seven” director Adam Bourke in a bathroom stall, she mentions Tony Gilroy had to reshoot most of the movie. Though the average moviegoer may not be familiar with Gilroy, those who picked up on the joke know it relates to “Rogue One.” Gilroy was hired to write and act as second-unit director for several weeks of reshoots on the “Star Wars” spinoff. However many believe Gilroy actually directed a whole new movie, essentially replacing original director Gareth Edwards.
#3: “Supernatural” References Various
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With the CW “Supernatural” series and “The Boys” sharing a showrunner in Eric Kripke, one can expect more connections than just Soldier Boy actor Jensen Ackles. Indeed, we could probably make a whole Top 10 on the subject, but here are just a few from Season 3. To keep up the casting similarities, a young Gunpowder is played by Gattlin Griffith, who also played Jesse Turner on “Supernatural.” Presidential candidate Robert “Dakota Bob” Singer is played by Jim Beaver after having also played a Bob Singer from South Dakota on the other aforementioned series. Oh, and this exchange between Annie and Maeve? Basically facelifted from one between Sam and Dean.
#2: Teddy Returns “The Only Man in the Sky”
After Homelander developed a twisted relationship with Madelyn Stillwell, Butcher threatened her life with explosives to get back at the hero. But after the powerful member of the Seven slays Madelyn and lets the explosion happen, her son Teddy was left without family. We finally got a concrete update on Teddy in season 3’s second episode. When Hughie visits a home for superpowered children, he’s startled by a teleporting boy. That child was none other than Teddy Stillwell. While we didn’t see him teleport away from the explosion that claimed his mom’s life, he could pop up in the plot later. If Hughie ever gets teleportation powers again, maybe the two could give each other some pointers.
#1: The Ant-Man / Thanos Theory “Payback”
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When more family-friendly superhero studios like Marvel can’t go there, leave it to “The Boys” to fulfill every fan’s dreams. Around the height of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, some fans took to the theory that Ant-Man could easily end the conflict with Thanos by shrinking down, sneaking into the mad titan’s body and expanding, blowing him up from the inside. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But Eric Kripke and company decided that was too good to pass up on their show. At a party, size-altering Termite shrinks himself down during a hookup. Whilst inside a certain other orifice, he accidentally sneezes, causing him to instantly grow and obliterate his partner. Having seen the reality, we’re kinda glad that wasn’t the Avengers’ actual endgame.
