Top 10 Times The Boys Broke The Internet
#10: Robin Gets Run Over
“The Name of the Game”
For viewers unfamiliar with the source material, this scene established early on what kind of sick, twisted superhero show they were in store for. It’s a seemingly normal day for Hughie, whose biggest issue is working up the courage to ask his boss for a raise. His girlfriend Robin is a bright spot in Hughie’s mundane life, but she’s taken from him in a hit-and-run. Not one involving a car. A-Train literally runs through her, barely taking a second to acknowledge the blood on him and the distraught Hughie. In addition to setting a tone for the show, this sudden shift captures the whiplash many experience when life throws a curveball that upends their whole world… or at least ruins their weekend plans.
#9: Firecracker Feeds Homelander
“Dirty Business”
Homelander’s thirst for breast milk has been one of the most disturbing running gags since Season 1. After killing Madelyn Stillwell, Homelander eventually finds another source of calcium in Firecracker. While far from the first time we’ve seen Homelander suckle at someone’s teat, Firecracker cradling him with a giant U.S. flag in the background proved to be one of the show’s most poetically unhinged images. Homelander is an American icon, but he epitomizes the nation at its most terrifying. Watching him feed from an alt-right conspiracy theorist more or less symbolizes how people with a dangerous mindset can influence the country for the worse. It’s no wonder that this clip resonated with so many people in today’s political climate.
#8: Weaponized Baby
“Good for the Soul”
You don’t always know what scenes the internet will gravitate toward, but when you put “baby” and “heat vision” together, it’s impossible not to go viral. Staging an escape, Butcher improvises with a weapon far deadlier than any firearm: a newborn who’s been injected with Compound V. Butcher uses the baby Supe in a lethal game of laser tag. The idea of a baby with superpowers sounds cute until you realize that they have little if any control over their actions. Best-case scenario, it leads to some humorous hijinks. Worst-case scenario, people are split into two. We guess both apply here in one of Butcher’s most “diabolical” moments. It’s also kind of a sweet one, as Butcher shows something resembling affection for a Supe.
#7: Frenchie’s Sacrifice
“The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk”
With the fifth season being its last, “The Boys” didn’t hesitate to kill off several major characters. No death hit harder than Frenchie’s, however. During his final moments, Frenchie demonstrates what true heroism looks like, standing up to the most powerful and unhinged being on the planet, despite having no supernatural abilities of his own. Telling Homelander off, Frenchie manages to protect his friends, but he knows he isn’t getting out alive. Frenchie hangs on just long enough to share a final goodbye with Kimiko, dying in her arms. In a season that received a mixed response on social media for a variety of reasons, virtually everyone online was united in agreement that this was the saddest moment in the whole series.
#6: The Girls Beat Up Stormfront “What I Know”
“The Boys” has given us some of the bloodiest brawls in television. It’s funny to think that one of the most memeable is basically the show’s equivalent of a schoolyard scuffle. It starts in a typically bombastic fashion as Stormfront comes crashing in, leading to an explosion. Once Maeve throws a surprise punch, though, Starlight and Kimiko join her in what you might call three against one. Considering how they kick Stormfront to the curb, it’s more like three against zero. The Boys don’t even get involved, as the Girls have all the fun. While Stormfront uses her plasma abilities to escape, superpowers otherwise don’t greatly factor into this fight. It demonstrates how satisfying some hard-hitting punches can be, especially when directed at a Nazi.
#5: Termite Sneezes
“Payback”
Remember how people theorized that Ant-Man would defeat Thanos by going through the rear entrance and exploding him from the inside? That was far too disgusting and ridiculous for the MCU… but not for “The Boys.” Termite uses his shrinking powers to enter Peter, although he goes in through the front rather than the back. While Termite is seeking pleasure, an ill-timed sneeze leaves more than snot on his face. Just when you thought “The Boys” couldn’t possibly get any raunchier, the third season opened with a jaw-dropper that blew up the internet along with Peter. We might not be able to show you the scene in its entirety, but even by describing it, we feel like we’re breaking some of YouTube’s policies.
#4: Homelander on a Plane
“The Female of the Species”
We knew by the end of the pilot that Homelander was evil. We didn’t realize just how evil until the fourth episode, when Homelander and Maeve swoop in to thwart terrorists who’ve commandeered a plane. While they stop the hijackers, the pilots are left dead. As Maeve desperately brainstorms ways to avert disaster, Homelander nonchalantly shrugs off the inevitable while telling the passengers that everything is fine with a grin. Homelander even lies to a little girl’s face when he promises to save her. She gets a look at the real Homelander as he abandons the plane, despite Maeve’s pleas. Homelander could’ve saved at least one person. That survivor would also be a witness, which he simply couldn’t allow. Plus, this was easier for him.
#3: Herogasm
“Herogasm”
Of all the sequences in “The Boys” that mimic celebrity culture and what goes on behind the scenes, Herogasm is perhaps the most reflective of the dirty laundry that not even the best PR person can clean up. Imagine one of Diddy’s “freak-offs,” but with Supes. You’d essentially get Herogasm, which is every bit as debaucherous as it sounds. The climax comes with the arrival of Soldier Boy, who brings the party to an explosive finish. We mean that in a literal sense… and we suppose also a suggestive one, considering how many Supes died getting their freak on. The ensuing fight with Homelander only added to the scene’s viral nature, as the most powerful character almost meets his match.
#2: The Deep & The Whale
“Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men”
Between a misguided attempt to free a captive dolphin and the consumption of poor Timothy, the Deep’s aquatic antics have made for some of the most hilariously shocking moments in the series. None ignited more online chatter than what happens to Lucy the whale. Despite largely being regarded as a joke, the Deep actually looks pretty cool as he pursues our heroes on a whale’s back. It’s a majestic sight right out of “Aquaman,” which is immediately derailed as Butcher figures that they don’t need a bigger boat. The one they already have is big enough to tear through the giant mammal. We feel so bad for Lucy, but her meaningless sacrifice is one that we’ll never be able to unsee.
#1: Lit Up Starlighter
“The Instant White-Hot Wild”
After years of concealing his true nature from the public, Homelander finally snaps when a Starlighter confronts him at a rally. Once his son Ryan gets hit with a can, Homelander zaps the protester’s head in half. This is the moment where Homelander’s most faithful followers should’ve turned on him. Instead, they cheer him on. Even Homelander seems surprised by the response, but also more than happy to soak up the applause. At a moment when the limits of public outrage are being tested in real time, Homelander smiling in delighted disbelief continues to make the rounds on social media. It’s the image that not only best sums up “The Boys,” but also the state of the world.
Which moment from “The Boys” made your internet connection crash? Let us know in the comments.
