List of The Boys characters

The following is a list of fictional characters in the comic series The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, and its television adaptation.

The Boys

The Boys are a CIA black ops team, initially created by Col. Greg Mallory to manage, police, and sometimes liquidate Vought-American's superhumans. While this is in part to help protect normal humans from the actions of the largely out of control "supes," this is also to ensure that the company lacks the stability or the platform to push the use of superhumans in national defense. Over time, the team's focus changed due to Butcher's increased influence, from one of management and containment to one of direct confrontation. As Mallory notes in #55, 14 people were killed by the Boys from 1987 to 1995 and "nearly three times that number" between 1995 and 2002, when Butcher had gained more influence. This coincides with Mallory's belief in Issues #54-55 that in spite of the seductiveness of the concept of special forces teams, the application of them can often go wrong as they try to justify their budgets and create their private conflicts. As a result, Mallory feels that the original concept for the team has gone awry, and would never have created the unit as it currently stands.

The first iteration of the Boys was decommissioned after a disastrous confrontation with the Seven in 2001 that resulted in civilian casualties. The unit was reformed a few years later - indicated in #1 to be soon after the 2004 Presidential election - and have carried on where they left off. Due to the fact that direct confrontation may be needed, all the members have enhanced strength and durability due to injections of Compound V, and all (with the exception of Hughie) show no restraint when on the attack - although they avoid killing when it complicates matters in most cases.

Though they are not as powerful as the corrupt superheroes they fight, they compensate it with their blue-collar grit, the willingness to fight dirty, access to high military grade weaponry at their disposal and they are not afraid to kill if they deem it necessary on missions.

Billy Butcher

A native Englishman and the leader of the current incarnation of the Boys, Butcher is the second most prominent character in the series, aside from Wee Hughie. He was the first member of the team recruited by team founder, Greg Mallory, and served as the original group's second-in-command until its disbandment as the result of events depicted in #50. It was he that coined the team name "the Boys" because in the East End of London "the boys" were who you said you'd send in to take care of troublemakers. At the beginning of the series, he works to reassemble the old team, with Hughie filling in for Mallory, whose leadership position Butcher takes for himself.

Physically large and incredibly violent, Butcher is more than happy to blackmail, brutalize, torture and murder—if it achieves his goals. On the other hand, he can also be very sociable and charismatic, to the same ends. The character Mother's Milk has stated that every word Butcher says is calculated to further his own goals; an example of this is making director Raynor believe that he is easily led by his desire for sex, while in reality this is just so she underestimates him. On another occasion, Butcher told Hughie one reason he recruited him was he'd "always wanted a little brother" (#6), keeping it quiet that he already had one (#55). He seems to get pleasure from killing superheroes; the slaughter of 150 East European/Russian supes in issue #14 left him humming Ode to Joy all day; in #33 he continued to attack Mind Droid and Soldier Boy when they were trying to flee; and in #43 he intended to brutalize the Superduper team because of an unintended insult (from a member of the team who suffered from Tourette's). #55 showed he apparently got pleasure from brutally murdering Vogelbaum, possibly even eating part of him. Mallory has put this down to Butcher's ability to hate. Butcher revealed to Hughie that the "evidence" that he had eaten part of Vogelbaum wasn't gore, but jam.

As a boy growing up in London's East End, Butcher witnessed his father physically abusing his mother on a daily basis, developing an overwhelming hatred for the older Butcher and almost leading him to murder. His younger brother Lenny talks him down but only because of the impact it would have on their mother. Butcher went on to serve in the Royal Marines and was wounded in the Falklands War. Following his deployment, Butcher became self-destructive, drinking excessively and assaulting friends and strangers for little reason (even being court-martialed at one point). This changed on the day he met his future wife, Becky Saunders.[1] Following that, there was no record of any assaults; Mallory believes Becky's presence had a calming effect on Butcher. Conversely the cause of Butcher's campaign against superheroes stems from the rage he felt after the rape and death of his wife at the hands of a "supe." Following a strange period of emotional distance between the two of them, Butcher awoke to find his wife disemboweled on their bed, with her prematurely born, superpowered child floating above her; after it attacked Butcher with its heat vision, he killed it by beating it to death with a lampstand. The loss of his wife shattered Butcher's tranquility and reawakened his old demons. After being taken into custody, he read Becky's diary (provided by Mallory) and discovered that his wife had apparently been raped by the world's premier superhero, The Homelander. After blinding a U.K. government official who threatened Butcher with incarceration if he did not go along with a cover story for Becky's death, Butcher was recruited to join Mallory in the enterprise that would later evolve into the Boys.

According to #50: At the time of the Boys' original disbanding, taking place some months after the events of 9/11, Butcher had stated that he had been working for Mallory for 15 years. This indicates that he began around 1986. Butcher and Mallory operated as a pair for several years, until an operation against a high-profile target (Web-Weaver, hinted at being the Boys' incarnation of Spider-Man), resulted in increased support in the team. In #55, Mallory tells Wee Hughie that Butcher was the one who recruited Mother's Milk, and subsequently the Frenchman and the Female (most likely for their willingness to commit violent acts). As time passed, Butcher slowly began to take control of the group, gradually increasing the level of violence the Boys used against Supes, often manipulating events until lethal force was the only option.

Butcher is now teetotal, preferring to drink Club Soda, and avoiding the unnecessarily self-destructive behaviour of his youth (which had been fueled by alcohol). Butcher also seems happy to help out a friend in need, even if it means he takes a beating in the process, telling M.M. after one such beating "It only hurts when I laugh... Hahahahaha". At the same time, M.M. has noted that Butcher never brings this up, instead leaving it hanging over M.M.'s head (as motivation). He seems genuinely fond of Hughie, but at the same time he has deliberately put Hughie into situations where he would have to use violence or kill an opponent, and rarely keeps him in the loop or will engage in one-upsmanship with him. Later, Hughie figures out that it was meant to toughen him up in the face of what the Boys do, and the mental games are likely due to Billy's awareness of Hughie's intuition and skill as an amateur detective. While Butcher seems at times callous with how he deals with his team, openly referring to the Frenchman and The Female as insane, Butcher also is willing to take on a job by himself rather than risk losing the team on an operation, as seen when he takes on Payback by himself to cover the team's escape and his unwillingness to allow anyone else accompany him into the White House to confront Homelander.

A bulldog named Terror is his constant companion; this dog has been trained to have sex with anything at Butcher's command ("Terror...Fuck it.") Butcher is extremely protective of Terror, even going as far as threatening Homelander with breaking a truce after Homelander moves to attack Terror for urinating on his leg in #20. In that same story, Homelander questions Butcher's motivations and, although Butcher does not verbally respond, the Homelander examines Butcher's pulse and heartbeat and hypothesizes that the Boys' war against superheroes is all that Butcher has to live for; a war that he does not expect to survive. Similarly, Mallory sees that what he unintentionally gave Butcher upon his recruitment into the Boys was a never-ending war which would constantly allow him to exercise the violent part of his being.

At the final clash in Washington, Butcher learned that it was Black Noir who'd killed his wife rather than Homelander, and he finally gained his revenge. In issue #68, it was revealed that he'd secretly been making more of the modified Compound V from #11-14 (which can be triggered to kill superhumans) so that, if he survived, he could kill vast numbers of superhumans. The battle for Washington was won because Butcher had information about how to guide missiles towards the neurons in superhuman brains - that and the Compound V made Mother's Milk suspect that Butcher had faked Vogelbaum's death and was using him.

After Washington, Butcher murders their ally Vas (Love Sausage) to cover up the Compound V plan, then murdering the Legend to prevent any information from reaching Hughie. Butcher suddenly announces a three-month leave for the team. He then revealed his intention to make Hughie his second-in-command (as Hughie had once asked for, however Hughie admits to having forgotten asking about it), in order to damage intra-group communication. It also comes out that he deliberately terrified Milk's daughter in order to influence M.M. to journey to Los Angeles to deal with her. When all this comes out, Butcher and Mother's Milk have a brief fight, ending when Butcher (with expressed regret) kills him.

Butcher is later confronted by Hughie on top of the Empire State building and — after a brief fight — they both fall onto a lower platform, whereupon Butcher breaks his back, becoming paralyzed from the neck down. After a brief conversation with Hughie wherein he acknowledges his past and admits to having killed M.M., Frenchie and the Female, a police helicopter shows up. Knowing he will be locked away for life as an invalid, Butcher deceives Hughie into killing him by (falsely) claiming he had murdered Hughie's adoptive family. Hughie, in a fit of rage, rams a metal spike into the Butcher's chest, killing him. True to character, Billy dies smiling.

Karl Urban portrays the character in the television series.

Hughie Campbell

Often called by his nickname "Wee Hughie," Hughie first experiences the world of superhumans firsthand when his girlfriend Robin is accidentally killed by 'A-Train', during a fight in which the latter was subduing another "supe" while traveling faster than the speed of sound. The other supe was thrown at high speed into Robin, and both of them impacted a nearby brick wall, instantly killing Robin and leaving Hughie holding her now severed hands and forearms. Due to this experience, Butcher recruits him to take Mallory's vacated spot on the Boys, and would later inject him with Compound V, without Hughie's permission.

Hughie grew up in rural Scotland, an adopted child.[2] He had a rather bizarre childhood, including a period of trauma from exposure to a giant tapeworm, the shock of being present when an airline pilot suddenly has a mental breakdown mid-flight, and a childhood friend nicknamed Det (Horace Bronson), with an unnaturally powerful stench. With his childhood friends, he played at being a boy detective; they had actually discovered a cigarette smuggling operation handled by a local pub owner. During a later outing, they threw stones at a dog, only for Hughie to get upset when one of his throws hit its mark, and out of guilt would spend the evening taking the injured dog back to its home. As an adult, he'd leave for Glasgow. His relationship with his parents and childhood friends has him being irritated by how they sometimes treat him, while outside viewers (Starlight/Annie and Mallory) have pointed out he's lucky to have them.

Despite his embarrassment at his childhood adventures, they reveal that he has a talent as a detective, using inductive and deductive reasoning to figure out things even Butcher confesses to missing. He picks up the task of surveillance quickly, and shows a talent for it. He is able to reason out the murder of a young gay man by Swingwing, as well as the motive behind it; he is able to sort out the motivations of a Russian gangster enough to track her flight, even if he is too late to catch her; and he is able to piece together Butcher's ultimate plan where the rest of The Boys were unaware such a plan existed.

Hughie is still an innocent to the Boys' world, and at times this has resulted in him becoming hesitant in his actions. Shortly after his first combat experience, which resulted in his accidental killing of Blarney Cock, he became extremely worried about repeating the action, which nearly resulted in the escape of Swingwing in a subsequent operation. He also would become gradually disgusted with Butcher's easy willingness to torture their enemies and the others' lack of caring about it. As the series progressed, and the bloodshed gradually increased, Hughie would also grow angry with Butcher's dismissal of the constant violence ("big boys' rules") used in their operations.

Despite his distaste with the antics he's observed while a member of the Boys, he has developed a pair of close relationships within the community. He has made friends with Russian hero Vas and, unknowingly, the super-heroine Starlight, the latter with whom he developed a romantic relationship. Despite an early embarrassing accident where he had oral sex with her when she was menstruating, their relationship deepened - causing Butcher to wonder, upon his discovery of the relationship, if Hughie was working for Vought-American. After becoming assured that he wasn't, Butcher would deliberately break the relationship up by setting Hughie up to see footage of Starlight's "induction" into the Seven. Unable to cope with the knowledge, he angrily laid into her and broke off the relationship, only to suffer guilt over his verbal abuse with her; the two reconciled and got back together. He finally comes clean to her in #55 about his work, and begs her to leave and hide so she's not killed when events eventually escalate to their conclusion.

Hughie is viewed as a genuinely decent guy by most people who know him, and he has several times risked himself to try to help people who were vulnerable or victimized: his rage over Swingwing callously killing a young man in #10, his attempts to save G-Wiz, and trying to fight the horrifically powerful Malchemical to defend Superduper in #43. Butcher was confused and irritated by the latter incidents, as he had advised him several times that the superhuman population largely does not care about normal people and are not worth his concern. The "Highland Laddie" miniseries had Hughie feeling discontent that, unlike Butcher, he isn't a hard man, but he seems incapable of being one. Annie would later tell him that he is just too nice because of his upbringing, but that this doesn't make him any less of a man.

In Herogasm #3, he was sexually assaulted by Black Noir. While he was left shocked and sickened over it, he did not say what happened to the other Boys until much later in time. Due to the fact the confession was timed right after their Flat Iron office was attacked, it was largely met with indifference.

During the events of the attempted coup of the US Government by Homelander, Butcher captures A-Train with the hopes of getting Hughie to finally understand what it means to be one of The Boys. He makes Hughie listen to recorded conversations of them discussing Robin, hoping to convince him to murder A-Train. Hughie can't bring himself to kill the captured man, so Butcher starts playing further conversations of the Seven - a tactic Hughie sees through and refuses to be provoked by, demanding Butcher to stop. However, when the tape reaches the Seven's plan to hire Starlight so they can degrade her, Hughie finally snaps and kicks A-Train's head off.[3]

In the aftermath of the fight with The Seven, Butcher tells The Boys that Hughie will be second in command, which infuriates his teammates, due to Butcher's revelation that Hughie sought out the position - a deliberate act by Butcher. Annie also leaves him, still unable to reconcile Hughie's job and his past attempts to conceal it. During the turmoil, during which the Boys are also disbanded, Hughie gets a text from Vas, but didn't understand its meaning at first. After a visit to the Legend, during which he learns of Vas' death, he is given a clue by the Legend, who also advises him to see Kessler for help in remaining in the United States. The conversation with Kessler goes badly, in which Hughie's attempts to talk sensibly with the CIA man are rejected, and progress is only made after Hughie threatens him in a similar manner to Butcher. Hughie also decodes Vas' message as an email address, which results in an automatic reply containing evidence that Butcher has been obtaining modified Compound V that can be used to kill superhumans - and that he has killed Vas. It becomes clear that Butcher has been trying to get the team out of the way so he can carry out a mass murder of superhumans, even though the act will also likely kill those who only have trace amounts of V in their system - which, based on the accidental exposures of Compound V, would mean the deaths of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people. Realizing that Billy needs to be stopped, Hughie prepares by going to Mother's Milk's home and drinking his mother's breast milk, allowing him to match the far stronger and older Billy. The two then engage each other, ultimately ending in Hughie's victory. The series then ends with Hughie and Starlight meeting again and deciding to give their relationship another shot.

Hughie is intentionally drawn to resemble the British actor and writer Simon Pegg. According to Robertson, he drew the character based on Pegg after seeing him in the sitcom Spaced, and thought that Pegg captured the balance of "innocence but tough determination" that Ennis wanted in the character. When asked about playing Hughie in a possible movie adaptation of The Boys, Pegg thought that he might be too old to play the role. In the television series, Pegg played the recurring part of Hughie's father.[4]

Ennis has said that Hughie has a "total inability to learn from his mistakes and change his ways [which] will eventually stand him in good stead... No doubt Hughie's tendency to mope and turn inwards is a source of frustration to many readers, all used to comic heroes who learn from experience and develop into fully-rounded characters ready to handle anything. In my experience this is like no one who's ever existed in real life; even the most capable people either maintain or eventually return to their essential flaws. I doubt any twenty-something lad unused to trauma and violence could simply absorb it straightaway, and if he did become hardened or inured it would be as a different, less sensitive person. In other words, Hughie's bizarre triumph is that he remains Hughie."[5]

In the television series, Jack Quaid portrays the character. In the show he is American instead of Scottish.

Mother's Milk

A large African-American man, he first appears in issue #2. He is a highly patient and methodical man, taught by his father to check every possible angle and means of attack, and can be somewhat particular (getting annoyed whenever anyone doesn't put a drink coaster under their glasses). He is the only member on the team, aside from the retired Greg Mallory, who is an American citizen by birth. His nickname apparently came about because he is the "purest", i.e. most goodhearted, member of the team. In issue #35, M.M. reveals that he is the only member of the unit to have been exposed to Compound V since conception. His mother worked in a factory that had previously been a Vought-American lab, and hadn't been sanitized afterwards, leading to her being contaminated with Compound V. As a result, his brother Michael was born with severe mental disability and he himself was born needing regular doses of his mother's breast milk to survive. #17 hinted at this, and showed him throwing up and feeling disturbed by the constant need. At the same time, he finds the nourishment highly energizing and developing into a breast fetish, adding to his discomfort.

His father worked tirelessly to sue VA over his children's special needs and eventually succeeded, but the experience took a large mental and physical toll on him. M.M. was aware that Vought's lawyers were shrugging the loss off, but never told him. Michael died soon after, killed by the manifestation of his superpowers, and their father died from the stress of trying to sue VA over and over again; his mother was left broken and unwilling to fight anymore, and become morbidly obese; her own powers then expressed themselves thanks to her overwhelming despair, and she now lives in M.M.'s basement, completely unaware of her surroundings. To support his mother and his new wife and daughter, he joined the United States Army, volunteered for the Rangers, and became an army heavyweight boxer. In a championship match, M.M.'s powers suddenly manifested and he accidentally killed an opponent in the ring by punching his head off. He was released from the military and was recruited by Butcher and Mallory for the first incarnation of The Boys.

After Mother's Milk had been with The Boys for a year, Butcher accompanied him to rescue M.M.'s infant daughter Janine, whose mother, a drug addict, was incapable of raising her properly. The pair rescued Janine from her mother's then-residence, a drug house whose addicts smoked crack cut with Compound V; Butcher suffered a savage beating from the addicts in the process. M.M. was later present at the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge where he attempted to help a woman from a falling car; although he maintained his hold on her, she could not get free of her seat belt and was torn in half, dying in M.M.'s arms. The experience would haunt M.M., and serve as additional motivation for continuing the fight against Vought-American.

After the disbanding of the unit, M.M. would go on to perform community work and raise his increasingly rebellious daughter who is now a teenager (and as a result of V, matured early sexually - although she appears 16–17, she's only 12 chronologically); Janine shows M.M. great disrespect but regards Butcher with affection, calling him "Uncle Billy." M.M. has now returned to the team, where he acts as Butcher's second-in-command, possibly (in part) so that he can restrain Butcher from going off the rails in pursuit of their goals. He is one of the few people who receives any consistent level of civility (at least to his face) from the pathologically rude Butcher, who thinks very highly of him. He is also the only member of the Boys (other than Hughie, the new recruit) who thinks that at least a few superheroes might be acting out of genuine altruism (as mentioned in issue #6).

M.M. is the only member of the group that is still in contact with Mallory. He has a great deal of affection for Hughie, which is the principal reason why M.M. ended up at odds with Butcher after discovering that Butcher had been manipulating Hughie into dangerous situations and not informing the rest of the team (#43). This would result in M.M. putting Hughie in contact with Mallory after Hughie's sabbatical.

Later, Mother's Milk discovers that his ex-wife and daughter were in a pornographic movie together. He is furious at this revelation, and leaves to deal with this family issue. He told his mother about it, and it's implied she did not take the news well, as she is screaming, locked up in a basement. M.M. then gets a call from his daughter. She tells him that she was not in her right mind, and has run away from her mother. Mother's Milk attempts to get her location, but she states that she wants to be left alone, and when she's well, she will call him back to let him know. He tracks her down easily, and she reveals that Butcher murdered the producers and cast of the adult film, including brutally murdering Janine's mother in front of her. His final words, meant both as a warning and as a threat, were for Janine to leave M.M. alone.

Mother's Milk finished having a meeting with The Boys on stopping Butcher from using a weaponized version of the "V" compound on the rest of the supes and the innocents that were affected. Butcher walks in on Mother's Milk, questioning why he wasn't trying to fix his issues with his daughter, thinking that would get him out of the picture for good. MM questions if Butcher is really going through with the plan. Butcher responds with a yes, and states that he didn't think he was going to survive the fight with Homelander, and Black Noir. Butcher offers him a chance to walk away, but instead they fight each other. Butcher reveals to him that he thought of killing his mother as well. Despite being enraged, Mother's Milk stated he never wanted it to go down like this. Butcher replies that he knows and that he was a best mate that he could ever know, and didn't deserve to know him. Before Mother's Milk can land a decisive blow, Butcher pulls out a grenade and stuffs it into Mother's Milk's mouth as it explodes. Mother's Milk is in critical condition, and Butcher suffocates and kills him, while stating that he has no mates.

After Hughie realizes what Butcher is doing, he pays a visit to MM's mother after his death, discovering she has grown into an enormous blob; her breasts have elongated to tentacles (explaining why MM displays nausea when snakes are described by a nature show in an earlier issue) and she seems only able to say "MY BOY..." when she spots Hughie, apparently not realizing he is not her son. When she grabs him with one tentacle and presents another with a distended nipple at the end, Hughie consents to drink, possibly hoping the milk will strengthen him (he is unable to keep it down, however).

Laz Alonso portrays the character in the television series. This version's real name is Marvin Milk.

The Frenchman

First seen in issue #2, he is one of the original Boys, and displays a penchant for extreme violence within a few frames of his first appearance. As his name suggests he is a Frenchman. His spoken French uses incorrect phrasing, though whether this is an intentional plot point is not yet known. He takes an immediate liking to "Petit Hughie." He and the Female are the 'muscles' of the team, and he is prone to violent outbursts (especially with any insults towards France and the French), although he can control them better than the Female. According to Mother's Milk, however, it's better for the rest of humanity in general if they are in the team rather than in the outside world.

Like Billy and Mother's Milk, the Frenchman possesses military experience, particularly holding knowledge in ballistics, to the extent that Butcher defers to him on that matter. The Frenchman also possesses an incredibly strong sense of smell. When his sense of smell is first shown in the Glorious 5 Year Plan arc, a confused Hughie asks why Terror isn't sniffing around. To which Butcher replies "Frenchie has the better nose for it." Implying that The Frenchman's sense of smell is greater than that of a dog.

The Frenchman appears to be quite shy and caring until someone provokes him, to which he will attack or even kill in a gruesome manner, for example, battering three American businessmen in a coffee shop for calling him a "Goddamn surrender monkey" and a "fucking cheese-eater." In #55, Mallory notes that cruelty to children makes Frenchie "livid," which renders him hard to control when such scenarios are encountered.

In #37, his possible origin story is told, though it is also possible they are but delusions. Returning home from military service, he is welcomed by the residents of his native Franglais (who curiously refer to him as Frenchie), but soon learns that his lover has taken off with his childhood rival, Pierre. Renouncing violence, he refuses to confront Pierre. Months later, at a local festival that featured the sport of jousting on bicycles with baguettes while screaming exaggerated Maurice Chevalier impression laughter, his father challenged Pierre to restore the family's honor. Pierre, fearing certain defeat, topples the challenger's bicycle with a stale croissant, killing him. Renouncing his newfound pacifism, the Frenchman exacts his revenge on Pierre and starts drifting from place to place, until he gets into a bar fight with an American and is seen in action by Billy, who promptly recruits him (remarking that he needs "a mad fucking cunt"). In the issue, nobody is sure how true most of this is. What is known is that Butcher had a folder on the Frenchman's membership in the French Foreign Legion; that, along with his characteristically British usage of the words "mum" and "wanker" and his hometown's name literally meaning "French-English," would suggest a British origin. The only reference to the truth of the Frenchman's tale is his vow to remain with The Boys "until the bitter end."

He seems to have a fondness for the Female, bonding with her with playing games (like reverse-strip poker,[6] paintball, scrabble,[7] and snowball fights, which he always seems to lose) with her; this seems to have made progress, as he is the only one who can safely wake her. In #38, it was revealed he took on the task of 'humanizing' her, and was the first person to have actually treated her with kindness and civility. He also takes offense to when Butcher or Mallory refer to her as an it. In #16, he forced the New York Mafia to stop hiring the Female as a hitman. In an effort to stop the Female from killing for the mobs, he attempted to hold her back and was viewed as if she was about to attack; the Frenchman told her "I'd rather die than not be your friend, and if it has to be by your hand, so be it," to which the Female just sadly walked away.

In #63, he loses his right arm in battle. He survives due to Vought-American medical treatment. After the events in Washington, he appears to have taken to wearing a Napoleonic hat with his jacket.

In #69, while searching their HQ at the Flatiron building, the Frenchman hears something odd, and finds a high-yield bomb (left by Butcher) with a few seconds left on the timer. Knowing there is no chance to escape, he turns and expresses his love for The Female "from the first." He and The Female are apparently killed in the subsequent explosion.

In the television series, Tomer Kapon portrays The Frenchman/Frenchie

The Female (of the Species)

One of the earliest members of the Boys and the only woman of the group. First appearance is issue #2. She is known for her animalistic brutality (which even visibly shocks, yet impresses Butcher), and suffers from selective mutism. When not working for the Boys, she used to do freelance work for the Mafia.

She is in the habit of "explosively eviscerating" her victims and it is implied in issue #3 that she may be triggered to do so merely by someone touching her, possibly as a result of past trauma (even Vas, one of the more powerful Soviet supers, made the mistake and lost two fingers). This does not appear to apply to the Frenchman. She is shown to have a tendency for ripping off people's faces. In issue #16, the Frenchman states that she 'does these things because [she] cannot not do them'. Issue #24 states that she has continued killing, despite The Frenchman forcing the mob to back off. Issue #38 shows that, as an infant, she found her way into a pail of discarded Compound V waste, slaughtering scientists in the building, and eventually getting captured, only to escape years later, when Butcher and the original team of Boys rescue her and Frenchie adopts her.

She is beaten into a coma by Stormfront in #31, but not before ripping out one of his eyes. She recovers in #34, much to Hughie's annoyance as she broke his arm when he reached for a bag of chocolate limes next to her bed. The Female also seems to be very fond of animals, as she freed Jamie the hamster out of his wrapping after he emerged from the Blarney Cock's anus and would subsequently take care of him during Hughie's hiatus from the team (resulting in him becoming morbidly obese), ostensibly as a deterrent to being subjected to the same treatment again. She had a particular bond with Terror, often shown tickling him or engaging of acts with play with him. She takes his death extremely hard, laying down next to Terror mournfully, after he is killed.

The Female occasionally shows signs of responding to the Frenchman's treatment with moments of genuine human reactions. She smiles when enjoying her favorite candy; she chooses to restrain her murderous urges rather than hurt the Frenchman; and she speaks for the first time in Issue #66, due to her amusement over Hughie stealing Doc Peculiar's file on Queen Maeve for the purpose of masturbating to the photos contained inside. She is shown to be laughing, and has even spoken for the first time with the word "Ha!"

During a meeting discussing how The Boys were going to stop Butcher, Hughie brings up the idea of including the Female, since she has not spoken for herself. The Frenchman disagrees, saying this would halt or even reverse her positive development and M.M. voices his opinion she deserves the opportunity to walk away more than anyone else. Hughie concurs, then tells the Female it's okay to stay behind. However, as the others start to walk out the door, she says to them "I hate mean people," the only time she has ever spoken a complete sentence. She then puts on her trench coat and walks with them. Hughie states that it's all four of them against Butcher.

In #69, she and The Frenchman are killed when Butcher bombs The Boys' headquarters, the Flatiron building.

Karen Fukuhara plays the Female in television series. This version's real name is revealed to be Kimiko.

Lieutenant Colonel Greg D. Mallory

The original team leader of the Boys, Mallory only appeared in the comics via mention or as operating from the shadows, until he was formally introduced in issue #49.

An elderly man in his nineties (Compound V has retarded his aging), he was an Ivy League graduate and a captain in World War II when his platoon was chosen as the test run for "supes" in combat. Due to the idiocy of Soldier Boy, a Waffen-SS platoon found the camp by following Soldier Boy's flight (as part of the Battle of the Bulge) and Mallory was the only survivor, spending the rest of the war in a POW camp.

Issues #54 and #55 showed that he and his friend Rick Burnham joined the early CIA after the war, wanting to do something about Vought-American Consolidated and their superhumans - though everyone else in the group considered this bizarre. He spent years watching the company on his own initiative until he made contact with the Legend, who gave him the backstory on Compound V and Jonah Vogelbaum. Mallory set up Vogelbaum to be kidnapped by Vought's rival so he could kill the man, only to find himself unable to; instead, he brought him into the CIA - the scientist's knowledge causing Burnham, then-director, to recognize VA as a threat - and had him make V for them (while ensuring he'd deliberately make V expensive so the CIA couldn't create a superhuman program). Mallory was the first test subject for the new V.

Mallory had a team created to monitor, police, and liquidate "supes," but erred in hiring Butcher as his muscle; Butcher went on to hire the other members and slowly twist the team round to the way he wanted it. The two clashed on the issue of the Female, as he refused to simply treat her like a weapon as Butcher wanted (#38). Following the 9/11 attacks, he let himself be steered into blackmailing the Seven and this got his granddaughters murdered by the Lamplighter. Following the aftermath, the Lamplighter was given to Mallory to kill, as a peace gesture from the Seven; Butcher was left angry at him at the realization that the colonel never intended to let him kill Homelander. Afterward, Mallory went off to live in seclusion at Barbary Bay.

Following the Boys' reformation, Mallory was a background figure; it is revealed that Mother's Milk was secretly in contact with him. During the Highland Hughie miniseries, it's revealed that Mallory went undercover (pretending to be a sympathetic English gentlemen) to watch Hughie as a favor for Mother's Milk, and to secretly steer him into conflict with mobsters to test him. He reveals himself to Hughie by giving him a number to contact. #52-55 had Hughie visit him to get the backstory on the Boys and warnings about Butcher's nature; Hughie took this on board but accused Mallory of being a monster himself, one that wanted to justify all the blood he'd spilt and messes he made, and that Mallory's "old bastard war veteran" personality was an act. At the end of #55, Mallory's house is broken into by someone (implied to be Butcher) to kill him; Mallory's last words are, "So why don't you do me a favour and get it the Hell over with, mm?"

A female version of the character named Grace Mallory appears in the television series, played by Laila Robins.

The Legend

First appearance is issue #7. An as-yet-unnamed elderly man who, while not an official member of the Boys, works as their informant.

He is a former comic editor and writer who worked for Vought-American's Victory Comics subsidiary, writing all the comics based on Vought's superheroes to "give people supes like they wanted supes to be". His work on superhero comics gives him incredible knowledge of them and Vought-American. He hates "that comic-book crap", though he lives under a comic store surrounded by his work.

The Legend has no family other than his two sons, both of whom are deceased. His elder son was killed in Vietnam as a result of faulty rifles produced by Vought-American (which ironically resemble the British Army's SA80 bullpup rifles). His son's death is the impetus for his association with Vought: to gather information in the hope he could one day assist in their destruction. It is also revealed in issue #54 that once Vought-American introduced The Homelander to the world in 1971, The Legend made a strategic move and got himself filmed at a memorial service for the air cav that his first son served in. Greg Mallory didn't buy the fact that a Vought-American man felt guilty about what his company was doing. His second son is revealed in issue #22 to be the Teenage Kix member Blarney Cock, from whom he was estranged and was satisfied that Hughie killed him. He was produced by The Legend and Queen Maeve during a relationship that the two had together, which was confirmed in issue #57 when Hughie discover surveillance photos and transcripts of The Legend having sex with Queen Maeve.

Unlike other heroes, the Legend has shown a certain fondness for Queen Maeve, serving as her confidant at times, and showing an almost fatherly approach during her encounter with the Boys after 9/11 and on Doc Peculiar's transcripts. Butcher has accused The Legend of developing feelings for Queen Maeve, which could set up dire consequences for both The Boys and The Seven. In issue #67, after informing Hughie of the death of Vas, he is confronted by Butcher and dies when Butcher kicks him violently in the anus. Which is implied by the fact that the comic on the floor in front of him is called "Shitfoot".

The American government

The Legend has stated that every American government since Gerald Ford's administration (along with two-thirds of Congress) have been owned to some extent by the military-industrial complex, who are desperate to keep Vought-American's superhumans out of national defense contracts for fear of being unable to compete. This makes the government extremely willing to back the Boys, and the team was originally authorised under President Bush and continued under President Clinton.

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, the government has been in a state of internal conflict, with the President watching for any treacherous move by the Vice-President and both of them trying to have their agents on each other's security details.

In contrast to the real world, the events of 9/11 saw the World Trade Center saved but the Brooklyn Bridge destroyed and America invaded Pakistan in response, with Afghanistan being severely hit by "collateral damage" (deliberately). The public is unaware that the Bridge wasn't the intended target of Al Qaeda. #51 reveals that America is, officially, assisting the Pakistani government - and secretly "pay[ing] them to let us invade", both with money and by deliberately removing "undesirables" (claiming they're enemy combatants) and taking them to a prison camp in Anchorage, Alaska. Special forces are heavily used in Pakistan (and causing civilian deaths) and a large number of soldiers have been crippled by IEDs.

Real-life political figures have also been included in the comic: Senator Prescott Bush is a Vought-American man in 1944, but unlike in real life he ends up killed by a German attack in the Battle of the Bulge (#52-3); Bobby Kennedy spearheaded an investigation into VA after the disastrous Ia Drang massacre in Vietnam; VA felt the first President Bush would be their man in government, but Mallory states in Butcher, Baker #6 that Bush was actually lying and planned to keep them at arm's length; Bush and Clinton both oversaw The Boys; and in #62, Butcher advises Rayner talks to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in the event he assassinates Newman, and in #66 Pelosi is the Acting-President until after the 2008 election.

Kessler

A CIA analyst whom Butcher uses to acquire information, he is referred to, by the Boys (primarily Billy) as "Monkey." The origin of the nickname is revealed that, upon escorting Butcher to Doc Peculiar's house of prostitution, he was promptly raped by green monkeys in both ears.[8] Upon his return to the whorehouse, Butcher discovers, with some amusement, that Peculiar had immortalized the event in the form of a statue of Kessler and the monkeys in the act.

Kessler has a fetish for female paraplegics and an inability to have an erection unassisted; he claims this is the result of the numerous times Butcher has kneed him in the groin when prompting him for information or punishing him.

Upon the news that Raynor intends to seek public office, she names Kessler to be her successor as the Director of the CIA. He attempted to use this knowledge as a way of making life difficult for the Boys, but he lost his composure during a fundraiser dinner upon seeing a paraplegic former athlete in #51; he took her up to a private room under false pretenses and attempted to sexually assault her with a dildo. She knocked him cold and was about to report him when Butcher stepped in. Kessler awoke to find himself bound spread-eagled on his belly on the bed with a dildo in his anus, as Butcher regaled him with the story he told to keep the athlete from reporting him, then blackmailed him into backing down from his harassment. He subsequently had Terror anally rape him to further humiliate him.

Susan L. Rayner

Director of the CIA. During the 1980s, she was a field officer in Afghanistan. She despises Butcher and vice versa, though is sexually involved with him. She's done many immoral things but considers they were for the greater good.

She attempted to use Silver Kincaid as a mole within the G-Men, but withheld this information from the Boys when sending them in to investigate the team. Butcher threatened to kill her and her family if she ever put the team in danger like that again but later claimed this was an empty threat - as he was manipulating her in this second encounter, that may have been a lie.

She decided to get out and quit the CIA to run for the US Senate, leaving Kessler as her replacement to get back at Butcher. In #51, Butcher met with her to give her information that could allow guided missiles to track supes, telling her to pass this on to the Air Force.

In #62, following the death of Dakota Bob, Rayner finds herself frozen out of the new government by Vic's Vought-American "attack bitch": the CIA is de facto neutralised and she's informed that she'll likely lose her job. She warns Butcher and also tells him she gave his file to NORAD; she also admits to feeling frightened, "the ground disappeared beneath my feet", by the fact she finds herself colluding with the Joint Chiefs to commit high treason, and is terrified when Butcher implies he may assassinate Vic.

After #66, she has moved on from the CIA but has instructed Kessler to disband the Boys. She did not approve Kessler's nomination to become the full-time CIA director. Kessler would have his revenge, as during a political rally, he embarrassed Rayner using audio taken from one of her many sexual encounters with Butcher, as well as chartering a small plane with the banner "Rayner is a whore" conducting a fly by.

Jennifer Esposito plays a version of the character called Susan Raynor in the television series.

President Robert "Dakota Bob" Shaefer

The Republican President of the United States, Shaefer is responsible for signing off on an order for the CIA to monitor all superheroes - an order that ultimately results in the reformation of the Boys. He has a hatred of superheroes due to the threat they pose to the world. Issue #20 states he is a former Halliburton executive, and "cold and hard as the Badlands themselves". Shaefer and Vic the Veep highlight that The Boys isn't about good versus evil so much as competence versus incompetence. Ennis said the character "was supposed to be the smart neocon -- the guy who would quite happily sell off every public service he could, but who believed in very strong national security. Who would start a war, but the right war -- going for the real home of the insurgency (this would of course create all manner of new problems, but that would be his starting point)." [9]

Shaefer was the Vice President under George H. W. Bush after a scandal took out the previous choice (implied to be Dan Quayle). He ran for office after Bill Clinton. Despite his loathing of "Vic the Veep", he was forced by the Republican Party to take him as Vice President.

He is said in Herogasm to have ordered the invasion of Pakistan instead of Afghanistan (which the CIA had asked for) after 9/11, and gave many private defense and reconstruction contracts to Halliburton and other companies, as well as having "sold off" most of the federal government. #51 reveals he has done highly immoral things to get the US into Pakistan. Mallory says in #55, as does VA in Herogasm, that he is in the pocket of multiple corporate interests. He is unpopular by the time of the series for his policies and war record, but appears respected by Butcher because of his ironclad willingness to stick to his principles.

Dakota Bob almost averts the bulk of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by paying attention to intelligence warnings, putting NORAD on high alert and response teams at US airports, and having two of the hijacked planes immediately shot down and the third boarded at the airport. The fourth gets through after Vic incapacitates Shaefer and takes control, ordering NORAD to stand down, with the intent of allowing the Seven to intercept the fourth plane. This plan backfires disastrously; the Seven have no plan and no training (a result of VA withholding police and emergency training to avoid antagonizing normal police/fire/rescue organizations) and they cause the plane to crash into the Brooklyn Bridge instead. Shaefer is unable to prove that Vought-American are up to something, but keeps a close watch on Vought infiltration of the Secret Service; officially, the fourth plane was also shot down but too late.

Despite all of the scheming and counter-scheming between the White House and Vought-American, Dakota Bob is killed in issue #60 by an angry wolverine. VA's James Stillwell, while acknowledging that the turn of events is for the best, is left irritated and slightly disappointed that an expensive, and intricately planned paramilitary operation was pre-empted in such a way.

Victor K. "Vic the Veep" Neuman

Neoconservative Vice President of the United States under "Dakota Bob" Shaefer. It has been implied that he is mentally handicapped, and that his family are all Vought-American people; he himself was said in #6 to have been a former CEO for Vought-American. He appears to be only clever enough to be politically useful, learning his speeches phonetically and unable to perform everyday tasks without assistance. He is commonly recognized by his large underbite and his constant blank facial expression. Ennis has said "Vic the Veep was meant to be the most grotesque parody of Bush, Jr. imaginable".[9]

Vic and his backers are suspected of trying to ensure the President would be in Florida during 9/11, leaving Vic in charge and able to have the Seven liberate the hijacked planes; when this failed, Dakota Bob is knocked unconscious with a fire extinguisher, he then orders the USAF to leave the last hijacked plane, leading to the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge when the Seven failed. Nobody saw the assault, but Vic's Secret Service detail are suspected,having been infiltrated by Red River.[10] Vought intends to assassinate the President as, knowing Vic would never win in an election, this is the only way for Vic to become President and thus bring in superhuman defense contracts. The President takes great care in selecting Vic's security detail, ensuring as few Red River agents are on it as possible.[11]

Thanks to Dakota Bob's accidental death after Vic released a wolverine (thinking it was his dog), Vic becomes President in #60. His Secret Service detail is replaced with Red River operatives and a Vought-American executive directs him in making policies, such as the de facto shutdown of all CIA operations and the makeup of his new Cabinet. Butcher openly refers to assassinating him in #62, but this is pre-empted when Homelander convinces most of the superheroes to launch a coup that they think is in the name of Vic and VA. Vic is murdered prior to issue #65 by Homelander, who has decapitated him.

Vought-American

Formerly Vought American Consolidated (V.A.C.), Vought-American is the series' main antagonist. It is a large defense contractor which owns the Seven, several smaller superhero teams, and their related franchises.[12]

Since World War II, Vought-American has sought to incorporate superheroes into national defense. Its first product for the military was a fighter plane that was rushed into production to replace the P-51 Mustang; it was discovered that a fatal design flaw killed more Allied pilots than it did the enemy. Although the use of the atom bomb removed the need for the plane, it revealed a tendency by Vought-American to release flawed products; its next major product was an assault rifle, but due to cutting costs on the manufacturing, the rifles resulted in a massacre in Vietnam when they failed to protect the soldiers they were issued to (they proved to be more useful as posts to mount their heads).

With the debut of the Seven and the subsequent monopoly of superhumans, VA is in a position to upend the traditional military-industrial complex making heroes into super-powered soldiers. Their current agreement with the American government is arranged so heroes will not possess any actual police powers or interfere with any government service. As a result, heroes are not given any police or rescue training, so they will not be seen as competition. This has created a number of problems from the beginning: heroes sent to support World War II troops are given no military training and cause the deaths of themselves and the soldiers they were sent to help when they inadvertently lead the enemy to the camp; heroes are unable to provide much help in an actual emergency and are relegated to minor support work that looks good on camera. The worst example is during 9/11. The Seven try to stop the terrorists on a passenger plane but do not understand the tactical or physical challenges involved in entering a plane during flight. They end up sending the fractured plane into the Brooklyn Bridge.

Unable to get the contracts by semi-legal means, they've attempted the overthrow of the Russian government with a force of supervillains; manipulating reaction to 9/11; and intend to assassinate the President of the United States.

VA controls both Victory Comics, which whitewashes the exploits of the real-life superheroes; and Red River, a private military company with covert agents in the Secret Service. At the meeting between the Boys and the Seven, Red River operatives used nerve gas on a Delta Force squad that had been assigned as backup. This allowed a naked Homelander to enter the scene and massacre the soldiers. The Boys later came across the grisly scene.

After the superhuman attack on Washington, Vought-American is the subject of a congressional hearing, and has rebranded itself as American Consolidated in the belief that people will get distracted and forget who they are when the dust settles. The revelations of Compound V's ineffectiveness and the true nature (and eventual genocide) of the so-called 'heroes' the company was so proud of have effectively crippled Vought American/American Consolidated, leaving them with one last failed product as Stillwell finally breaks under the pressure.

In the television series, it is known as Vought International.

James Stillwell

James Stillwell is Vought-American's major presence in the series, regularly sitting in on the Seven's meetings. His name, while first mentioned in #29, is not confirmed until #63. He is the most prominent normal human antagonist, orchestrating the near-coup of the Russian government, ordering and overseeing the massacre of the G-Teams, ordering Payback to ambush the Boys, and involved in the planned takeover of the White House.

Stillwell is a high-functioning sociopath and is practically the embodiment of VA, aiming to make a profit at the expense of others, suffering no remorse for any action. He is highly methodical and considers nothing is unimportant during planning. He also freely admits in #40 that Vought-American are gambling that Homelander will be controllable until they've won, and if he's not they can only "try not to be there at the time". Two major developments occur by sheer accident: the death of VA's CEO by a heart attack in #34, and the President being killed by a rabid animal in #60. When the latter happens, Stillwell said he felt "cheated".

Herogasm #4 mentions he had come up under Vought's recently deceased CEO Mr. Edgar, and #29 has Vought minutes from 1989 mentioning Stillwell as a "keen" young man working in then-executive Edgar's office.

His calm exterior is in contrast to the superhero teams he oversees: he never shows any concern in the Seven's meetings or around the Homelander, despite their powers, nor around Russian mob boss Little Nina. He is also utterly ruthless: after ordering the slaughter of every member of the G-Men to prevent the truth of Godolkin's activities getting out (which he'd previously covered up), he then arranges for Pre-Wiz, the children Godolkin was training and sexually abusing, to be kidnapped, locked into a large crate and finally dropped from an aircraft over the sea.[13] Each of these acts are carried out by different groups of Red River operatives, as he thought that even Red River personnel might find the outright murder of children to be too much. Jack from Jupiter considers Stillwell to be worse than the Seven, and has said he used to have nightmares about the sort of things the executive might have had done; Homelander has shown signs of wanting to kill him, but always stops himself and seemed genuinely scared of him (or the true power he wields) in Herogasm #5.

In #34, the CEO of Vought-American (Mr. Edgar) dies, and it seemed possible that Stillwell would take his place. Instead, by #39, Stillwell allows another generic executive to become CEO, acting as a puppet in order to maintain his independence and influence affairs behind the scenes. Stillwell also takes on Jess Bradley as a protégé and confidant. By #61, he seems to have an unguarded moment and admits he feels he can relax around her.

During Homelander's attempted coup d'etat against the United States government, Stillwell becomes aware that the superhero had tricked the Boys and VA into a conflict. Stillwell offers medical care to a wounded Frenchman and tries to make a deal with Billy Butcher, asking the Boys to take a backseat role while they tried to clean up their "own shit"; Butcher refuses. After watching the events of Butcher's informational leak onto the World Wide Web, he is confronted by Homelander, who wishes to kill him. Stillwell keeps calm in front of the insane superhuman, to the point that Homelander declares he may have finally met a real superhuman. Stillwell states he was never impressed by Homelander, and regards Homelander's actions and use of his abilities to be unoriginal and unimpressive. After expressing a wish to commit suicide to spare himself Homelander's histrionics, Homelander tells him to keep watching and leaves.

In #66, he believes the company can survive the superhuman attack on Washington as they were genuinely uninvolved, growing superhumans as weapons "is disturbing but not yet illegal", and most of the other revelations about them can be shrugged off; he cites WikiLeaks, saying the general public reaction to such things is to say "the world works the way I always suspected". However, he knows they could not survive the revelation that they had tried to kill the President. When the Boys release everything they have on VA and the superheroes, Stillwell uses Jess Bradley as a scapegoat; his plan all along was to blame everything on her.

He meets with Hughie, who reveals the existence of the V-bombs and threatens to use them if VA approaches any country in the world about weaponizing superheroes. Stillwell meets with his subordinates before seeing the newest superhero team, wearing all-white costumes (some with white pointed hoods) and going by the name of TRUE. Stillwell seems to realize that Compound V cannot supersede human nature (he notes the erection of one member of the new team, the telltale signs of drug withdrawal in another), laments that Compound V is a bad product and appears to start suffering a nervous breakdown in the final issue.

A female version of the character named Madelyn Stillwell appears in the television series, portrayed by Elisabeth Shue. In the series, she is murdered by Homelander in the season 1 finale.

Jessica Bradley

Bradley is a senior VA officer, introduced in #39 as an intelligent career-climber who was attempting to get in with Stillwell. In #40, she was taken on as his confidant and protégé, and he told her that her work had gotten her noticed years ago - he was merely waiting for her to speak to him. Their relationship soon becomes a strong one, with her appearing to develop feelings for him and Stillwell marking her out as vital to VA's future; in #61, she admits she feels safe around him and he admits he can relax around her.

She is more worried about the seedier, more uncontrollable aspects of the superheroes than Stillwell is, and is visibly sickened by the photographs of the Homelander's rampage. She is the first of Vought's executives to express that more concern should be shown for the victims of the superheroes actions, in particular after reviewing Hughie's file. In #48, Bradley was present for Black Noir's disastrous attempt at flying a plane and the murder of his flight instructor; she was left covered in the dead man's blood, and had to struggle to keep calm afterwards, telling herself "he's [Stillwell] strong so you're strong". This led to her pointing out to Stillwell that Black Noir can't ever be taught to fly and it was wasting money to keep trying; he was convinced and cancelled any further training, but it appears Bradley was the first senior VA worker to raise this as an issue.

After the Homelander's coup is crushed, Bradley appears before Congress, and spends a great deal of time with Stillwell. She would subsequently be betrayed by him when, during his appearance before Congress, Stillwell shifts the blame for the disaster from Vought-American onto Bradley. Stillwell had realized long ago that a disaster was looming with its superheroes, and had promoted Bradley to a leadership position specifically so that he could scapegoat her when that happened, portraying her as a rogue element who could be held culpable for all the company's misdeeds. The realization of his complete betrayal causes Bradley to have a breakdown in her hotel room, tearing out her hair while screaming.

Brewster

Brewster became the new CEO in #39, mainly as a fall guy for Stillwell. In #49, Stillwell tells Bradley to just "blind [Brewster] with science" and keep him out of the loop.

Superheroes

In the universe of The Boys, superheroes get their powers from the drug Compound V, which was first created by Nazi scientists in the 1930s and which has since entered the gene pool due to VA complacency on numerous occasions. The defense contractor Vought-American has close ties to most of the superheroes, directly owns several of them, and is responsible for the creation of the original Seven; they also created and own Young Americans, Teenage Kix, Payback, and the G-Men.

The vast majority of superheroes in the series are narcissistic, hedonistic, and psychopathic, committing numerous crimes against civilians and each other out of a belief that their status allows them to do whatever they want. Most of the heroes shown in the series are also utterly incompetent, as they were not trained in urban tactics, police procedure, or rescue operations so as to avoid the wrath of the police and military whom they would effectively replace. The Seven are especially notorious, and use Vought-American's money to fund a lavish and amoral lifestyle. However, the superheroes are careful not to offend VA lest they lose their cash flow.

The Seven

The Seven are the world's premier superhero team, created by Vought-American through injecting perfected Compound V into the fetuses of women who "wouldn't be missed", resulting in superheroes significantly more powerful than any others. The Seven's members care little about their advertised ideals and are more concerned about merchandising rights. They have shown grave incompetence in the face of the serious crises they are supposedly meant to solve; during the September 11 attacks, their efforts to land one of the hijacked planes resulted in the death of one member and the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge, causing a significant public relations setback for both the team and VA.

To prevent mutually assured destruction, the team has a deal with the Boys that neither group will take action against the other, following an incident that saw Lamplighter kill Mallory's grandchildren and the Boys kill Lamplighter.

The Seven, as interpreted within the TV series, are considered by at least one source to be analogous to DC's Justice League.[14]

Darick Robertson acknowledges the parody, but made it clear that this is not the DC universe: "I didn’t have any problem parodying them because what I saw very clearly is how the Homelander isn't Superman. How Queen Maeve isn't Wonder Woman. What’s really important to me is that, anybody can put on a superhero costume, but that doesn't make you Superman."[15]

The Homelander

"Homelander" redirects here. For the young adult novel series, see Andrew Klavan § The Homelanders series.

The Homelander is a patriotic superhero who leads the Seven, and the most powerful superhuman created by Vought-American. The company's cover story for the Homelander is that he is an alien who landed in the United States as an infant; in reality, he was grown in a secret VA laboratory, the progeny of genetic material taken from Stormfront, who was injected with Compound V while still a member of the Hitler Youth. Homelander spent most of his young life chained down with a hydrogen bomb strapped to him in case he tried to escape. His mother was a mentally disabled woman, who died giving birth to him, similar to how Butcher's wife died giving birth after she was raped. The Homelander's powers include heat vision, super strength, durability, flight, and enhanced vocal cords. He also ages more slowly than a normal human, due to Compound V. Though it is mentioned that his first name is John, there is no indication that he ever uses an alias or secret identity.

The Homelander's powers and sense of entitlement have led him to exhibit extreme megalomania, causing him to commit crimes against innocent people—including acts of rape and mass murder—out of the idea that he can do anything he wants because of who he is.[16] Homelander remains under the financial thumb of VA, as their money funds the Seven's hedonistic lifestyle. Homelander eventually tries to encourage the other superheroes to do what they want, but stops out of fear when he realizes that Stillwell is listening. Afterwards, Homelander becomes increasingly resentful and rebellious towards Stillwell and VA.

Until the events of the series' climax, it is implied that Homelander had raped Billy Butcher's wife. In Issue #40, the Boys receive a series of incriminating photos seemingly showing Homelander engaging in grisly acts of murder, cannibalism, and necrophilia against men, women, and children. The series eventually reveals that Homelander cannot remember either these incidents or the rape of Billy's wife, and suggests that Homelander has dissociative identity disorder and may have sent the photographs to Billy himself. In private, Homelander shows signs of approaching a mental breakdown, talking to his own reflection in a mirror and having bouts of nausea. He eventually decides that he is damned anyway for the acts depicted in the photos, and decides to give in to any urge that crosses his mind.

From Herogasm onwards, Homelander resolves to free himself and the superhero community from Vought-American's control. He leads the other superheroes in a coup d'etat against the United States, launching an attack on the White House and killing everyone inside, including Vic the Veep. During the subsequent confrontation between Homelander and Butcher, Black Noir arrives in the Oval Office and unmasks, revealing himself to be a clone of Homelander. He subsequently reveals that it was he who committed the atrocities documented in the photos. Outraged, Homelander attacks the even more powerful Black Noir, who proceeds to tear him apart. Before dying, Homelander manages to seriously injure his former teammate, who Butcher later finishes off with a crowbar.

Ennis describes Homelander as: "an almost entirely negative character. He is really just a series of unpleasant urges kept in check by his own intelligence, which is enough to understand that he can have anything he wants so long as he doesn’t push his luck too far." Also: "It might help to think of the Homelander as having all the self control of let’s say a fourteen year old."[17]

In the TV adaptation, Antony Starr plays the Homelander. This version's real name is John.[18] Homelander, as interpreted within the TV series, is considered by some reviewers to be analogous to DC's Superman.[14][19]

Black Noir

Black Noir is a long-time member of the Seven, almost always shown in silhouette with his face obscured. His powers include super strength and supposed skills as a pilot. He is stronger than even the Homelander; Mother's Milk states he can, "Bench a dozen Mack trucks". While initially an enigma, it is revealed at the climax of the series that Black Noir is actually a clone of the Homelander, developed by Vought-American as a contingency in case the leader of the Seven became a liability.[20] Black Noir was ordered by VA to be close to the Homelander at all times, and to assassinate him if the company deemed it necessary. This mission (which entails being in close proximity to his "enemy" for decades, yet forbidden to fulfill his designated goal) drives Black Noir completely insane, leading him to develop a sadistic streak just as disturbing as — if not more so than — the other members of the Seven. His apparent madness even impairs his locution and facial mobility, forcing him to babble and often repeat himself while constantly smiling from ear to ear.

During the confrontation between Billy Butcher and the Homelander in the Oval Office, Black Noir appears and reveals his face and origin to the stunned Butcher and Homelander. Black Noir explains that it was he who engaged in the atrocities portrayed in the photos sent to the Boys (as well as the rape and murder of Butcher's wife), framing the Homelander as a means of forcing VA into giving him a kill order. Black Noir kills the Homelander in single combat, though he suffers severe injuries during the fight. While he is distracted by mutilating Homelander's corpse, the military opens fire on him, shredding his body to the point where he can no longer stand or move. These injuries weaken Noir enough so that Butcher can crack open his skull with a crowbar and tear out a large chunk of his brain, finally killing him and avenging his wife.

In the TV adaptation, Nathan Mitchell plays Black Noir.[18]

Queen Maeve

Queen Maeve is a long-time member of the Seven; her powers include super strength, flight, and invulnerability. It is suggested that Queen Maeve was more passionate about the Seven's mission than the other superheroes at one point, but found her spirit broken by the team's disastrous handling of the 9/11 attacks. It is also suggested that the 9/11 debacle is the source of her alcoholism.

She harbors a great hatred of the Homelander and the rest of the Seven, leading her to help the Boys in their surveillance efforts by planting cameras in the team's headquarters.

During the Homelander's attempted coup d'etat against the U.S. government, Starlight convinces Queen Maeve to leave the Seven with her. Homelander blocks them intending to kill them for fun. Queen Maeve physically throws Starlight out of the Seven's headquarters and engages the Homelander in a futile battle. After her sword is revealed to be a metal prop, Queen Maeve is decapitated by the Homelander, who throws her head past Starlight during her escape.

In the TV adaptation, Dominique McElligott plays Queen Maeve.[18] She is named after the mythical Irish monarch Medb,[21] and her representation within the series is considered by at least one reviewer of the series to be analogous to DC's Wonder Woman.[14]

A-Train

A-Train is a superhero with super-speed whose carelessness was responsible for the accidental death of Wee Hughie's girlfriend in the first issue. A-Train was formerly a member of the Teenage Kix, but was promoted to the Seven as a replacement to Mister Marathon. He is the most juvenile and crudest member of the Seven, being the one who most openly enjoys humiliating Starlight. A heavy drug user and bitter over Starlight, A-Train openly expresses a desire to assault her again.[11] One such attempt results in him being temporarily blinded in one eye. In Herogasm, he appears to be genuine friends with Jack from Jupiter, though this friendship ends during the events of "The Big Ride". His catchphrase is "Can't stop the A-Train--!"

In issue #61, he leaves The Seven's headquarters amid the imminent crisis saying "I am gonna check into the Mandarin, chill for a couple weeks." In #62-3, Butcher captures him and presents him to Wee Hughie with the intention of finally getting Hughie to kill him. Hughie has doubts, despite Butcher playing audio footage of A-Train and the Seven discussing Robin's death and laughing about it after being encouraged by his teammates to disregard the incident when he started to feel some small regret over it. As Hughie berates him for all the pain he caused him with Robin's death, A-Train begs for his life, crying that he doesn't want to die. Upon hearing the audio of the Seven's conversation of their decision to bring in Starlight and their intention to victimize her, Hughie finally murders A-Train by decapitating him with a kick to the head.

In the TV adaptation, Jessie Usher plays A-Train.[18]

The Deep

A long-time member of the Seven, The Deep is marketed by Vought-American as the "King of the Seas" and claims he cannot remove his helmet due to an Atlantean curse. The Deep is actually a man in a diving suit. His powers include super-strength, flight, and durability. The Deep is the more mature, civilized member of the team and often bears the brunt of other characters' contempt, disregard, and racism. Occasionally finding himself in embarrassing happenstance that steal his metaphorical thunder, such as arriving at The Boys Flatiron HQ to confront them and Butcher slamming the door in his face after telling him to leave. Despite him being one of the more mature members of The Seven, he is not above lowering himself—as he, along with A-Train, Jack From Jupiter and Black Noir were intending to sexually assault Starlight. He is the only remaining "lab grown" (original) member of the Seven after the events in Washington after he declined to take part in Homelander's attempted coup d'etat against the U.S. government. He is seen in Issue #72, as a part of a new team of superheroes that American Consolidated is attempting to create, called 'True'. Stillwell identifies him immediately, as his new costume, which includes a large, cone-shaped hood resembling a klan hood still incorporates his helmet's porthole.

In the TV adaptation, Chace Crawford plays The Deep.[18] This version's real name is Kevin. He is white, does not wear a diving suit and is shown to have fish-like features on his body like gills and fins.

Jack from Jupiter

Jack from Jupiter is a member of the Seven. A supposed extraterrestrial, his ability is to be empowered by a secret word. A heavy drug user (going so far to inject himself with drugs cut with Queen Maeve's vaginal mucus), he is inclined to let things run their course in the Seven.[11] Jack gets along quite well with A-Train, going so far as to take the junior member under his wing during Herogasm.

At times, Jack seems to act as the sole voice of reason in the group. In #49, he attempts to calm both Lamplighter during a meeting with the Boys and the Homelander shortly thereafter, when Lamplighter temporarily blinds the others and departs to trail Mallory; in #20, he tried to stop A-Train, who was angry about Starlight injuring him while repelling his rape attempt, from irritating the Homelander with complaints following a disastrous encounter with the Boys. Jack was highly critical with A-Train's attempt to rape her. This was not so much from any moral concerns, but rather from a prediction that she will be ejected from the Seven within a year in any case, darkly hinting that A-Train can do whatever he wants with her after that. Like The Deep, Jack is also irritated by his lower royalties compared to "the Big Three."

He is capable of flight, and is usually seen transporting non-flying members of the Seven during their official functions. His main power is that he is able to make his skin impenetrable using a secret word (which he claims he can say twice as fast as "Titty-Fuck"[11]), which is eventually revealed to be "Carpo". The duration of his invulnerability is unknown. Outside of this power, Jack is likely the weakest of the Seven, as Butcher states that he could not win a fight with Stephen Hawking.

During the September 11 attacks, Jack fled the scene with Mister Marathon upon realizing that Homelander's plan of action would worsen the situation. Jack's abrupt action led Black Noir, the Lamplighter, and the Deep to be injured, thus removing over half the Seven from the unfolding attacks within seconds. Jack flew back long enough to allow Mister Marathon to board a hijacked plane with Homelander and Queen Maeve before fleeing again.

Jack was dismissed from the Seven when the Boys publicly revealed that he had frequented transsexual prostitutes, severely damaging the reputations of both the team and VA. Shortly afterwards, the Boys discovered Terror dead in their office. At Doc Peculiar's, Billy Butcher confronted Jack on the assumption that he had killed Terror. Jack attempted to use his invulnerability power, but was brutally murdered by Billy with a butcher knife while Butcher repeatedly asked him why he killed Terror.

The Lamplighter

A former member of the Seven, the Lamplighter was turned over by the Seven to the Boys, after the murders of Mallory's granddaughters, in order to end their initial conflict. He is reanimated after his death and is hidden from view deep under the Seven's headquarters; he constantly soils himself, and the Seven take turns cleaning out his cell. His public story states that he took a hiatus from the team, with him being broadcast on national television after his reanimation with the rest of his team. He was then kept in the storage space he now "lives" in, the Homelander having him there as an "example" to the rest of the team for what happens to those who underestimate "The Boys." He is replaced by Starlight.

Lamplighter's powers seem to mostly emanate from his torch-like device, which he can use to fly and emanate blinding light or destructive energy. He has greatly enhanced physical endurance, having survived being struck by the wing of a plane in mid-flight, although the collision's force did cave in his ribs and nearly puncture his lungs; after the incident, he required multiple medications to relieve the pain.

In Issue #66, it is revealed in a conversation by Stillwell that the Lamplighter was found by the CIA after a search warrant was exercised on the Seven's former headquarters.

Starlight

Starlight is the latest member of the Seven. Annie January's displayed powers are flight and the ability to project blinding light. Other powers hinted include super-hearing. Starlight was formerly a member of the Young Americans superhero organization, and a conservative Christian. On joining, she is shocked to discover the true nature of the other members of the Seven: on her first visit, the Homelander gives her the choice of providing him, A-Train, and Black Noir with oral sex, or leaving the group. Her costume is modified against her will to be more revealing, and she has often been tricked into humiliating situations. It was claimed by A-Train in issue #20 that the Seven hired her solely to amuse themselves by degrading her; Jack from Jupiter expects her to be replaced by a bigger-name hero within a year. During the "Cherry" story arc, she meets Hughie in New York on a bench in Central Park. Under her Annie identity, she begins a relationship with Hughie, neither knowing the other's true identity.

Starlight has frequently shown signs of changing, with aggressive outbursts, losing her faith, and using profanities and drinking alcohol. She shows some concern that she is becoming more like the rest of the Seven. Butcher has footage of her induction into the Seven, and in issue #39, he discovers Starlight and Hughie's relationship.

In #32, she violently rejects a new, even more revealing costume and makeover and a new, fictional origin of being a rape victim foisted on her by VA's marketing department. The Seven's attempt to change her mind almost results in a sexual assault led by Black Noir, with Starlight only being saved by Maeve's surprise intervention. She further defies both the team and VA by going back to her original outfit.

Annie has said she believes her relationship with Hughie is "more precious than gold", and she intends to quit the Seven and move out. Despite this, #39-43 shows that she is terrified he will reject her if he finds out what she did to get into the Seven. This proves to be true, as Hughie flees when she reveals her true identity in Issue #45.

Not wanting the truth to destroy their relationship, she follows Hughie back to Scotland during the "Highland Laddie" mini-series. She reveals her childhood to Hughie, and what it was like growing up with powers: blinding her parents at birth, being adopted by a foster couple who raised her to show her off at VA pageants, and having powers while being forbidden to actually help or rescue people.

In issue #52, Hughie suggests to her that the relationship will not work despite his warnings about certain individuals not being keen on supes. She then explains to Hughie that he is the nicest person she ever had in her life and doesn't want to give that up, requesting that since the relationship is on the rocks, can he still treat her decently. Hughie agrees.

In issue #55 after Hughie finishes his conversation with Mallory, he reveals to her that he has been working for the C.I.A. and wants her to leave the Seven and hide until the upcoming war between them and The Boys is at a conclusion. Hughie admits to her that he still loves her.

In issue #66, Annie leaves New York and Hughie behind due to the events following the attempted insurrection in Washington, as well as Hughie's continued discomfort around her. She returns in the final issue, with the characters once again together, having decided to give their relationship another shot now that the Boys and the Seven are gone.

Ennis has stated that the relationship was not originally planned: "Annie started out as a joke, and was actually going to degenerate further in terms of the shit she'd put up with, the degradations she'd suffer just to be in the world's premier superteam. But I found myself writing Hughie moping in Central Park, and then to my great surprise I saw Annie coming walking down the path. That was when I realized I wanted to take her in a different direction, make her stronger and more rounded... I probably felt a bit guilty about Annie and ended up treating her a bit more responsibly as a result."[9]

In the TV adaptation, Erin Moriarty plays Starlight.[22]

Mister Marathon

A former member of the Seven, he was removed from the 9/11 crisis by Jack from Jupiter (who happened to be carrying him), but apparently insisted that Jack return to leave him there so he could help. When it seemed Homelander would abandon the rescue attempt, Marathon insisted that he continue (albeit by pointing out that Vought-American would surely fire them if they gave up, rather than by appealing to any moral sense). While carrying Marathon, Homelander tried to intercept the plane but instead crashed through and broke it in half, in the process killing Marathon.[23]

Translucent

Translucent is a member of the Seven exclusive to the television series, played by Alex Hassell.[24] He possesses carbon meta-material skin that bends light, allowing him to become invisible, and also makes him nearly impenetrable to injury. After being captured by the Boys, Translucent is killed when Hughie detonates a C4 explosive suppository inserted into his rectum after Butcher and Frenchie deduce that his powerful skin does not protect him from internal trauma.

Young Americans

One of the two major teenage superhero teams, the Young Americans are clean-cut and patriotic; they have ties to the Young Republicans, Christian youth groups, (including one known as Capes for Christ), and other conservative organizations. Like so many things in the Boys stories, the Young Americans' squeaky-clean pious appearance is mostly for show, although they kept their more questionable habits secret from Starlight and the public. When she left the team to join the Seven they apparently "relaxed" a little. Aside from Starlight, the Young Americans has at least four members:

Drummer Boy

Drummer Boy is identified as the leader in #6. Conservative Christian. Was involved with Starlight. Was caught by Starlight having sex with Holy Mary.

The Standard

The Standard is a member of the Young Americans. Red, blue and yellow costume, has the power of flight. Elected as the original leader of the Young Americans.[25]

General Issue

General Issue (known simply as the General) normally wore camouflage pants and white wife beater with a Vietnam era green army jacket. His powers were slightly mediocre, having the strength of 4 men and being able to run 45 mph without running out of breath. He was also trained in hand-to-hand combat and was an expert shot with any weapon.

Holy Mary

Holy Mary dresses in a nuns habit and fishnet stockings. Her power was her Beauty, which allowed her to manipulate men's will. She is caught by Starlight sleeping with Drummer Boy.[26]

Fantastico

Fantastico are a group of four fantastic heroes that appear on the cover of Herogasm #3. The Doofer, Reacher Dick, Invisi-Lass, are part of the group.[27] A fourth character with fire based powers is not named.

The Doofer

The Doofer resembles a humanoid assembly of bricks who appears to suffer a fatal drug overdose during Herogasm. He is thrown from the rooftop by Butcher to create a distraction.[27]

Teenage Kix

The other major teenage group, Teenage Kix has a more rebellious, Generation Y image. A-Train is a former member of the group. On reforming the Boys, Butcher planned his first operation against them. The team frequently goes to brothels to "celebrate" after a victory. The group is defeated by the Boys in issue #6, with Wee Hughie accidentally killing Blarney Cock.

Big Game

Big Game is the leader of the group. It is implied by Butcher that it is he that is able to keep the rest of the group in line. He is shown to be Bisexual, as he has sex with not just women, but also fellow team members Shout Out and DogKnott. He is one of the only leaders of the various teams that does show any semblance of how to properly use their abilities from a tactical standpoint, though this is promptly negated by the Boys in their only encounter.

DogKnott

DogKnott appears werewolf-like but he wears clothes to cover up his self shame. He wears a lettermen's jacket and blue jeans. His powers are he looks like a werewolf, he has razor sharp claws, and can jump up to 20 feet.

Popclaw

Popclaw has retractable claws. Practices self mutilation by cutting herself with her blades. It is revealed in issue #9 that she had her claws coated in metal.

In the television adaptation, Brittany Allen plays Popclaw. This version's real name is Charlotte.[28] She has a larger role in the series, where she is depicted as the girlfriend of A-Train and shares his addiction of Compound V. When the Boys capture her on video accidentally killing her landlord, she is blackmailed into providing them with information on the Seven and Compound V, leading to A-Train murdering her.

Blarney Cock

Blarney Cock is Irish and extremely racist. Along with his best friend Whack Job, he steals painkillers from a children's hospital to support their drug habits. In issue #6 he is accidentally killed by Wee Hughie, after which it is discovered that he has a taped-up hamster inserted in his anus. He is given a hero's funeral. After returning from the dead, his sole focus is to get his hamster back; Wee Hughie is ordered to kill him a second time by The Legend, after which The Legend reveals that Blarney Cock is his son. Hughie cremates his corpse in an oil drum after killing him the second time.

In issue #54 it is revealed that Blarney Cock is the son of Queen Maeve and The Legend. Butcher learns from Doc Peculiar's files that Blarney was shipped off to Ireland after Maeve gave birth to him and adopted by a local family, indicating that he had no clue of his true parentage, the Butcher stating he was "farmed out to some kid's home in Paddy land."[29]

Whack Job

Whack Job is a Mohawk-wearing member of Teenage Kix. Can conjure electricity. He dresses in punk attire. He and Blarney Cock have been best friends for years, and it is indicated that if either was kicked off the team, the other would follow. He reacted badly to Blarney's death, appearing to sink into a deep depression. He was the only member of the team happy to have Blarney back after he rose from the dead. He was present at Herogasm along with the rest of the superhero community.

Gunpowder

Gunpowder is a member of Teenage Kix who brings in invaluable NRA sponsorship. Into Bondage.

Shout Out

Shout-Out is African-American and thought publicly to be gay. He does not get along with Blarney Cock, as the two constantly shoot racial slurs at each other. Due to the Boys, he resigns from the team after announcing his homosexuality, but he does show up to fight the Boys after Homelander reveals the perpetrators. During the fight, he has both of his thumbs ripped off by Butcher. Shout Out has the power of flight and electrical abilities.

Mesmer

Mesmer is a member of Teenage Kix exclusive to the television series, portrayed by Haley Joel Osment. His real name is Charles. He possesses the ability to read people's thoughts through physical contact. Mother's Milk and Frenchie request his assistance in uncovering the Female's background by reading her mind, which results in them learning about Vought's plan to create superpowered terrorists. Afterwards, Mesmer betrays the Boys by identifying them to Homelander. In response, Butcher tracks him down and kills him.

Payback

A predecessor for the group "The Avenging Squad", Payback was created back in the 1940s, intended for use against Nazi Germany - but failed disastrously, and were wiped out swiftly in the Battle of the Bulge. In 1950, Vought created a second version, "Crimefighters Incorporated"; they were used to trailblaze for future superheroes like the Homelander and get everyone used to them.

It is said in Herogasm #2 that every member has tried to join the Seven.

Despite the presence of some powerful superhumans, a direct encounter with The Boys resulted in the team's destruction. Garth Ennis stated this was "because they don't know what they're doing with the (considerable) resources they command".[30]

Tek Knight

Tek Knight is one of the founding members of Payback. Prior to his association with Payback, he previously led a group known as the Maverikz (who in turn were savagely beaten by The Boys in issue #31). The current Tek Knight is actually the third person to hold the identity. Two prior incarnations of Tek Knight, originally called Steel Knight, were introduced in Issues 52 to 54, as well as prior versions of sidekick Laddio. Mallory says they revamped his "franchise" later. Issue #9 gives his name as Robert Vernon.

Tek Knight is a vastly different hero from his predecessors, which were portrayed as super strong heroes with a helm and a jet pack. Having not received a dose of Compound V, Tek Knight instead has a technologically advanced suit, with which he operates. The suit's abilities aren't fully described. Despite possessing the ability to fly, Tek-Knight also makes use of several vehicles and operates out of a cave based headquarters.

Tek Knight is one of the few heroes that is shown to have a boy sidekick, named Laddio. The current Laddio is actually the third to hold the name, as the first was killed during the battle of the bulge and the second would go on to pursue a solo career as the hero Swingwing. Tek Knight also is shown to have an associate called the Talon, who switches back and forth between ally and adversary.

Tek Knight was one of the few heroes to never engage the Boys' attention, as he never did anything depraved or morally wrong like many other "Heroes". Butcher describes him as boring, and seemed to be a genuinely nice person, though highly homophobic. Soldier Boy states in Herogasm that he was one of the only members in Payback to be nice to him.

Tek Knight's career would end after a murder of a young gay man that was being investigated by the Boys coincided with the growth of a brain tumor "the size of a fist", which caused an overpowering desire to have sex with anything. This would cause him to dismiss Laddio; upon realizing his compulsion was causing him to consider sex with his young ward, he immediately acted to remove the temptation and avoid any chance of his acting on it. Though he was cleared of having anything to do with the murder by Butcher and company, his butler would later release details about Tek Knight's sexual compulsions, leaving him being dubbed in the press as the "Homo Hero" and would be dismissed from Payback. He would die shortly afterward, when a wheelbarrow full of bricks landed on his head while he was saving a mother and child from being crushed by it. In his head, Tek Knight died a hero, as he hallucinated himself saving the world by having sex with a meteorite.[31]

Soldier Boy

Soldier Boy is Payback's "elected" leader, though he yearns to join the Seven. Maintains a very innocent approach to his role, not realizing the depravity around him (never resorting to foul language or joining his team during the "Herogasm" Orgies). Mistakenly interprets gay sex with Homelander as a test for him to join the Seven.[32] He is in the habit of reciting the name of states while engaged in battle. It's claimed he fought in World War II, though Butcher claims otherwise and refers to this story as an insult to the people who really did. His nose is bitten off by Butcher in issue #32. He is captured alive but badly beaten by Butcher in issue #33, and is tortured for information in #34. At the beginning of issue #39 the cover of a newspaper, shows there is a funeral being held for Soldier Boy.

It is later revealed that "Soldier Boy" was a legacy title. Two earlier Soldier Boys have existed, both the leaders of their team. The original's decision to send the flyers of the Avenging Squad (a prototype for Payback) to scout for Germans - without authorization or awareness of military tactics - led the Waffen-SS to a US Army camp, causing a massacre of both the Avenging Squad and the American soldiers they were supposed to assist. He was mortally wounded by the attack and killed by Mallory.

The character is set to appear in the third season of the television series, portrayed by Jensen Ackles.[33]

Stormfront

Stormfront is the most powerful member of Payback. His name and fictionalized backstory portrays him as a reincarnated Viking. His name also references the infamous Neo-Nazi website of the same name. In reality, Stormfront originally came to the United States from Nazi Germany in 1938 with Jonah Vogelbaum as the only product of the Third Reich's V-Program. He was given a very powerful and unique version of Compound V as a member of the Hitler Youth. Vogelbaum saw Stormfront as a danger due to his deep belief in Nazi ideology, and recommended that Vought-American destroy him. Instead, VA used genetic material taken from Stormfront as the basis for the experiments that would create the Homelander and Black Noir.

Stormfront was shown to be unrepentantly racist, and an enthusiastic supporter of Nazism. It was revealed that Stormfront destroyed the levees and caused widespread flooding in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, aiming to ethnically cleanse the city and to free up valuable real estate for VA. He treated his teammates in Payback with contempt, especially Soldier Boy. After slaughtering several Mafioso he sneered, "Italians. What the Fuhrer was thinking, I'll never know." He also referred to the Female as a "Mongrel" and "Untermensch" (subhuman).[34]

Stormfront was one of the most powerful superhumans next to the Homelander and Black Noir. He possessed superhuman strength, durability, flight, and the ability to exhale what appeared to be lightning bolts from his mouth. This "lightning" was powerful enough to burn humans alive and blow up the Boys' van. He also aged much more slowly than a normal human; although in his 70s, he retained the appearance and vitality of a man half his age. He was far stronger than any of the individual members of the Boys, and able to easily overpower them. The Female, Mother's Milk and Billy Butcher were able to injure him during single combat, but it took the combined efforts of Butcher, Frenchie, Mother's Milk and Vas (each vocalizing the efforts of the British, Free French, American and Soviet forces during World War II) to put him down, kicking and curb-stomping him to death.[35]

A female interpretation of the character is scheduled to appear in the second season of the television series, portrayed by Aya Cash.[36]

Swatto

Swatto is a member of Payback. Can only "Buzz" but is translated by Mind Droid. Butcher kills him with a pickaxe in issue #33. His predecessors in 1944 and 1950 were called The Buzzer.

Mind Droid

Mind Droid is a member of Payback. Described as a "Telepathic Android", although he reveals in issue #33 that he is "telepathic, but not a robot". First victim of Tek Knight's sexual disorder. Apparently involved in an open relationship with Crimson Countess. Is decapitated by Butcher in issue #33. In 1944 and 1950, this character's predecessor was called Manbot.

Crimson Countess

Crimson Countess is a member of Payback who possesses heat-related powers. The Countess has red hair and wears a red costume and cape. She is involved with Mind Droid and it is hinted at that she's having an affair with Stormfront. Butcher broke her neck for attacking his dog Terror in issue #32.

Eagle the Archer

Eagle the Archer is mentioned, but seen only on the cover of a Vought-American comic shown to Hughie in issue #20. In issue #9 Butcher informs Tek Knight that six years ago Eagle the Archer "got coked off his tits" and beat his girlfriend into a coma. Butcher blackmailed him in exchange for information on all of his teammates.

G-Men

First mentioned in issue #7. The G-Men are Vought-American's most profitable team, as well as their most popular, due to their image as downtrodden outcasts, orphans and runaways, despite the fact that all of them are extremely rich. They also have six sister-teams; these include: G-Force, The G-Brits, The G-Nomads, G-Coast, G-Style and G-Wiz. There is also a preschooler group called Pre-Wiz, which Vought tried to stop Godolkin from forming. Outside of G-Wiz and Pre-Wiz, the entirety of the G-Men hate each other. Unlike the other superhero teams in The Boys Universe, the G-Men were formed independently by John Godolkin. Upon the original team being deemed ready, Godolkin would solicit a working relationship with Vought-American, giving the group some independence to operate.

G-Coast and G-Style are entirely African-American, and are constantly engaged in ridiculous feuds, especially over the death of 2-Cool.[37] Outside of Nubia, the other teams seem to lack any black members. According to Dime-Bag (a black youth) in #28, when he graduates from G-Wiz he will have to join either G-Coast or G-Style.

It was revealed that Godolkin kidnapped them as children and conditioned them to love being G-Men by giving them an endless supply of whatever they wanted. He also sexually abuses them from a young age, with assistance from some of the other G-Men. Vought-American executives eventually determined that Godolkin and the G-Teams were a public relations liability, and they were massacred by heavily armed Red River operatives.[38] Pre-Wiz was "dealt with" by being consigned to a shipping container and dumped from a cargo plane mid-flight, off the coast of Iceland.[13]

John Godolkin

John Godolkin is the team's founder, depicted as an unrepentant pedophile and kidnapper, although it is implied that he may have been similarly abused by his own father.[39][40] He appears to have no powers, unlike his students. Five-Oh, the team's field leader, does not like when Godolkin professes to be one of "them" (the outcast G-Men).[39] Even though the G-Men hate Godolkin, they are almost totally loyal to him. For example, Five-Oh, who privately mocks and detests Godolkin,[39][40] is seen dying on behalf of his honor when they are massacred.[38] In addition Randall, who has an otherwise rebellious streak, unquestioningly carries out unspoken orders to kill Hughie.[40]

John Godolkin is tolerated by Vought because his team, the G-Men, and their spin-offs have proven to be the most bankable superhero team. John Godolkin's behavior is uncontrollable, and eventually Vought becomes concerned with his perversions and instability, which causes them to terminate the entire group.[38]

Godolkin's has a penchant for obtuse and dramatic speeches and could be accused of being intentionally pretentious. The content of his speeches tend to characterize non-superhumans as cruel oppressors of the G-Men and their kind. Godolkin professes to "love all his children" yet will callously order their deaths if any of them threaten to reveal the G-Men's dark secrets. At the same time, he desperately wants any deceased G-Men to be resurrected (as V can do); he continues to want this even after seeing the mental state of Nubia, much to the concern and disgust of both the G-Men and Vought.

Five-Oh

Five-Oh wears a uniform/helmet reminiscent of a motorcycle cop, with "energy beams" leaking from the goggles. He seems to be fiercely loyal to Godolkin's G-Men, which is evidenced in issue #29 where he defends Godolkin's honor before being killed.[38] Five-Oh indicates that the money may be what drives him and "the other stuff" (Godolkin's sexual abuse) is something you learn to "cope" with.[41]

Aside from his loyalty and apparent leadership, he is depicted as stoic and rather curt with people. He mocks and derides most of his teammates and mentor Godolkin behind their backs. He especially has ire towards Silver Kincaid, whom he refers to as a "tease" who can "[go to] hell", possibly indicating some unreturned sexual advances.[42] Five-Oh does seem to have a close friendship with Cold Snap, who is seen with him the most of any character.

Cold Snap

Cold Snap possesses temperature manipulation and was one of the five original G-Men, and is a leader of the G-Force sub-team. Cold Snap is genuinely nice to most of his teammates, if not a little over-eager and naïve. He is the first character to allude to Godolkin pedophilia [41] and even openly questions some of the G-Men's practices to Five-Oh. Cold-Snap appears well liked by most of his teammates, even Critter [39] who otherwise seems to hate and loathe everyone else. When G-Style and G-Coast come to visit he suggests to Five-Oh that they can set a moral example by "showing some leadership" [39] while the rest of the team simply makes racist cracks. Cold Snap is seen in the front lines during the G-Men massacre.[38]

Silver Kincaid

Silver Kincaid is deceased via suicide. Wielder of gravity and pressure related powers. One of the original G-Men and the one who killed Nubia at Godolkin's order, as well as other "off-message" supes for Vought. After killing Nubia, she reached out to the CIA in desperation over the state of the G-Men; Rayner tried to turn her into a spy, further destabilising her mental state, and eventually causing her to suffer a psychotic breakdown where she mentally regressed back to when she was initially kidnapped. Her resulting public suicide triggered the Boys' investigation of the G-Men, and it was discovered that the place where she killed herself was the town where Godolkin first abducted her. Comments after her death imply the other G-Men detested her, especially Five-Oh (who refers to her as "cock teasing"). Her real name was revealed to be Grace Wilhelm.[40]

Nubia

Nubia is killed by Silver Kincaid. Had thunder powers before being reanimated as a zombie. She is constantly saying the words "kill me", and needs to be fed and cared for by the other G-Men. Godolkin deliberately keeps her around.

Critter

Critter is very tall and furry. Wears an Elizabethan collar around his neck and boxing gloves on his hands to keep from scratching. Shown to be extremely homophobic, racist and generally irritable towards everyone. During a brunch with Godolkin and the first two G-teams he actually confronted Godolkin about his constant acquisition of new members, how it increased the likelihood of their secret being found out, and asked when it would stop. His lower torso was blown apart during Vought's destruction of the G-Men.

Groundhawk

Groundhawk has a temperamental personality and sledgehammers for hands. He is always saying "gonna...gonna." Apparently the "hammer-hands" are a permanent fixture indicated by his inability to eat or drink during the G-Men brunch without some assistance from other members. Darick Robertson picked Groundhawk as his favorite of the new characters calling him "utterly ridiculous".[43]

The Divine

The Divine is rather flamboyant character. Gay and constantly facing rude remarks from the others (particularly Critter). Has been shown assisting Nubia, as well as helping Groundhawk eat, and was calm and uncomplaining in both cases. He seems to possess some telepathic abilities, as well as flight.

The Flamer

The Flamer is another openly gay member with the ability to project/control flame, his appearance is heavily burn-scarred. Is apparently in a relationship with The Divine.

Europo

Europo is a purple-skinned, demonic and slightly goofy character with powers of teleportation and enhanced strength.

Stacker

Stacker taciturn member of the G-Men. He seems to be made out of some shiny, dark-coloured metal.

G-Wiz

The group with whom Hughie went undercover as "Bagpipe". They are a spin-off group of the G-Men. G-Wiz headquarters is located down the road from the G-Mansion in a fraternity house; they spend most of their time partying. They're sexually confused and are unaware of appropriate boundaries & limits due to how Godolkin raised them. Hughie openly pities them, while also being disgusted and disturbed by their odd pastimes. They are killed by the Boys after Hughie's cover is blown, except for Dime-Bag, who ends up getting interrogated before he is killed by Europo. The group consisted of:

Buzz Cut

Buzz Cut is a member of G-Wiz. His real name is Randall.

Pinwheel

Pinwheel is a member of G-Wiz. His real name is Cory and is the team psychic. Has grey skin.

Dime-Bag

Dime-Bag is a member of G-Wiz. His real name is Jamal who reluctantly reveals Godolkin's secrets to The Boys. Killed by Europo.

Jetlag

Jetlag aka Matthew Verbin is a narcissistic member of G-Wiz. Verbin has the ability to manipulate time to make it 3:00pm; however, cannot go more than 12 hours forward and never back in time to change events. Considered useless to Butcher, he is setup to jump 7 hours into the future to avoid an ambush only to arrive to a waiting Butcher who kills him with a fatal blow to the chest with a carbon-fiber driveshaft.

Airburst

Airburst is a member of G-Wiz. His real name is Weezer. Wears an aviator hat and flight goggles.

Discharge

Discharge is a member of G-Wiz. Blowchowski fires acidic vomit from his mouth. Blowchowski engages in several forms of sexually perverted play with other members. Much like the others he seems oblivious to the sexual nature of their antics. Blowchowski is incredibly fond of peeing on the other members of the group, all of whom find it humorous.

Other G-Men

G-Wiz includes The Dude With No Name, who has metal arm and leg and his face is entirely covered with bandages. He was severely injured during an initiation ritual and is taken care of by remaining members of G-Wiz.[7] Pusspuss, is a female feline member of G-Force.[37] Luckless, has big red hair, dark black skin and a white stripe down her face.

The team G-Style consists of King Helmet, The Reptilian, Born Free, and Pit Stop.[37] Some of the members of G-Coast coast are: Emellkay, Homefry, and 5x5.[41]

Pre-Wiz includes Cat O'Mite, Baby Blue, and Wispo.

Paralytic

A cybernetically-enhanced team of heroes.[44][44]

Frenchie calls them "The Six Million Dollar Heroes".[44]

Described by Ennis as "a '90s-style cyberpunk outfit, with lots of prosthetic limbs and biomechanical organs and attachments."[45]

Team members include: Trojan, Astroglide, Lady Arklite, Strap-on, Stopcock, The Truncheon.[46]

Team Titanic

Described by Ennis as "a team of grown-up sidekicks."[45] A team made up of former sidekicks, created by VA to appeal to the teen market. As they grew older and other younger teams were created they started taking on whoever didn't fit in anywhere else. Although they are powerful they lack focus. Vought disbands and reorganizes them every few years, essentially using them as cannon fodder.[44]

The team is based in Cleveland, and live in "Star Tower".

Team members include: Country Mama, Dry-Hump, Earl Mulch, Gumchum, Jimmy the One, Muzzeltov, Regina Dentata, Snaffletwat, and The Starlike.[44]

Malchemical was formerly part of the team but was reassigned to Super Duper as punishment for using his shape-shifting abilities to trick the girlfriend of Team Titanic's leader into having sex with him, as revealed in "The Innocents."

Others

Robin

Hughie's deceased girlfriend, who is killed due to the actions of A-Train in the first issue after they have their first kiss and express their mutual love to each other. Hughie is left in a traumatized state holding Robin's hands and forearms after A-Train causes another larger, horned super to fly into her and impact a nearby brick wall, embedding the rest of her into it.

In the television series, Robin Ward is played by Jess Salgueiro.

Becky Saunders

Butcher's deceased wife, who was a social worker in 1980's London.[1] She was able to convince Butcher to hold back his violent urges. Becky was also responsible for getting Butcher's mother to leave her abusive husband: Butcher and his brother both believed their mother couldn't make it without a husband, and it took Becky to make them see otherwise. Her full name was Rebecca Joanne Butcher[47]

While on vacation in Miami, Florida, she was raped by a superhero.[48] Just a few months later, a fetus with laser eyes and the power of flight, bursts out killing her.[49] In #65, it is revealed that she was raped by Black Noir wearing Homelander's costume.[20]

In the TV series, Rebecca "Becca" Butcher is played by Shantel VanSanten. In the season 1 finale it is revealed that unlike the in comics, Becca is alive and mother to Homelander's son.[50]

Love Sausage

Real name Vasilii Vorishikin, but everybody calls him Vas. A Russian ex-cop, ex-tank commander, ex-superhero, communist and current owner of a bar in Moscow with a penchant for drinking a beverage made from brake fluid that he passes off as vodka; with the exception of Hughie, The Boys discreetly discard the drink when it is served to them. He used to be part of Glorious Five Year Plan, a team of five government owned superheroes (including teammates The Tractor, Purge, Red Banner, and Collectivo, all presumably retired or dead) in the days of the Soviet Union. He is shown as nostalgic for the principles and values of the Soviet Union and of his work in Glorious Five Year Plan.[51]

Genuinely altruistic by nature, Vas is on friendly terms with the Boys, especially bonding with Hughie and is so far the only likable superhero shown that the Boys know of, and only the second one depicted in the series after Starlight. Vas' 'vodka' in issue #13 saves both Vas and Hughie from the poison laced in a Russian soup borscht (while the rest of the team are incapacitated by the food); Vas puts it off as "This shit would probably kill AIDS virus!". Hughie strangely grows to like the drink and Vas gives a whole bag of bottles to him when the team leaves Moscow at the end of issue #14. The appropriately named Love Sausage's superpower appears to be that he is extremely well endowed (his penis being over a foot long), super-strong and durable. This being the case, he cannot run straight whilst aroused and describes large female breasts to be his Kryptonite while trying to chase henchmen through a strip club. He lost two fingers as consequence of touching The Female, but he seems not to hold a grudge for that.

Vas is called in as reinforcement in the fight against Stormfront in issue #34, and expresses contempt for corporate-backed superheroes. In Issue #66, Vas is being hunted in a factory by Butcher, and is mortally wounded after being shot three times with an enhanced RPG. In issue #67 The Legend comments he has been found dead. Before his death, Vas was able to send a text message to Hughie, which was a code for an email address. The account subsequently sent Hughie an out of office reply, revealing Vas' suspicions on his fate, as well as a link to data involving his suspicions about Butcher's true agenda.

Oh Father

Oh Father is an African-American superhero and preacher in a mega-church, first introduced in Issue #45. Homelander seeks him out during the Believe religious festival, explains his plan to help Vought introduce Supes to the US Military and asks Oh Father to set up a meeting with all the Supes who could be trusted to follow the Homelander's orders. Homelander claims that Oh Father is the best person to set up the meeting because, "You know everyone."

Oh Father leads a group of 12 children who possess superpowers. The name of the group is Sidekicks 12, a reference to the 12 Apostles. It is strongly implied that Oh Father sexually abuses the children, with Butcher referring to him as a "pedo." Homelander tells him that he "must do something about this addiction to sidekicks. I'm serious, you animal. There's blood on one of those seats". Homelander makes these remarks in friendly conversation and clearly feels no true repugnance toward Oh Father's molestations. Oh Father has demonstrated the powers of flight and enhanced strength. In issue #64, Oh Father shatters a reporter's jaw with a single backhand slap after the reporter confronts him about a medical report that shows evidence of Oh Father's sexual abuse of Sidekicks 12.

In issue #65, Oh Father and the rest of the superheroes who possess the power of flight are killed in combat against the US Air Force, who are armed with missiles configured to home in on Compound V-infused targets.

Maverikz

The Maverikz are a superhero group, originally lead by Tek-Knight. After Tek-Knight left some time in the past to found Payback, the Maverikz remained as a leaderless C-list superhero team. They are seen in issue #31, after being called in by Vaught to eliminate the Boys. The Boys brutally beat them, and Hughie madly batters one of the Maveriks members until Butcher steps in. Hughie later has a flashback to the fight in issue #45.

Super Duper

Super-Duper are a group of low-powered (and in some cases, mentally challenged) teens who function more as a support group for the disabled living in a group home than as the sort of sadistic revelers comprising the rest of the Vought-American "heroes." Their uncharacteristically benign natures confuse Butcher, and Hughie befriends them when a deadlier new captain, Malchemical, is assigned to them as punishment for his actions in "The Innocents." They are a loose satire on the old-fashioned Legion of Super-Heroes, hopelessly inept and vulnerable in the corrupt world of the Boys.

Team members consist of: Auntie Sis, Ladyfold, Stool Shadow, Kid Camo, Klanker, Black Hole, and Bobbie Badoing.

Ennis described the characters: "They're unique in the world of the Boys in that they actually are heroes - they believe in truth and justice, they fight to make the world a better place and ask nothing in return. They are, in short, a million miles from the scumbag supes we've seen up 'til now."[52]

Terror

Terror is Billy Butcher's pet bulldog. He has been trained by Billy to fornicate with anything on the command, "Fuck it". If anyone tries to hurt Terror, Billy kills them. After the Crimson Countess flings Terror into a wall Billy hunts her down and strangles her and breaks her neck. Terror may be compound V enhanced as he was able to both wound the Crimson Countess and survive her throwing him into a wall without any obvious injuries. Terror seems to be liked by all The Boys, most notably Hughie and Female. Female is often seen playing with Terror or tickling his belly, Terror is seen lying in her room when she was injured by Stormfront apparently deeply depressed. After he's found dead Female lays next to him

In issue #59 following The Seven and The Boys' confrontation on top of The Flatiron building, they discover Terror dead in their office. Butcher goes to Doc Peculiar's and takes Jack from Jupiter by surprise and brutally stabs him with a butcher knife over and over while repeatedly asked him why he killed Terror.

References

1. Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker #3 (2011)
2. The Boys - Highland Laddie #1 (2010)
3. The Boys #63
4. Longridge, Chris (26 July 2019). "Why *that* cameo in Amazon's The Boys is more significant than it looks". Digital Spy.
5. Johnston, Rich (May 3, 2012). "Garth Ennis Commentary On The Boys #66". Bleeding Cool.
6. The Boys #8 (2007)
7. The Boys #24 (2008)
8. The Boys #56 (2011)
9. Phegley, Kiel (September 26, 2012). "Saying Goodbye To "The Boys" with Garth Ennis, Part 2". Comic Book Resources.
10. Herogasm #4
11. Herogasm #2
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13. The Boys #30 Epilogue
14. Rubin, Peter (July 26, 2019). "Amazon's 'The Boys' Tests the Limits of Superhero Fatigue". Wired.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-26.
15. Callwood, Brett (10 July 2019). "Let's Hear it for The Boys". LA Weekly.
16. Herogasm 1-2#
17. "The Writer and his Editor: Ennis & Rybandt". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03.
18. Andreeva, Nellie (17 January 2018). "'The Boys': Antony Starr, Chace Crawford, Dominique McElligott & Jessie Usher Cast In Amazon's Superhero Drama Series". Deadline.
19. Hale, Mike (July 26, 2019). "Review: 'The Boys' Deconstructs the Superhero, With a Light Touch". The New York Times.
20. The Boys #65 (2012)
21. Darick Robertson on Twitter
22. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (December 18, 2017). "'The Boys': Erin Moriarty Cast In Amazon's Superhero Drama Series Based On Comic Book". Deadline.
23. The Boys #21 (2008)
24. Perry, Spencer (July 26, 2019). "The Boys TV Series: Every Easter Egg, Reference in the Comic Adaptation". ComingSoon.net.
25. The Boys - Highland Laddie #4 (2010)
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27. Herogasm #3
28. https://www.distractify.com/p/the-boys-popclaw-brittany-allen
29. The Boys #67
30. Phegley, Kiel (September 11, 2009). "Ennis & Robertson: The Boys Are Back". Comic Book Resources.
31. The Boys #10 (2007)
32. Herogasm #1 (2009)
33. Webb Mitovich, Matt (August 17, 2020). "Jensen Ackles Joins The Boys Season 3 as 'The Original Superhero'". TVLine. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
34. The Boys #31 (2009)
35. The Boys #34
36. Romano, Nick (9 March 2020). "Stormfront strikes The Boys in exclusive season 2 first look". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
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47. Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker #6 (2011)
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49. Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker #4 (2011)
50. Romano, Nick. "'The Boys' showrunner unpacks THAT cliffhanger, surprise cameos, and season 2 plans". Entertainment Weekly. Kripke wanted to also avoid 'fridging,' which sees women being killed off as motivation for male heroes.
51. The Boys #11 (2007)
52. Phegley, Kiel (Dec 23, 2009). "Ennis' "The Boys" Tackle "The Innocents"". Comic Book Resources.