‘The Boys’ Season 2: The Seven Supes’ Power on TV vs the Comics

Amazon

The hit series The Boys on Amazon is based on a comic series, although it has a lot of departures from the comics. Here’s a look at how the main supes’ powers stack up to their powers in the comics as the second season begins.

The Boys released its first three episodes early on Amazon on Thursday night, rather than early morning on September 4.

Homelander

Homelander is basically the Superman character of The Boys. He can fly, he’s bullet-proof/invulnerable, he has super hearing, X-ray vision, deadly laser vision, and he has super strength. His senses of hearing and smell also let him tell when someone’s adrenaline is racing or when their heart is beating extra fast.

In fact, Homelander’s laser vision is terrifying in the series. The way they portray him sometimes stalking in the dark, only his red eyes visible, gives a better idea of how powerful and horrifying laser vision would actually be in the real world. Homelander would say that his greatest power is his mind. Some fans like to think of him as a combination of Superman and The Joker.

On Reddit, u/TimIsColdinMaine had a great way of describing how the TV show version of Homelander compares to the comics. He wrote: “Without spoilers, he’s an improvement on the comic book version. The comic version THINKS he’s the type of man portrayed on the show, but he’s somewhat incompetent, and not as intelligent as he thinks he is… In the comic he is terrifying because he is simply far more powerful than every other supe and you don’t know what he is capable of… he seems to be as calculating as he is powerful.”

In the comics, he’s also shown to have a sonic scream. But he’s similarly invulnerable in the comics and one of the most powerful superheroes of all. He’s super fast when he flies, has super strength, heat and X-ray vision, just like in the TV show.

Queen Maeve

Maeve can’t fly and relies on Homelander if they have to get somewhere fast. But other than that, she’s incredibly powerful. She’s bullet-proof and invulnerable. She has super strength, can leap “super” far, has durability and stamina, and she’s amazing at hand-to-hand combat. She also has enhanced accuracy for using weapons.

In the comics, she’s the third-strongest of the Seven behind Homelander and Black Noir, according to the wiki. Interestingly, she can fly in the comics according to Comic Vine, — a power that she does not have on the show. She’s described as being the heavyweight of the Seven next to Homeland.

Black Noir

Black Noir is the most mysterious member of the Seven. He has enhanced strength and durability.  He’s stealthy, trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat, and very skilled with knife fighting and throwing. And he has mad piano skills. According to The Boys wiki (and beware reading that link as there’s a major comics spoiler you might not want to see), he also has superhuman hearing, agility, dagger proficiency, intimidation, and he’s a pilot. Without sharing any spoilers, his powers in the comics seem to match his powers on the show.

We do know that Black Noir is not an alien. When asked why they didn’t include Jack from Jupiter in Season 1, even though he’s in the comics, Eric Kripke, co-creator, told EW: “No gods from mythology, no aliens from other planets. It’s only humans who suddenly found themselves with these extraordinary abilities.”

A-Train

Despite his injuries and his heart attack, A-Train is still a member of the team. He has accelerated healing and he’s super-fast (at times rated as the fastest man in the world.) He also has super strength. But A-Train also has a Compound V addiction that’s hurting his heart and getting in the way of his success.

In the comics, he has the same types of skills but little control over them, the wiki noted.

Starlight

Starlight has her own kind of light/heat vision that’s incredibly damaging, along with a light energy projection ability that comes from her entire body. She can blind someone if she turns on her full light strength, and she can blast someone like a laser weapon. She also has enhanced strength and durability. If she doesn’t have access to an electrical source, she gets weak really fast because she gets her power from absorbing the electricity around her. She can also make herself glow on command.

In the comics, Starlight can also fly, a skill that seems reserved mostly to Homelander in the TV series.

Comic spoilers below: 

Starlight’s background in the comics is different from the TV series. She was born with a blinding light power, and blinded her parents and doctors when she was born, according to the wiki. She was raised by foster parents hired by Vought.

Translucent

Translucent wasn’t truly invisible, even though he appeared to be. His skin was made of a carbon metamaterial that refracted light rays so he couldn’t be seen. He also had unbreakable, impenetrable skin.

Translucent in the comics was never a member of the Seven, The Boys wiki explained. Translucent replaced “Jack from Jupiter” in the comics, who was an alien member of the Seven. (The TV creators wanted the Supes to all be human.)

The Deep

The Deep is gone from the Seven, kicked out after his sexual harassment history came to light, but he’s still an active part of the show. His best powers are used underwater. He can communicate with all sorts of sea creatures, from dolphins to lobsters. He can swim fast, breathe underwater, and appears to have enhanced strength and durability like most of the others.

In the comics, the Deep is more concerned about money than anything else. He’s also able to fly, according to the wiki, and has superhuman strength and durability.

Stormfront

There are minor spoilers below regarding Stormfront’s powers, but not about her plot or character development. 

Stormfront is the newest major superhero to join the show, and she’s going to be the center of the action. She has some kind of lightning-like power (electrokinesis) and appears to be able to fly. She also has superhuman strength and durability. Her presence will no doubt spark debates about whether or not she or Homelander is the stronger superhero.

Stormfront’s really different from her comic counterpart. Eric Kripke, co-creator, said the TV series wanted to create Homelander’s worst nightmare — a woman not afraid to take the spotlight from him, BT reported.

In the comics, Stormfront is a man.

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