EntertainmentTVSuperhero ShowsThe BoysThe Boys season 4 plays heavy on cameos, and I’m worried it’s becoming what it set out to mockWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVSuperhero ShowsThe BoysThe Boys season 4 plays heavy on cameos, and I’m worried it’s becoming what it set out to mockWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Prime Video)
Four episodes in andThe Boys season 4is tackling a whole bunch of lofty, real life-inspired themes, from pro-lifer podcasters and online smear campaigns to corrupt politicians and rigged elections. Its storylines are proving so controversial, in fact, that the new installment is sparking serious backlash, with some viewers slamming it as “woke” and review-bombing it on Rotten Tomatoes.
At its core back then, in the yearAvengers: Endgamewas released, it was a pretty unsubtle skewering of society’s obsession with superheroes, and how corporations – through Vought International – exploit our sometimes infantile love of all things caped and comic book. Nowadays, The Boys' biggest flaw is hardly that it’s gunning for bigots, narcissists, and right-wing zealots, it’s that it’s become what it first set out to mock in doing so – and subsequently lost its edge.
Crazy for crossovers
(Image credit: Prime Video)
Talk about having your cake and eating it, too. Despite creator Eric Kripke previously assuring fans that you needn’t watchGen Vahead of The Boys season 4, four characters from the spin-off make brief cameos in episode 4, in a news report that speculates on the whereabouts of Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Andre (Chance Perdomo), Emma (Lizze Broadway), and Jordan (London Thor/Derek Luh), AKA the missing “Godolkin Four”.
Elsewhere, truth-sniffer-outer Tek Knight (Derek Wilson), who got a fleshed out role in Gen V having been name-dropped in The Boys' previous seasons, also featured in a TV ad. In short, the worlds are seriously crossing over. Now, I’m not really a fan of Easter eggs at the best of times, but you can imagine how far my eyes rolled back when I realized the comedy thriller is now doing things that wouldn’t look out of place in the MCU.
“We all kind of quickly realized what a perfect metaphor it is for the exact moment we happen to be living in,” showrunner Eric Kripke told The Ringer back in 2020. “The blend of authoritarianism and celebrity and how it’s all packaged in social media, The Boys is about all of these things.” It’s kind of a vague quote, sure, but given how prevalent superhero movies were at that time and how overexposed their stars were, it’s not hard to see the link. But parody walks a thin, ol' line, and it’s a line The Boys seems not to be concerned with anymore.
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Earlier this year,Disneyboss Bob Iger announced that the studio was looking to cut down its Marvel output significantly, vowing torelease no more than three films a year. In 2024, it’s only bringing out Deadpool & Wolverine, with that movie’s director, Shawn Levy, openly discussingsuperhero fatigue and how he hopes the threequel will help combat itin interviews. Since Endgame racked up $2.79 billion, MCU titles have struggled to even come close to the gargantuan figure.Spider-Man: No Way Homeearned $1.9 billion, but its follow-ups have been less than impressive.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessandThor: Love and Thunderpulled in $955 million and $760.9 million, respectively. Ant-Man: Quantumania pocketed $476 million and The Marvels earned just $206 million. The latter of which had the complicated task of following on from feature-length flickCaptain Marvel, and TV shows Ms. Marvel and WandaVision, failing to break even on its sizable budget.
Disney Plus subscribers have voiced how hard it is to keep up with the small screen titles, and how pressured they feel to do so in case it gets referenced later down the line. (For instance, Deadpool & Wolverine isheavilytied to Loki, despite it marking the Merc with a Mouth’s third standalone movie and his very first MCU outing). With the MCU faltering, did The Boys spot a gap in the market and find it impossible not to creep its way into it, like Homelander’s tongue with a bottle of breast milk? Might it wind up going down the same route?
Back to not-so-basics
(Image credit: Prime Video)
Kripke has made no secret of the fact that he sees the series as The Boys vs. Homelander, andwith season 5 set to be its last, we can’t see the blonde-tipped psychopath making it out alive. But for its satire to really fly in the meantime, it’s going to have to figure out what it’sreallysaying about our culture right now, get specific, and return to its more character-driven roots. Or it could just, I don’t know, start firing laser-eyed shots at the MCU again…
The Boys season 4 is streaming now on Prime Video, with new episodes releasing every Thursday. For more, check out our latest coverage on the show:
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
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1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”