The Boys’ Finale Adapted The Black Noir Comic Twist, But Not How Anyone Expected

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 5, episode 8.

The Boys‘ series finale actually included a big Black Noir comic twist, but not in the way any of us thought it would. The Boys‘ many comic book changes over the years meant that the final episode had some big differences from the source material, but the overarching story elements remained. Butcher faced off with Homelander in the White House, killed him, then decided all Supes needed to die, forcing Hughie to kill him.

One of the elements that was different in The Boys‘ TV finale, though, involved Black Noir, or, more aptly, the lack thereof. Black Noir died in season 3 of the show, with his replacement, Black Noir II, being killed by The Deep in The Boys season 5, episode 6. This meant that the comic book twist of Noir being a Homelander clone, who framed the latter for his worst crimes, wasn’t part of the show. At least, not as it was in the comic books.

The Boys season 5 had its own version of this Black Noir twist via the character of Ryan. Ryan, Homelander’s son, appeared at the beginning of the episode when his father tried to woo him over to his side one last time. Homelander told Ryan, “I am you. And you’re me.” This, added to Ryan’s powerset being exactly like Homelander’s, makes him essentially a clone of his father, just not in the same way Noir was.

Ryan, as one of the few The Boys characters who survived to the end, then appeared at the White House to help Butcher take down Homelander, putting a twist on the comic book showdown; two “Homelanders” and Butcher battled it out in both mediums. However, due to the broader comic book changes in Prime Video’s adaptation, Ryan did not exactly take the place of Black Noir.

Ryan Took The Role Of Homelander From The Boys Comics, Not Black Noir

Instead of Ryan, Homelander’s “clone,” being revealed as the true villain of the show, the Supe played a different role. Homelander was never going to be revealed as a secret victim in The Boys, as Eric Kripke, the showrunner himself, has revealed. Nonetheless, this is the route the comics took, with Black Noir revealing himself as the perpetrator behind Becca’s sexual assault, among many other Homelander crimes.

Homelander and Butcher then somewhat teamed up against Noir. Noir killed Homelander in the duel, but not before the latter weakened the former enough for Butcher to stab him with a crowbar, splitting his skull open. The Boys season 5’s finale had this majorly gruesome death, only with Butcher jamming open Homelander’s head with his signature weapon. As a result, Ryan played more of Homelander’s role from the comics, rather than Black Noir’s, at least in a physical, literal sense.

The character arcs and moments are all very different in The Boys season 5, but Ryan’s appearance as the “second Homelander” allowed the real one to be weakened, with the help of Kimiko, so that Butcher could kill him. Yes, Ryan is The Boys‘ TV version of Homelander’s clone, aka Black Noir, but Antony Starr’s character remained the villain throughout, with Ryan serving as the wildcard that led to his death.

Ryan’s Role In The Boys Season 5 Was Deeper Than First Thought

In the comics, it was Black Noir’s reveal as a Homelander clone that played a part in Butcher vowing to wipe out all Supes. The Boys, by having Ryan as a version of Homelander’s clone, essentially did the same thing. After the fight was won, Ryan told Butcher that he only helped as it was the right thing to do, given Homelander’s evil core. He insisted that this did not make Butcher a good person and that he wanted nothing to do with him.

This, among other things, tipped Butcher over the edge, leading him to try to unleash the Supe Virus before being stopped by Hughie. In this sense, Ryan filled the role of pushing Butcher into his endgame. Therefore, although there were a series of twists and turns along the way and some big character changes, Ryan’s vital story in The Boys season 5’s finale allowed many elements of the comic books’ Black Noir twist to be adapted after all, only in a much different way than what was initially expected.

Release Date

2019 – 2026-00-00

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

Writers

Eric Kripke

Franchise(s)

The Boys