The Boys Showrunner Explains Why Several Major Comic Characters Were Left Out of Season 1

Amazon's The Boys may be based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, but for all of the things the series adapted from page to screen, fans may have noticed there were some things that weren't quite the same. Most notably, not every major character from the comics appeared in the show's first season, particularly Billy's dog, Terror. Now, showrunner Erik Kripke explains why: animals are hard to work with.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Kripke broke down various choices with The Boys, including the one to not include Terror.

"The reason Terror doesn't have a larger role this season is the most boring and practical one, which is it's so f—ing hard to work with animals," Kripke says. "We have such an unbelievably challenging show anyway that I was just too intimidated by the idea of having an animal who doesn't listen to directors and doesn't care about your stunt or pyrotechnic and your CG or your green screen, just doesn't give a sh— about any of it."

Terror does have a brief appearance in Season 1, in the background of a flashback scene including Billy and his wife, Becca, and there will be a bit more of him in Season 2, but Terror isn't the only character who doesn't really appear in The Boys season one. Neither does the play on Martian Manhunter, Jack From Jupiter. In comics Jack From Jupiter is a member of the Seven, but in the show, he's replaced by Translucent though his absence comes not from complications in how to portray him, but in the "rules" the show lives by.

"No gods from mythology, no aliens from other planets," Kripke says. "It's only humans who suddenly found themselves with these extraordinary abilities."

The Boys is executive produced by Seth Rogen and Eric Kripke. It stars Karl Urban and Jack Quaid in the lead roles of "The Boys" leader Billy Butcher and new recruit Hughie Campbell (respectively). Also in the ensemble cast are Jennifer Esposito (The Affair), Elisabeth Shue (CSI), Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad) Anthony Starr (Banshee), Dominique McElligott (Hell On Wheels), Jesse Usher (Independence Day: Resurgence), Chance Crawford (Gossip Girl), Laz Alonso (Fast & Furious), Tomer Kapon, Nathan Mitchell, and Erin Moriarty (Jessica Jones).

The Boys is available on Amazon Prime now.