5 Powerful Supes That The Boys Completely Wasted

The Boys may bring Homelander and Butcher’s feud to a satisfying close, but it doesn’t do every powerful supe in the Prime Video show justice — and several of them feel completely wasted. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5. Most of the main characters in The Boys receive fitting send-offs in Season 5. The worst villains finally get much-needed comeuppance, while the show’s anti-heroes face major losses but still end up somewhere hopeful. It’s hard to complain about the biggest characters’ fates, but there are a few supporting players who deserved better before meeting their ends.

In a show like The Boys, introducing powerful supes comes with expectations. Whether they’re heroes or villains, fans hope to see their above-average abilities pay off in meaningful ways. It’s disappointing when this doesn’t happen. These five supes never reach their full potential, with the show either killing them off before they do anything memorable or underusing them despite tons of setup.

5) Cindy

Cindy is introduced in The Boys Season 2, and the powerful telekinetic makes a comeback in the show’s last two outings. She’s capable of eviscerating other humans with a single hand movement, and she can lift and crush large objects. Both make her a fearsome opponent; that’s why Starlight flees from her at the end of The Boys Season 4. Unfortunately, Season 5 fails to deliver on her potential. She’s used to contain the prisoners at Homelander’s freedom camps, and she even helps hunt down The Boys. However, she’s dispatched by Starlight fairly quickly, marking an anticlimactic end to an an underwhelming arc. Considering what Cindy is capable of, she could’ve been far better utilized.

4) Tek Knight

The Boys changes Tek Knight’s character quite a bit from the comics, and the most noticeable difference is the fact that he has powers in the show. In the source material, he uses his wealth to fund technology that allows him to operate like a supe. He’s a play on Batman and Iron Man, but the Prime Video series takes things a step further. While he clearly has wealth and influence still, he possesses powerful deduction abilities and extraordinary senses. They’re made out to be a big deal in Gen V, but he never proves as dangerous as he’s hyped up to be. And when he crosses over to The Boys, he’s still not a huge threat. He traumatizes Hughie, but he doesn’t do much of importance before being killed by his butler. Considering his power, both as a supe and thanks to his wealth, he had the chance to be a much larger antagonist.

3) Marie Moreau

Marie Moreau is another supe who makes her debut in Gen V before crossing over to The Boys, and she’s not underused in the former. As the spinoff’s lead, Marie has a compelling enough story (even if it’s cut short by Gen V‘s cancellation). Within the main show, however, Marie is absolutely wasted. Gen V establishes her as a threat on par with Homelander, especially after Season 2’s revelations about Project Odessa and her healing abilities. With one perplexing comment from Starlight, it undoes all that setup though. And the series barely features her during its final season, which feels like a waste. Even if The Boys didn’t want to overdo Marie’s impact on the final conflict, she should’ve been involved in it. Her blood manipulation powers would’ve gone a long way in helping Butcher and Kimiko.

2) Sister Sage

Sister Sage isn’t wasted narratively, as she’s an instrumental part of installing Homelander as a shadow president at the end of The Boys Season 4. However, given Sage’s ability — she’s supposed to be the smartest and most strategic supe on Earth — she’s not explored with as much depth as she should be. This becomes especially exasperating throughout The Boys Season 5, which flails when it comes to portraying her. She’s all over the board before finally sacrificing her powers to test Kimiko’s, then heading off to Universal Studios. We’re meant to believe it’s what she wanted, but the show doesn’t give a clear or consistent picture of her goals over time. Considering her ability, it could’ve done something way more interesting with Sage. She’s set up to be a far more meticulous villain, and if The Boys wanted to go back on that, it needed to build to it properly.

1) Ryan

Like Sage, Ryan plays a significant role in The Boys right up until the end — but his story is still underwhelming compared to his power level. Early seasons of The Boys set Homelander’s son up as something truly special. He’s a naturally born supe who could surpass his father in terms of power. Sadly, none of that setup is adequately paid off. His natural abilities don’t factor into the story in any meaningful way, and we only see him use his powers a handful of times. Those glimpses see him doing major damage to Stormfront and even making his father bleed. It’s clear Ryan could be immensely strong, but we never see him reach the heights he could. The end of The Boys Season 5 suggests he never will. It’s nice to see Ryan find some peace with M.M., but The Boys could have given him more time to shine beforehand.

Which supe do you think was the most wasted in The Boys? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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