10 The Boys Characters You Didn’t Realize Were Making Fun of Marvel

Prime Video series The Boys doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to goofing on Marvel superheroes. While the comic book the show is based on made fun of Marvel and DC equally, the streaming series skews more toward the Marvel side of things. The Boys is chock-full of supes that bear more than a striking resemblance to characters appearing in Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But while some of The Boys‘ parodies are easy to figure out — everyone knows Soldier Boy is just a foul-mouthed Captain America — others aren’t as obvious.

The Boys features some supes that feel like parodies of more than one character, while others have names that call to mind one hero, and powers that resemble another. Then there are those like Season 4’s Sister Sage that represent a superhero archetype rather than a specific character. We put on our detective hats and went to work figuring out which supes were secretly having a laugh at Marvel’s expense. The result is our list of 10 The Boys characters you didn’t realize were making fun of Marvel.

1) Blindspot is a Spot-on Satire of Daredevil

Physically, Blindspot doesn’t resemble the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen in the slightest, but as a blind character with enhanced hearing and olympian-level agility, there’s really no one else he could be based on. In true The Boys fashion, Blindspot was a one-joke character used to show what would happen if Daredevil went up against a Superman-level threat.

All it took was a blow to the ears from Homelander to incapacitate the fake Man Without Fear, proving once and for all that Daredevil should stick to street-level crime.

2) A-Train is Just Quicksilver Under a Different Name

At first glance, it might look like A-Train is a parody of DC’s The Flash, but if you look closely, you will see that the character is much closer to Marvel’s mutant speedster Quicksilver. For one thing, both Quicksilver and A-Train started out as villains before switching sides. Quicksilver began his career as a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before coming to his senses and joining the Avengers.

Meanwhile, after years spent doing Homelander’s bidding, A-Train finally grew a conscience in The Boys Season 4 and started acting as a double agent for Billy Butcher and crew. If you need more proof that A-Train is ripping off Quicksilver and not The Flash, just look at his outfit. A-Train’s costume is a cool blue, just like a certain Marvel runner, further suggesting that Magneto’s baby boy was indeed the inspiration.

3) Eagle the Archer Shares a Fashion Sense With MCU Hawkeye

We’ll cut right to the chase, Eagle the Archer looks like the Spirit Halloween version of the MCU’s Hawkeye. Similar colors, similar texture, but just different enough that Amazon won’t get sued. While some fans still think of the character as a Green Arrow analog, we would like to point out that his name, “Eagle,” is very close to “Hawk” and that the comic book iteration of the character even wore a bird mask. If this religious superhero parody is making fun of anyone, it’s Marvel’s own Clint Barton.

4) Termite Took an Ant-Man Meme and Made it Into A Stomach-Churning Gag

Sometimes, even The Boys can go too far. Case in point, their Ant-Man parody, Termite. If you frequented the internet around the time Avengers: Endgame was coming out, then chances are you saw the meme about Ant-Man defeating Thanos by shrinking down and, um, traveling up the Mad Titan’s colon. We know someone at The Boys definitely saw it.

For the Season 3 premiere, the show introduced Termite — a character that can shrink down to microscopic size, ala Ant-Man — and had him travel inside another character via that character’s, er, front door, before accidentally enlarging himself. The result was one of the most grotesque gags the show has ever pulled off. Technically, however, it did show that the Ant-Man/Thanos thing is a viable combat strategy.

5) Firecracker is the Alt-Right Jubilee

When it comes to The Boys, many times the writers prioritize political satire over superheroes. As a result it can be easy to forget that Season 4’s Firecracker isn’t just poking fun at certain right-wing pundits but also one of the most underrated X-Men, Jubilee. When Firecracker shows off her ability to generate sparks from her fingers it’s described by other supes as “lackluster.” This mirrors Jubilee’s ability to shoot what fans dismissed for years as “fireworks” from her fingers.

While Jubilee’s powers eventually matured and became quite formidable, it’s unlikely that Firecracker will get the same glow-up anytime soon.

6) Black Noir Took His Cues From the Marvel Comics Version of G.I. Joe Ninja, Snake Eyes

A lot of fans think Black Noir is supposed to be Batman to Homelander’s Superman, but in actuality, the character has much more in common with Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. From his all black costume to his use of a katana to the fact that he never speaks, Black Noir is Snake Eyes in everything but name.

But wait, since when is G.I. Joe a Marvel property? Technically, it’s not, but it was Marvel that asked editor Larry Hama to create Snake Eyes and the other Joes for Hasbro. Hama continued developing the character — including the parts Black Noir borrowed — during his run on Marvel’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic from 1982-1994. As far as we’re concerned, that’s Marvel enough to earn Black Noir a place on this list.

7) Lamplighter’s Whole Portrayal Pokes Fun At The X-Men Films

Lamplighter’s power is pyrokinesis. He can control fire with his mind, but he can’t create it, nor is he immune to it. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the exact same powerset as evil Marvel mutant Pyro. So, who does The Boys cast to play the lamplighter? None other than Shawn Ashmore, AKA Bobby Drake/Iceman from the Fox X-Men franchise.

In one of the best stunt-casting bits of all time, the show got an actor famous for playing an ice-based superhero to play a hero with fire powers based on that ice-hero’s arch nemesis. It’s a joke with layers that hits especially hard if you grew up with the Hugh Jackman X-Men movies.

8) Kimiko’s Berserker Rage Reminds Us of Wolverine

Kimiko, also known as “The Female,” may not look much like a gender-swapped Wolverine, but she definitely acts like it. Her bloodlust and penchant for flying into violent frenzy are right out of the Wolverine playbook, along with her enhanced healing factor. After years of being locked up and subject to cruel experimentation, both characters developed a savage nature that almost crosses the line from human to animal.

In Season 3 Kimiko even lost and later regained her healing powers, something that has happened to Wolverine several times in the comics. At this point, even Logan himself would admit that, like him, Kimiko is the best there is at what she does.

9) Crimson Countess is Two Marvel Heroes Rolled Into One

This one isn’t as cut and dry as it appears. While Crimson Countess is an obvious satire of Marvel’s Scarlet Witch, The Boys writers threw in a bit of lesser-known mutant Firestar for good measure. As a result, Crimson Countess is one of the few Vought-made supes parodying more than one Marvel character. The Countess’s red cape and colorful name scream “Wanda Maximoff” but her mask and fire-based powers are much more reminiscent of the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends character Firestar.

10) Starlight Takes Her Cues From Dazzler

Starlight is proof that even The Boys‘ more serious supes are still mocking other heroes. While Starlight isn’t a joke character, per se, she still takes all her cues from Marvel’s Dazzler. Like the mutant pop idol, Starlight converts ambient energy into light. The only difference is that Starlight’s powers are fueled by electricity while Dazzler uses sound.

Like Dazzler, Starlight is also an accomplished singer and uses her light powers to amplify her act. Also like Marvel’s Disco-inspired superheroine, Starlight gets drawn into a war being fought by her significant other. In Dazzler’s case, it was the X-Men member Longshot and a revolution in his home dimension, the Mojoverse. For Starlight, it’s Hughie and the rest of The Boys’ fight against Vought and The Seven. Basically, Starlight is Dazzler if she were born in the dark, dystopia of The Boys universe instead of the relatively light-hearted Marvel 616.