The first three episodes of The Boys season three have arrived on Amazon Prime Video and with it major paradigm shifts for the characters. The FBSA (Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs) is fully running and Starlight is now a co-captain of The Seven, plus Homelander is…more unhinged than ever. All that in mind, the series has managed to become even closer to the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comics than ever. It’s not that the series was never similar, but certain things that are taking place, and even gotten namedropped, have the distinct flavor and feeling that came from the comics. Let’s break it down below.
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For starters, The Boys as a group is actually working within the framework of the government, officially sanctioned by the FBSA. We not only see Billy leading his team in a reconnaissance mission but also getting approval to carry out a hit on one of the supes. The big difference here is Hughie has some authority over Butcher, and The Boys were working as a team for the CIA in the pages of the comics. The biggest similarity in the series currently and the comics however is where The Boys are working out of, the flat iron building, their base of operations for nearly the entire comic series.
The other big change to the show that largely connects it to the source material is Butcher’s usage of Compound V. Though the TV series has him taking doses of a “Temp V,” which only gives him powers for 24 hours, it’s somewhat in line with the characters in the comics who all have doses of Compound V. Though none of The Boys have powers in the comics, they have just enough V in their system to take some punishment and to dish it out to the supes. As we saw in the Butcher vs Gunpowder fight, that playing field has been leveled in the show.
A handful of other inclusions and moments in the new episodes have direct ties to the comics as well, like Jim Beaver’s Senator Bob Singer now being nicknamed “Dakota Bob,” the name for the United States President in the Comic Series. There’s also the inclusion of Red River in the series. Though the TV show makes it a supe-orphanage for youngsters with powers, the comic series used Red River as a parody of US military contractor Black Water. Finally there’s a key moment in the flashback episode where the young Stan Edgar reveals that back in the 1980s Vought International was known as “Vought American,” exactly the company name from the comic series.
Five episodes of The Boys remain in season three with new episodes debuting Fridays on Amazon Prime Video. The series seems poised to bring in even more from the comics, but if you find yourself antsy while waiting you can watch the animated series which actually features an episode that’s canon with the comics.
