The Boys Makes Major Change to a Character’s Backstory

The Boys has revealed a major change to the backstory and origin of a key character in the series. All along, Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) closest ally and teammate has been Marvin T. Milk – aka, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso). MM’s reasons for hating “supes” has been as personal as Butcher’s – though what specific reasons he’s had for this burning revenge have remained secret – until now. The Boys‘ infamous “Herogasm” episode threw a lot at us, but amidst all the super-porn and carnage from the biggest tag-team battle the show has done, we also learn a key piece of Mother’s Milk’s origin

…And it is nothing like the comics. 

In the original The Boys comics, Mother’s Milk (who never reveals his real name) joins Butcher’s gang to get revenge on Vought. MM was raised in Harlem in a poor working-class family; his mother worked at a factory that used to be owned by Vought. When MM’s mom (and many other women) were infected by trace chemicals in the plant, it led to MM and his brother being born with Compound V in their blood. While MM was okay, his brother was left mentally disabled and eventually died from Compound V exposure. MM gained enhanced powers and a major chip on his soldier – which Butcher used in his campaign against Vought. 

The Boys TV show told us that MM’s father was obsessed about using legal means to take down Vought – a mission he kept on until dying at his desk. Additional seasons slowly opened the door on the deeper trauma that actually occurred and left MM with OCD and a broken personal life; in Season 3 it’s been revealed that it was Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) that was directly responsible for MM’s pain. 

In “Herogasm” MM confides in Starlight that he was once a happy-go-lucky Harlem kid that loved superheroes. In fact, the night Marvin saw Soldier Boy battling outside his window he was so overjoyed he woke up his grandfather to see the hero in action. Soldier Boy carelessly threw a car through Marvin’s home, killing his grandfather instantly. Because he felt responsible for his grandfather’s death, Marvin became traumatized and his OCD started. Marvin’s father couldn’t let the matter go and started down the rabbit hole of seeking justice he never got. 

The Boys TV series continues to elevate aspects of the more depraved and irreverent comic that started it. This was a great spotlight for Laz Alonso, that makes Mother’s Milk a much more rich and complex character to watch. 

The Boys Season 3 is streaming on Prime Video.