The Boys has always been inspired by real-life events – but the newest season took it to another level!
The Boys is not like other superhero series – it’s more like a political satire than a regular action show. It tells the story of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his team as they try to take down Homelander (Antony Starr), a "hero" who resembles Donald Trump more than he does Superman. The show is known not only for its morally ambiguous characters and incredibly violent scenes, but also for drawing parallels to current events in the U.S. The newest season predicted things that we couldn’t even have imagined a year ago.
'Freedom Camps' And Right-wing Podcasters
Just to be clear: the show has included political commentary since its first episode. (Even if right-wing fans of the show did not seem to understand that?) Homelander has resembled Trump and Vought has mimicked big corporations since day one. However the more recent episodes depict events that are incredibly similar to real-life, as if the writers had planned them themselves.
Season 4 introduced us to Firecracker (Valorie Curry), a female supe, right-wing podcaster and Homelander’s biggest supporter. Fans speculate that she might be the Erika Kirk of the The Boys Universe.
In the latest episodes the showrunners introduced Oh-Father (Daveed Diggs), 'head pastor, president and CEO of Samaritan's Embrace Ministries'. In other words: he is the leader of a megachurch that praises Homelander during services. The show has always included megachurches in its satire, but as they become more and more popularized in the US, the parallels become more obvious.
Even The Deep (Chace Crawford) has started a new side quest as a podcaster for manosphere content – in 'Manhandled' he spouts off with comments as absurd as those of Andrew Tate and his incel friends.
@theboystv Any Deeper and we'll be journeyin' to the center of the bloody earf #TheBoys
original sound - The Boys
Some of the similarities are even more shocking: the show has its own version of ICE which forcefully deports 'illegal' immigrants to detention centers. Most of the people in these centers have no history of violence and are detained against their will.
In The Boys, Homelander uses police forces and supes to arrest his critics and send them to so-called ‘Freedom Camps’. Anyone who dares to say a word against him is punished, including Tyler The Creator and Chappell Roan. No worries, the real life versions are fine, but in the The Boys-universe they made Homelander mad and were arrested!
What makes everything even crazier: the script for season 5 was written before the US presidential election in 2024.
“God Complex” Only 48 Hours Before Release
At the beginning of April, US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated picture in which he portrays himself as… God?
He claimed that he was supposed to be a doctor, but that did little to calm his critics. Even some of his supporters turned against him. (Rape allegations aren’t important to them, but when you mock God… that’s too much!)
It’s a strange coincidence that this happened only 48 hours before the release of the episode in which Homelander decides that he’s a godlike being. Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue), his boss, mother figure and also ex-lover – yes, their relationship is very weird – appears to him in a vision and tells him her prophecy: he is a 'true God'.
Showrunner Eric Kripke had his doubts about whether these scenes would be too much. But he was proven wrong.
I am really tired and weary of the world reflecting the show. I appreciate the marketing… I just like… Can you just please give us a chance to put some absurd satire out there before you prove that it’s more realistic than we ever intended?
@polygon The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke can't outrun reality with his superhero satire. Trump's AI Jesus photo is the latest real-world headline to pre-empt an event in the show. #theboys #theboysseason5 #homelander #jesus #erickripke
original sound - Polygon - Polygon
New episodes of The Boys air every week on Amazon Prime. Let’s hope that there won’t be any more predictions that could mean a bad surprise for the future of America!
