The Boys: Homelander’s Son Ryan Replaces Black Noir’s Comic Book Twist

Caution: Spoilers ahead for The Boys‘ season 2 finale

Could Homelander’s son take Black Noir’s comic book role in The Boys? From Stormfront to the Church of the Collective, The Boys season 2 has introduced a generous helping of new faces into Amazon’s messed up superhero series, but the surprise package is Ryan, the son of Homelander and Becca Butcher. Given how morally absent Homelander is and Ryan’s ominous red eyes in The Boys‘ season 1 finale, viewers were unsure what to expect from the character in season 2. Instead of a ruthlessly annoying little turd following in his father’s footsteps, however, Ryan turned out to be sweet kid making home movies with LEGO and enjoying his school work. And that made the moment Ryan accidentally killed his own mother all the more devastating.

Amazon’s The Boys has roughly followed the comic books by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, but season 2 confirmed that the show would not follow the original ending. In the comics, Black Noir is revealed to be a clone of Homelander, created by Vought as a contingency plan in case their top supe ever lost control. The later issues show that Black Noir was behind most of Homelander’s crimes from the very beginning, including the rape of Becca, and The Boys make a dramatic final stand against the unmasked Noir. During the infamous “Almond Joy” scene, The Boys confirms that Noir is actually black, which rules out his Homelander clone twist. Given the development of Becca’s story on TV, the chances of Noir being the true rapist were already incredibly low, but the slight lifting of Black Noir’s mask laid the issue to rest.

However, The Boys‘ season 2 finale teases how Black Noir’s role in the comics could be filled by Ryan Butcher in the TV series. During Billy Butcher’s tense lunch with Stan Edgar, the pair acknowledge Ryan as the only possible weapon the world could rely on if Homelander ever went off the rails completely. The finale concludes with Ryan being taken into protective custody by Mallory and, once again, the audience is reminded that Ryan’s strength provides a future contingency against his father. Ryan’s powers suggest as much too. Back when Homelander and Stormfront first began “flirting,” the Nazi villain allowed her new boyfriend to laser her chest, promising she wouldn’t “break easy.” It’s no coincidence that Ryan, despite not having control of his powers, manages to cut through Stormfront like a warm slab of butter.

Where Black Noir was the anti-Homelander weapon in The Boys‘ original comic series, Ryan is serving that role in live-action, which makes sense, as Becca’s son died during childbirth in the source material. Replacing Homelander’s clone with Homelander’s son feels like an appropriate change to Ennis’ story, but does this mean Ryan could take the same villainous path?

The Boys has repeatedly driven home how Homelander’s unloving childhood turned him into a villain. This is something Becca was deeply afraid of, and one of the main reasons she was desperate to keep her son close by. Ryan now finds himself at the mercy of the U.S. care system, and while Mallory will no doubt ensure his safety, can being raised by foster parents prevent the tsunami of guilt, grief and anger young Ryan will no doubt feel after being forced into butchering his mother? In the comic books, Black Noir became unstable because he was sick of waiting for the order to kill Homelander and took matters into his own hands. Instead, Ryan could be corrupted by his uncontrollable emotions and a hefty dose of PTSD. The result would be the same – a very angry, very powerful supe going on a rampage.

An out of control Ryan would be a fun twist in the ongoing saga of Billy Butcher. Having previously been a dedicated hater of all supes, Butcher overcame his rage in The Boys season 2 and accepted Ryan, defending him from Homelander and upholding the dying wish of his late wife. If Butcher were forced to fight Ryan in a future season of The Boys, the emotional conflict would be devastating for him… but fascinating to watch nonetheless.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3624 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

See also  How To Complete The Augment Technocrat's Iron in Destiny 2

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

More From Craig Elvy