The Boys: Liberty’s Real Identity & History Explained

Warning: SPOILERS for The Boys Season 2, Episode 4

The Boys season 2 revealed a twist to the story of a former Supe known as Liberty, as its now been revealed that she is Stormfront (Aya Cash). The second season of Amazon Prime Video’s hit superhero satire show is already at the halfway point of the story. The first four episodes have brought The Boys back together, put Homelander on a path to shake up The Seven, and introduces a new foe for everyone else in Stormfront.

The multiple storylines in season 2 have also so far included a number of teases of what could come in the future. The Boys already referenced Soldier Boy ahead of Jensen Ackles playing him in season 3, but this is just one of many new Supes that the show has introduced this season. The first few episodes included several new powered people and multiple teases of one known as Liberty. It wasn’t clear how the former Supe factored into The Boys‘ story, but it was clear that all of the set up was being done on purpose. Since Liberty isn’t a character from the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comics the show is based on, this left viewers to speculate about who Liberty might be.

Thanks to the fourth episode of The Boys, Liberty’s true identity and past has been revealed. The show confirmed that Liberty is the monicker that Stormfront previously used. This twist not only is sure to be a surprise to some viewers but to the show’s characters too. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Starlight (Erin Moriarty), and M.M. (Laz Alonso) were responsible for discovering the truth behind Liberty and Stormfront’s connection, and here’s an explanation of everything we know about how this transformation happened – and what it could mean for season 2 of The Boys moving forward.

Liberty’s Super History Explained

Liberty is described early on in The Boys season 2 as an old Supe by Grace Mallory, and just how far back her hero days went were illustrated by an old piece of Budweiser advertising. She was also featured on a poster in the present day as the face of Vought’s feminine products, with the ad for sale in a section of a store marked for “Classic Heroes.” While Mallory didn’t know for sure how Liberty played a role in the current super terrorist plot, she did find an address in Raleigh, North Carolina that gave The Boys and Starlight an answer.

Hughie, M.M. and Starlight learn about Stormfront’s days as Liberty from Valerie, although the story they hear is far from what they expected. Valerie explained that she and her brother Myron encountered Liberty 48 years ago in 1971. Liberty stopped the car in the middle of the street and pulled Myron out of the vehicle. She claimed that the car was involved in a robbery, which wasn’t true, and began beating Myron to try and get him to confess. Since he didn’t comply, Liberty killed him and said she’s a hero because she kills black people. Valerie wasn’t harmed during the event and tried to get her parents to tell the police about what Liberty did. They thought it was pointless to have a black girl accuse a white superhero of murder. Vought eventually came to their house and offered the family $2,000 to keep quiet about what happened that night.

It isn’t known what happened to Liberty immediately following this incident, but she didn’t immediately retire. Hughie says that she was last seen in 1979 and the assumption is that she grew old and stopped suiting up. Her public image clearly didn’t take a hit though, as Liberty merchandise is still being sold nearly 50 years later. Vought managed to successfully cover up the murder of Myron and any other racially-motivated killings that Liberty did during this time.

Why Liberty Is Now Known As Stormfront

Since Liberty’s brand doesn’t appear to have been damaged by what she did, the decision to become Stormfront might not have been necessary. However, Stormfront alludes to the state of the world as the reason why she’s changed. During a conversation with Homelander in the episode, she mentions that she had to “change with the times” and target a smaller but passionately angry audience through social media. But, viewers know that Stormfront was a racist even when she was known as Liberty. If she simply returned as Liberty and tried the same tactics, the public might not take as strongly to her, especially if she stood for other ideals back in the day. Now, Stormfront can be an outspoken and powerful new hero for people to rally behind. The re-brand gives her a clean slate to execute her plans.

Why Stormfront Hasn’t Aged

Stormfront’s past as Liberty raises several questions, but one of the first to come up in the show is how Stormfront still looks so young if she was already a young hero in the 1970s. The Boys stops short of confirming exactly what preserved Stormfront’s age, but the working theory is that its a result of Compound V. The drug has so far given people all sorts of powers, but viewers have yet to see any have slowed aging. Compound V already gave Stormfront electrical powers and the usual collection of enhanced strength, durability, etc. that Supes have, so its possible that it also is responsible for her lack of aging. If Compound V isn’t the explanation for Stormfront’s age, another possible explanation could be that she was frozen or preserved in some fashion after 1979 and has only now returned.

What The Stormfront/Liberty Twist Means For Season 2

Now that The Boys has revealed Stormfront’s past as Liberty, the fallout of the reveal is something that should be central to the rest of the season. As it currently stands, only two members of The Boys and one member of The Seven know about Stormfront’s past, other than herself, obviously. The next few episodes could see the truth about Stormfront continue to spread, as Hughie and M.M. tell Billy, Frenchie, Kimiko, and Grace. Meanwhile, Starlight could potentially reveal the truth about her to another member of The Seven, such as Queen Maeve.

In the longterm, Stormfront being a rebrand of Liberty could be a sign of Vought planning to use aspects of their past to reshape the company and The Seven to more closely resemble the ideals of a company with Nazi ties to its origin. After all, Vought’s CEO Stan Edgar was the one who appointed Stormfront to be a new member of The Seven and his knowledge of Vought’s past could mean that he knows about Stormfront’s past too. In any case, the rest of The Boys season 2 will hopefully provide more answers and insights to Stormfront’s history as Liberty.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
(5616 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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