Amazon’s The Boys may be famous for its over-the-top gore and graphic content, but one thing that makes it stand out the most is its in-your-face parodies of famed comic book superheroes. The entire premise of the highly popular TV series is powered by making fun of pop culture icons, especially mainstream superheroes.

The Boys may be hard to watch, but it’s a clever and realistic take on what it would be if superheroes existed in real life. Unlike the neat, linear narratives that populate Marvel and DC stories, The Boys proves that even “heroism” has the tendency to be politicized and can be turned into a successful corporate business. With this in mind, it makes sense why the show draws inspiration from popular comic book superheroes to power its mostly disturbed characters.

10A-Train Is Far More Arrogant Than The Flash

Flash has almost always attained and lived up to his “fastest man alive” tag. While The Boys’ A-Train is a clear counterpart of the former, he is nowhere near the supremacy of the Flash’s powers. A-Train is introduced as an arrogant and slightly insecure member of The Seven whose only selling point is his speed and the fact that it’s a power that’s more worthy in terms of usability. His speed might have been the only thing that has kept A-Train out of trouble; other than that, he has no quality that can put him next to Flash.

He’s a complete train wreck in the show, from being a drug addict to murdering people without remorse. Besides the nature of their powers, there’s nothing worth comparing between A-Train and Flash because the latter is a celebrated superhero in his universe who used his powers to save the world countless times. On the other hand, A-Train even has a hard time admitting that all supes, including him, are nothing but Vought’s puppets and moneymaking machines.

Black Noir Is an Exaggeration of The Dark Knight

If it weren’t for his black suit, no talking, and beating people in the dark, it would almost be criminal to say that Black Noir is like Batman. Of course, the character is a dreadful version of the famous Bat Warrior, but that’s exactly what the show’s aim is. Almost all the characters are opposite and disturbingly “humane” versions of these superheroes. Black Noir’s only selling point as Batman that’s painfully exaggerated is the fact that he uses virtually no words and remains in the shadows.

Otherwise, he doesn’t have the billionaire swag or even a third of Batman’s brain to live up to the moniker. The similarity that the show focuses on is Black Noir’s willingness to get his hands dirty more than those in the spotlight, just like Batman does so that the team stays afloat. Vought’s sturdy ninja also suffers from a past trauma that has fueled his current predicament, and that’s something Batman can definitely relate to.

8The Deep Is The Complete Opposite of Aquaman

The Deep is a hilarious in-your-face parody of DC’s Aquaman (and therefore also Marvel’s Namor), who wouldn’t be caught dead with the likes of Deep even if they were related. The Boys’ aquatic hero is nothing like the bulky and free-spirited King of Atlantis, who has more charisma than the entire cast combined. For obvious reasons, Deep has been parodied into everything that Aquaman does not stand for. Despite sharing their powers that are related to the sea, especially when talking to “fish,” the two superheroes couldn’t be more opposite.

Deep is insecure, suffers from an insane inferiority complex, and pretty much has the intelligence of a 10-year-old. Whereas Arthur Curry not only exceeds him in power but is also a figure worth looking up to. The show has obviously ridiculed Aquaman’s power to communicate with marine life with Deep’s disturbing relationship with a particular octopus. However, the show does highlight the realistic problems a hero with such powers could face, especially when they’re divided between the land and the sea.

7Stormfront Is Much More Insidious Than Storm

Parodies
Shazam (DC) / Storm (Marvel)

First Appearance
Season 2, Episode 1: “The Big Ride”

Actor
Aya Cash

Stormfront might be the most controversial character in The Boys, which means that she was a great villain. The thing with Stormfront’s parody is that it goes beyond just similarities between powers or costumes. For the most part, she definitely seems like a racially inaccurate version of Storm from X-Men, but her powers and costume are more like DC’s Shazam. However, none of these superheroes had Stormfront’s sinister goals and her menacing aura.

Stormfront was a Nazi before she was turned into the world’s first superhero using Compound V, which also depicts the obsession with such goals that almost all parties involved in the war used to have. Her character is also symbolic of the idea of what would have happened if someone not like Steve Rogers had been given the serum. Not only does Stormfront receive killer lightning powers, but her white supremacist agenda and discriminative capabilities are also enhanced.

6Kimiko Is A Toned Version of Wolverine

Parodies
Wolverine (Marvel)

First Appearance
Season 1, Episode 4: “The Female of the Species”

Actor
Karen Fukuhara

While there’s no comparison of the iconic metal-clawed X-Men hero, The Boys’ parody of the character comes close to being an entertaining and less feral version of the hero. Kimiko no doubt feels like a less hairy and “clawed” version of Wolverine, but there are definitely similarities between them in terms of their traumatic past and powers. Like Logan, Kimiko was experimented on and carries a darkness that’s triggered when her past crops up. Besides the obvious lack of adamantium claws, Kimiko has the same killer instinct as Wolverine, including super-fat healing, strength, and stamina.

She’s also the “muscle” of the group and is often on the frontlines, taking the heat like Logan does for the X-Men. Kimiko’s character may not be as complex or emotionally detached as Wolverine’s, but she’s definitely a very controlled yet appreciable version of the clawed hero who is often caught in gruesome fights and tragedies. The funniest aspect of Wolverine’s parody is Kimiko’s healing ability, which is often brutally exaggerated.

5Queen Maeve Is as Charismatic as Wonder Woman

Parodies
Wonder Woman (DC)

First Appearance
Season 1, Episode 1: “The Name of the Game”

Actor
Dominique McElligott

Queen Maeve is a criminally underrated character and perhaps the only one who had a moral compass that wasn’t broken. If her outfit wasn’t obvious enough, Maeve is clearly the parody of DC’s most popular female superhero, Wonder Woman. Surprisingly, Maeve isn’t a dark version of Wonder Woman like Homelander; instead, she feels like a more “human” touch to the original character. Like Wonder Woman, she’s the moral voice of The Seven who isn’t afraid to take a stand when it matters.

Despite being bullied by Homelander, Maeve trusted her powers and did the right thing, standing against him in the end like Wonder Woman would have. The two characters have almost similar powers, except Maeve doesn’t have Wonder Woman’s mythological background or her demi-god status. It’s safe to say that Queen Maeve is a pretty likeable parody of WW but with a depressed aura that’s mostly because of male toxicity and patriarchal oppression in her world.

4Soldier Boy Depicts The Dark Side of Marvel’s Captain America

Parodies
Captain America (Marvel)

First Appearance
Season 3, Episode 1: “Payback”

Actor
Jensen Ackles

Captain America is god’s righteous man and a symbol of hope, heroism, and all things good for mankind — at least, that’s what it’s like in the MCU. However, over here at The Boys, the more god-like status a superhero has, the more unstable and morally corrupt they become. So, before Homelander ruled the skies, there was the electrifying and charismatic Soldier Boy, who was the public’s golden boy and a celebrated WWII hero. From his costume to the shield, Soldier Boy is a complete copy of Captain America, except without his heightened sense of morality and righteousness.

Like Rogers, Soldier Boy was also the world’s first super soldier and was initially designed for the public eye rather than a real soldier to fight in battles. The two heroes also draw parallels in their use of the shield, strength, and the fact that they were both frozen for decades and came out in the perplexing modern world. Soldier Boy may have all of Cap’s powers and costumes, but he definitely didn’t respond well to his revival.

3Starlight Is Loosely Based on DC’s Stargirl

Parodies
Stargirl (DC)

First Appearance
Season 1, Episode 1: “The Name of the Game”

Actor
Erin Moriarty

Like her moniker suggests, Annie January is the only light in The Boys’ otherwise murky pool of morally questionable characters. Despite her character drawing similarities costume and powers-wise from DC’s Stargirl, Starlight’s character is by far the least satirical one. While most superhero characters on the show have obvious traits matching with iconic superheroes, Starlight is more like a character of her own. Her development from a naive supe to a strong, independent woman is commendable, especially from an aspect where Annie wants to be a human symbol rather than a superhero one.

She’s the classic “righteous” hero character who dilutes the violence and brutality around her despite being flawed. It’s safe to say that Starlight is the show’s character who is focused on in terms of both personality and power progression. Annie has come a long way from draining just light bulbs to flying and giving Soldier Boy a run for his money.

2Billy Butcher Is A Quirkier Parody Of The Punisher

Besides Homelander, Billy Butcher is definitely one of the best things about the show. His gritty attitude, dry humor, and insulting puns are to die for. This foul-mouth crusader has no powers (initially), but he has an unforgivable resemblance to Marvel’s Punisher. Both characters used to have normal lives besides being ex-forces but were plunged into the world of darkness because of injustice and the death of their loved ones. Butcher descended a vengeful path that consumed him because of Homelander, and he developed an insatiable hunger to kill all superheroes.

Just like the Punisher, Billy was unable to stop himself from digging deep and uncovering the cracks in the system, but at the expense of his own humanity. Billy may be the heart and soul of the show, but he’s no righteous man, considering he would go to any length to achieve his goal. Billy Butcher is the face of the kind of justice that evil people like Homelander deserve.

1Homelander Is the Chaotic Version of Superman

Homelander, the main character of The Boys, is a clear parody of DC’s Superman, but he doesn’t have an ounce of the heroism and kindness that Superman has. It’s safe to say that Homelander represents everything that can go wrong with a hero like Superman if he weren’t raised by good parents and on a secluded farm.

Unlike everyone’s favorite red cape hero, Homelander was carefully engineered into who he is, including being compliant with Vought’s propaganda. The Boys’ golden boy can fly and shoot lasers and has super strength and speed. On top of that, he can’t even be killed with a Kryptonite. However, the only thing that can bring him down is his need for approval and love, which is the only thing that keeps him from annihilating the world — yet.