Welcome back, Black Noir. The mysterious member of The Seven is glimpsed briefly in the first trailer for The Boys season 4 despite seemingly being killed off – and it’s got some comic book fans worried that the Prime Video series will copy the comic’s divisive identity reveal.
MAJOR spoilers for The Boys comic – and potentially the Prime Video series – to follow. You have been warned!
In the comics, written by Garth Ennis and co-created by Darick Robertson, it is revealed that Black Noir is a clone of Homelander, essentially designed as a failsafe in case the real Homelander ever stepped out of line. He then steps up as the Big Bad of the series, framing Homelander for raping Billy Butcher’s wife Becky and committing several other heinous acts.
Understandably, Black Noir’s sudden return – as you can see below – has got fans concerned about the show going down the Homelander route.
-Black Noir is back.Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no Please no PLEASE NO PLEASE NO https://t.co/8lp4L5fh9VDecember 2, 2023
I’ve wondered about this. The original comic hinges on the Black Noir/Homelander reveal. So far the show has improved on the story by going a different direction. TV Homelander is one of the most iconic villains of the last 20 years. Going with the comic twist would ruin that BUT https://t.co/QwvdqBzwK8December 2, 2023
sad thing is… black noir might be a clone of homelander’s https://t.co/HU6iPquybNDecember 3, 2023
While The Boys has largely deviated from its source material, there are ways to work around how Black Noir – played by Nathan Mitchell in the show, including season 4 – could be a Homelander clone. His incapacitation thanks to a peanut allergy in the second season, for example, certainly paves the way for Vought to slide in a clone replacement without anyone knowing.
The plot thickens further thanks to a 2022 interview with Deadline in which show creator Eric Kripke addressed Black Noir’s death.
“Here’s what I’ll say without spoiling anything, which is that particular individual who is Black Noir is dead. His organs are out all over the place, but when you have a completely silent, completely masked-clad hero, they’re reasonably easy to recast,” Kripke said at the time.
After all, can you name a better reason for a jar of Homelander’s *ahem* hair to be lying around in The Boys season 4 trailer? We didn’t think so.
Of course, Black Noir’s history in the show would make this a little more complicated – and potentially controversial. From what the show has told us, we already know he’s a Black man called Earving who joined Soldier Boy’s Payback team. Hand-waving that all away in favor of a twist designed almost solely for shock factor just doesn't feel like the right way to go. Still, we’ll (likely) have an answer when The Boys season 4 hits our screens in 2024.
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