The Boys’ fourth season has mostly concerned itself with political satire, but for all its allusions to a certain former U.S. president, Prime Video’s flagship series is still about superhero franchises. Some of the season’s best jokes have been at the expense of big studios like Marvel, while the reintroduction of heroes like Tek Knight (who first appeared in The Boys’ college spin-off, Gen V) poked fun at DC’s most stalwart IP. The latest episode of The Boys proves the series isn’t quite done with DC either, as it tackles the business practices of its parent company, Warner Bros.
The Boys’ Season 4 finale briefly calls back to the events of V52, Vought International’s take on fan conventions like Disney’s D23 and Comic Con. There, A-Train unveiled a first look at his upcoming movie, Training A-Train. A biographical sports drama with hints of The Blind Side, the film saw A-Train starring alongside Will Ferrell, of all people. For all its hokey tropes, it didn’t look too terrible, but A-Train wasn’t the biggest fan of the project, so it’s probably just as well that Vought decided to cancel it.
Episode 8 opens with word that Vought Studios is canceling the “eagerly anticipated” film, despite the fact it was finished and ready to go. “We just realized we’d make more from the write-off,” explains Vought CEO Ashley Barrett. Sound familiar?
This update includes a tweet from director Adam Bourke, who famously directed the in-universe crossover blockbuster Dawn of the Seven. “Rest assured I am doing everything in my power to convince Vought Studios to #RELEASETHEBOURKECUTAGAIN,” the statement reads. It’s a callback to The Boys’ third season (which parodied WB’s issues with Zack Snyder and Justice League) and a not-so-subtle nod the trend the studio set in motion with the cancellation of Batgirl.
It’s only been two years since Warner Bros. shelved its nearly-complete film Batgirl, which starred Leslie Grace and saw Michael Keaton reprise his role as the Caped Crusader. The studio, according to Variety, initially cited a need to release films that were on “a blockbuster scale,” while Batgirl had been set to premiere exclusively on Max. Variety’s sources also claimed the tax write-down the movie would generate was worth more than the cost of promoting and releasing the film. Whatever the reason, canceling Batgirl has since created a baffling ripple effect in the industry.
Batgirl was the first of several projects canceled before seeing the light of day. WB repeated the practice with another anticipated film, Coyote vs. Acme, while also pulling some of its Max-exclusive projects — like Westworld and Generation — from the streamer. Now those shows can only be found on physical media or ad-supported services like Tubi. Such decisions make the future of storytelling look bleak, so it makes sense for The Boys to address it. It may not get much screentime, but the series is determined to get its licks in wherever it can, and this brief call-out may be one of its best yet.
