The Boys Explained – The Beginnings of the Anti-Super Team
Where did these violent vigilantes hell-bent on destroying Vought’s supes come from? This is The Boys explained.
The often gross, always violent, and delightfully crude stories of a superpowered CIA squad known internally as The Boys. The group puts the superheroes of their world – who are corrupted by fame and power – back in their respective places.
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Billy Butcher Leads The Boys
Butcher comes from a broken home in London’s East End – his father was physically abusive. His father’s violence carried into Billy’s school life, where he routinely got into fights with students and teachers alike. When he could leave home, he fought in the Falklands War with the Royal Marines, where he wiped out a foxhole of Argentine troops single-handedly. Butcher’s bloodlust was an inescapable part of him after the battle. He was kicked out of the Marines after too many bar fights, and he became a miserable alcoholic.
Butcher’s life took an upturn with he met Becky Saunders, a social worker. She was able to help him quell his temper, get off the drink, and confront his past. The pair lived an everyday life until Becky was sexually assaulted by a supe, which ultimately resulted in her death. His crusade against supes and Vought International is retribution for what was done to her.
He hooks up with Greg Mallory, a CIA handler, who told him he could help him get his revenge. With Mallory’s help, Butcher built a team called The Boys to keep the supes in their place.
Powers & Abilities
Butcher is very good at manipulating people into doing what he wants them to do, which helps him lead his team into ridiculous and dangerous situations. His time in the Marines has made him a hand-to-hand combat expert and a gifted marksman. He picks up a few more when he takes Compound V, including superhuman strength and durability. His greatest strength, however, is his resolve.
Mother’s Milk
Mother’s Milk (or M.M.) keeps a low profile – not even the team knows his real name. He was born with Compound V in his blood due to contamination at the factory where his mother worked. He joined the military right out of high school. M.M. discovered his powers while pursuing a heavyweight boxing career. He was discovered by Butcher after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring.
His hatred for supes is due to his brother, who did not survive the effects of the drug. Their family pursued legal action against Vought, but it wasn’t fruitful. Teaming up with Butcher and The Boys gives him the ability to hit back at the conglomerate.
Powers & Abilities
Thanks to Compound V, M.M. has superhuman strength, agility, stamina, and durability. Outside of that, he has basic military training, and he’s got a knack for intelligence gathering and tech, which is his real value to the team.
The Frenchman
Frenchie’s stories of his past are so dramatic that they seem made up, so his history ends up being vague and mysterious. He went to war in his youth, leaving behind his sweetheart, Marie. When he returned, he had a new pacifist outlook, and his dear Marie had a new beau, his bitter enemy, Black Pierre. Unwilling to fight Pierre, even with his father egging him on, Frenchie fell into a deep depression. His father challenges Pierre in his son’s stead and ends up dying.
The Frenchman cannot handle the loss and renounces his pacifism. He becomes a wanderer who gets into brawls in and out of bar rooms to deal with his emotional pain. It’s at this point that Billy Butcher finds him – in the middle of a fight. Once on the team, he and The Female become fast friends and effective enforcers for the crew.
Powers & Abilities
Like the rest of the crew, he has superhuman strength and toughness and shares Butcher’s love of brutality. He’s managed to kill supes without using more than his fists and a blunt weapon. What sets him apart is his extremely heightened sense of smell, which may or may not be better than Terror’s (Butcher’s dog).
The Female of the Species
The Female was born in Japan. Like Mother’s Milk, she was exposed to Compound V early thanks to her mother’s employment at the Japanese equivalent of Vought. Her mother took her to work because she could not afford childcare, and the youngster crawled into a vat of chemicals. She was discovered by a scientist and held captive to study the effects of Compound V on humans. She tried to escape several times and ended up being rescued by Butcher.
Though she is selectively mute and has a distrust of men, she’s forged a close and loyal friendship with Frenchie. When she’s not working with The Boys, she moonlights as muscle for the mob.
Powers & Abilities
She has a high kill drive, a limitless capacity for violence, and superhuman strength that makes her an ideal enforcer.
Hughie Campbell
Hughie is the newest member of The Boys. He’s a conspiracy theorist whose girlfriend was accidentally killed by A-Train during a battle. Billy Butcher recruited him soon after the incident. The combination of the kid’s anger and ability to be easily manipulated made him a must-have for the brutal team leader. Over the course of the comic’s (and show’s) run, Hughie has to navigate the insanity that is superheroes along with learning to stand up for himself.
Powers & Abilities
He has a natural ability for analytical thinking and figuring out mysteries thanks to his knowledge of and belief in conspiracy theories. He’s also a natural team player and follows orders. After being injected with V against his wishes, Hughie gains super strength and toughness.
What’s Next for The Boys?
It’s been two years since Butcher and Homelander‘s tragic faceoff at the end of Season 3. Fans don’t have much longer till the next season arrives. Showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that the entire production has wrapped and is ready to hit Prime Video on June 13th. Next week, The Seven and The Boys duke it out once again, and the stakes have never been higher.
