The Boys Deaths We May Never Recover From

"The Boys" is one of the most violent, disturbing, and shocking television shows out there. Although the series has no shortage of creative death sequences, the most disturbing aspects of the show are often the ways that it mirrors our current reality. Between government corruption, the rise of fascism, media propaganda, and sexism within the entertainment industry, it's almost terrifying how many real-world issues "The Boys" has been able to address.

Even if you take your children or younger relatives to go see new installments in the Marvel and DC superhero movie franchises, you'll want to keep the kids as far away from the television as possible if you're catching up on "The Boys." The show is a searing indictment of modern popular culture's obsession with caped crusaders. It takes place in a world where many superheroes work for a powerful conglomerate called Vought International. The corporation controls a ruthless group of superheroes known as The Seven. With "The Boys" Season 4 already confirmed, here are some of the wildest and most shocking deaths from the series (so far) that fans may never recover from.

One of the most amusing aspects of "The Boys" are the references to current Marvel and DC properties. "The Boys" is fun for fans of both The Avengers and the Justice League. One of the ways that "The Boys" has lampooned these popular franchises is by bringing in actors that previously played different superheroes. Season 2 of "The Boys" saw the debut of the superhero known as Lamplighter. Lamplighter is played by Shawn Ashmore, who starred in the "X-Men" film franchise as the mutant Bobby Drake, who went by the nickname Iceman. Ironically, Lamplighter and Iceman have completely different superpowers: Lamplighter has the ability to control fire with his mind, but Iceman was able to manipulate water and ice.

Unfortunately, Ashmore did not become a recurring face on "The Boys," because he quickly meets a grizzly end. Although Lamplighter and Hughie (Jack Quaid) were able to open up to each other, Lamplighter is overwhelmed with sadness when he sees a mural of The Seven. Remarking that he only joined The Seven in order to please his father, Lamplighter is consumed by his own flames. Neither the audience nor Hughie have much time to process his death. It's a sad moment because Lamplighter is one of the few superheroes who appeared to have regrets over his misdeeds.

While some television shows take a while to find their footing, "The Boys" knew exactly what type of show it wanted to be from the very beginning. Even in the first few episodes of the series, it was clear that "The Boys" was unafraid to include extreme violent and sexual content. Even though there have been R-rated comic book movies before, the series has a habit of pushing the viewers' comfort level. The first few episodes of the show served as a perfect warning for potentially sensitive viewers: If you think what you've seen so far is too much, just wait until you see what's coming.

In the third episode, "Get Some," Hughie works with Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) to spy on the super-powered celebrity and former Teenage Kix member Popclaw (Brittany Allen). Like her boyfriend, A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), Popclaw is addicted to drugs and has little control over her superpowers. She's approached by her landlord, Aleksy Lutz (Christian Bako), who asks for her rent payment. Popclaw seduces him, and they begin engaging with each other intimately which leads to Popclaw accidentally crushing Aleksy's head. This was a case in which the viewers were able to react to the shocking moment at the same time that the characters did as Hughie, Butcher, and their allies watch from a video monitor. Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Mother's Milk aka M.M. (Laz Alonso) later use the video to blackmail Popclaw.

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If you're looking for a superhero franchise with more permanent stakes, look no further than "The Boys." The Prime Video original series is unafraid to kill off major superhero characters in the most grizzly way possible, and they rarely come back to life. At the beginning of the series, the superhero Translucent (Alex Hassell) is introduced as one of the main heroes of The Seven. He is immediately an unlikeable character. Translucent uses his ability to turn invisible so that he can creep on women, and ultimately discovers Hughie (at Butcher's prodding) has planted a bug in Vought Tower. The Supe ends up getting captured by Butcher and Hughie after he attacks Hughie at work. 

Hughie is just being introduced to the extreme ways of Butcher, Frenchie, and M.M. He's not an inherently violent person. However, rage builds up inside Hughie as Translucent attempts to manipulate him into allowing him to escape. Before Translucent can walk out the door, Hughie detonates an explosive device that was planted inside the Supe's body, killing him instantly and leaving Hughie covered in blood and slightly traumatized. 

"The Boys" forces characters to make unlikely partnerships in order to defeat their enemies. While Butcher has no love for the government, he reluctantly works with CIA Deputy Director Susan Raynor (Jennifer Esposito). Butcher asks for Susan's help, as he knows that she has the resources to protect M.M. and Hughie's families. Susan agrees to help Butcher but tells him the CIA cannot bring Homelander (Antony Starr) to justice. Homelander is too powerful and well-respected to be defeated. She fears that going after him will put everybody at risk. 

In the Season 2 episode "The Big Ride," Susan reassures Butcher, Hughie, Frenchie, and M.M. that their families are still safe. However, she says that a series of mysterious deaths are linked to an enigmatic new super-powered terrorist that she is close to tracking down. Before Susan can reveal any more critical information, her head suddenly explodes and splatters the other characters with blood. Susan's death has remained one of the most unexpected moments in the series so far. Although "The Boys" often kills off major characters, Susan had been part of the story since the first season. It was surprising to see her get killed off so early in the second season by a mysterious Supe who would strike again.

Although "The Boys" has a very impressive ensemble cast, Hughie is essentially the main character in the first season. Jack Quaid gives a very empathetic performance that viewers are able to relate to. Hughie is an average guy, but an act of violence draws him into the world of superheroes. In the opening moments of the series, Hughie flirts with his girlfriend, Robin Ward (Jess Salgueiro), as they discuss his plans to ask for a raise at work so they can move in together. Unfortunately, their relationship is not destined to last. When Hughie and Robin are walking down the street, A-Train runs with his super-speed through the city, and accidentally crashes into Robin, instantly killing her. Hughie is showered in his girlfriend's blood, completely shocked and heartbroken. 

This was the perfect way to start the series. It immediately established that superheroes in The Boys are not accountable for collateral damage. Considering that the characters in the MCU and DCEU are often ignorant of the damage that they inflict on civilians, it was important for "The Boys" to emphasize this point. Robin's death is the most crucial moment in Hughie's initial character arc. He has to question everything that he knows about superheroes and the toll of revenge. Hughie serves as the perfect audience avatar for the show since the viewers get to learn more about The Seven at the same time that he does as he struggles to deal with Robin's death. 

In many television shows, the most shocking moments of any given season are saved for the last episode. Although "The Boys" Season 2 finale, "What I Know," certainly had no shortage of surprises, the biggest twist of the season actually occurred at the end of the penultimate episode, "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker." Throughout the season, Hughie, Butcher, and Annie have been trying to expose Vought Industries' corrupt actions to the public. They plan to reveal Vought's connections to Compound V to the media.

Hughie finds a potential ally in Congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). In "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker," Victoria presides over a Congressional hearing where retired Vought scientist Jonah Vogelbaum (John Doman) is scheduled to testify against Vought. However, the hearing is thrown into chaos by an unexpected attack. Just as Jonah prepares to give his testimony, his head suddenly explodes. He's not the only victim of the attack, as several other attendees' heads also shockingly explode. Initially, Victoria is a sympathetic victim in this crisis. However, "What I Know" reveals an even more shocking twist: Victoria actually has superpowers that she is hiding from the public. She is the "head-popper." 

Although the first season of "The Boys" was snubbed by most major awards shows, Season 2 received an Emmy nomination for best drama series. It was exciting to see such a subversive series receive recognition for the highest honor in the television industry. However, it is unfortunate that Antony Starr's performance as Homelander was not recognized in the acting categories. Homelander is one of the most complex characters on television right now. Each season of "The Boys" has continued to develop his character arc in an interesting way. Although Homelander is completely unlikeable, "The Boys" does a great job at making him vulnerable.

Homelander's childhood trauma was explored through his relationship with Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue). Madelyn served as one of the most powerful leaders at Vought and worked closely with The Seven during their operations. However, Madelyn's relationship with Homelander went beyond their professional associations. Homelander is incredibly reckless, but Madelyn is able to keep him under control. Homelander develops a strange, disturbing Oedipal relationship with Madelyn. However, Homelander is ultimately unable to control his rage. After he discovers that Madelyn has been lying to him, Homelander kills his lover using his laser eyes.

"The Boys" doesn't just satirize superheroes. In Season 2, the series added commentary on cult-like religious extremists through the development of the enigmatic The Church of the Collective. The principles and beliefs of The Church of the Collective are vague, but they are very influential within "The Boys" universe. In the second season, The Deep (Chace Crawford) falls under The Church of the Collective's influence.

The Collective's chairman, Alastair Adana (Goran Visnjic), aims to improve The Deep's public reputation. The Deep appears in several commercials supporting The Collective. In many amusing moments, The Deep acts in commercials, where he talks about how his newfound faith has changed his life. It's only after A-Train is brought into the organization that The Deep starts to question his new associates. However, Alastair is ultimately the victim of his own corruption. After calling Victoria Neuman to congratulate her on the creation of the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Alastair's head detonates.

The Deep has one of the most interesting character arcs on "The Boys." In the beginning, he is about as unappealing as you can get. He tries to convince Annie that he is the second-in-command of The Seven, ranking only behind Homelander. He assaults her in what remains one of the show's most disturbing moments. After Annie ultimately reveals that she was assaulted during her speech at the Believe Expo, The Deep is forced to go on a sabbatical from The Seven.

The Deep sets off on a quest for redemption. He is forced to reckon with his past behavior. Although The Deep is still a toxic character, he cares about the aquatic creatures that he can communicate with. In the episode "The Female of the Species," The Deep attempts to rescue a bottlenose dolphin from captivity. Unfortunately, he gets into a car accident, and the innocent dolphin goes flying out of his window. If you were shocked by this moment, you are not alone. Chace Crawford, the actor who plays The Deep, said he was actually worried that the scene would be cut from the episode in an interview with ComicBook.com.

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"The Boys" does a great job at bringing back former movie stars and giving them amusing roles. Haley Joel Osment was one of the biggest child stars of the 1990s, co-starring in hits like "Forrest Gump," "The Sixth Sense," "Pay It Forward," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," and "Secondhand Lions." Osment appears in a funny extended role on "The Boys" as the character Charles, who is also known as the celebrity superhero "Mesmer," or "The Mesmerizer."

Mesmer frequently appears at fan conventions and signs autographs. He agrees to help Butcher and offers him knowledge about Homelander. Mesmer hopes that he will be able to exchange the information in order to reunite with his daughter, Cleo (Zoe Ambrose). However, Mesmer's alliance with Butcher is short-lived. After betraying The Boys and informing Homelander, including supplying the dangerous Supe with photos of the group, Mesmer and Butcher get into a vicious brawl. Butcher brutally smashes Mesmer's head into a sink over and over and kills him.

The first season of "The Boys" set a precedent for shocking the audience, but Season 2 immediately revealed that the show would not be slowing down anytime soon. In the first episode of the season, "The Big Ride," Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) goes on a violent rampage.

In the opening scene of "The Big Ride," Black Noir travels to the Middle East to track down the super-powered terrorist Naqib (Samer Salem). One of Naqib's guards attempts to take down Black Noir, but the silent Supe literally splits his head in two after putting his hand down the man's throat. Black Noir had mostly been kept in the background in the first season, but it was clear that anyone that crossed his path would not be likely to survive. This was a great way to start the second season, as it showed the danger of unleashing The Seven in international territories. "The Boys" often satirizes American imperialism and militarism, and this moment stands out as particularly memorable.

After The Deep's failed attempt to rescue the bottlenose dolphin in the first season, he once again accidentally brings one of his aquatic friends into harm's way. In the Season 2 episode "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men," The Deep is still trying to prove that he is a hero. Butcher, Hughie, and their friends pilot a speedboat, fleeing from The Seven and aiming to escape through a tunnel. The Deep imagines himself standing defiantly against them, riding a giant whale in a moment of triumph.

Unfortunately for him, Butcher is not threatened by The Deep's giant new animal ally. He drives the speedboat directly into the whale, impaling the creature through the belly. The whale (which The Deep names "Lucy") is instantly killed. Although this is only a brief moment in the episode, it actually required some of the show's most complex VFX work. It took the "The Boys" production crew about five months to complete.

"The Boys" Season 3 gets off to a strong start with a death that is climactic in more than one way. The first episode, "Payback," reintroduces the character Termite (Brett Geddes). Similar to Scott Lang/Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Termite has the ability to shrink his body. While Ant-Man uses his powers to save his daughter and get into comic misadventures, Termite's activities are much more mature. He shrinks down to an insect's size in order to pleasure his lover by literally entering him with his now tiny body.

If this wasn't graphic enough, Termite's hot and heavy evening quickly gets much more disturbing. He accidentally sneezes, which swiftly turns him back into his regular size. As a result, he obliterates his lover from the inside out. A shocked Frenchie walks into the aftermath. Showrunner Eric Kripke explained the meticulous visual and practical effects that were used in the sequence in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. During the interview, Karl Urban joked that "going into a third season, you come to build up a certain desensitization to some of the more graphic content."

Butcher goes through an emotional reckoning in the Season 1 episode "Good for the Soul." He meets with his sister-in-law, Rachel (Brit Morgan), and discusses the presumed death of his wife, Becca (Shantel VanSanten). Butcher is angry when he finds out Rachel bought a headstone for Becca, even though her body was never found. Butcher does not learn about his wife's survival until the end of the first season, so his heightened emotional state is understandable. It was important to show Butcher at his most vulnerable.

Butcher and M.M. continue their investigation into Compound V by breaking into a Vought lab. They discover that Vought has been injecting infants with Compound V to give them superpowers. They are barely given time to process this realization when guards immediately show up to capture them. As they elude their pursuers, Butcher uses one of the infants as a weapon by unleashing the child's laser eyes, cutting down the guards. 

"The Boys" has its fair share of villains, but few are quite as detestable as Stormfront (Aya Cash). In Season 2, fans learn about the character's past, including how Stormfront is a literal Nazi. Homelander was already terrible when he was left to his own devices, but Stormfront makes him even more radical. Their romantic scenes are enough to induce the rage (or discomfort) of any fan of "The Boys."

The series does a great job of showing the process of radicalization and indoctrination. Stormfront seduces Homelander and encourages him to accept his worst tendencies. During a disturbing date of sorts in the episode "The Bloody Doors Off," Homelander and Stormfront catch a robber fleeing the scene of a crime. Homelander crushes the robber's head into a brick so that he can resume his intimate relationship with Stormfront in an alleyway. Everything about the scene is completely sickening. This was an unforgettable moment in "The Boys," and Homelander is forever tainted by his association with Stormfront.

Despite ruthlessly dispatching Naqib's henchmen at the beginning of the season, Black Noir had one of the most tragic deaths on "The Boys" thus far.  After spending the previous two years shrouded in mystery, season 3 allowed viewers to finally sympathize with Black Noir, who deals with his long-simmering trauma in a disturbing animated sequence. During it, we learn that, when Noir first joined the superhero team known as Payback, he fought alongside Soldier Boy, who bullied him throughout their time together.

Black Noir ultimately betrayed Soldier Boy and handed him over to the Russians at the behest of Stan Edgar. Later, Noir became Homelander's closest ally and advisor, and teams up with him in season 3 to bring Soldier Boy down. However, their alliance is not destined to last. Homelander learns that he was made from Soldier Boy's DNA; in a sense, Soldier Boy is his father. Black Noir knew this, and hid it from Homelander for his entire life. 

Even though Black Noir was trying to protect his friend from a potentially abusive parent, Homelander needed a father during his childhood, and is distraught to the point of tears. And so, he rips out Black Noir's internal organs and leaves him to die. Homelander isn't averse to killing members of the Seven, of course, but Black Noir was his one real friend. "The Boys" has had more brutal deaths, but seeing Homelander's blind rage unleashed on his most trusted companion is truly unnerving.