The Boys: How Old-School Hollywood Inspired Stan Lee Character
Eric Kripke, the showrunner for The Boys, recently opened up on how the show’s character, The Legend, had his evolution during development from the Stan Lee tribute debuted in the comics to a figure inspired by veteran Hollywood producers.
While talking to CBR, Kripke was asked if he would like to elaborate on the introduction of Legend to The Boys in the fifth episode of Season 3, “The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies”, and how the inspiration behind the character underwent changes.
Eric Kripke Opens Up On The Boys’ Stan Lee Character
“The comic book version of the Legend, he’s very clearly obviously based on Stan Lee,” he said. “I think that’s because, in the comic books’ universe, it’s the comic books that are the main superhero media because Garth Ennis wrote it in 2004/2005 when comic books [were] pretty much all there was. Marvel Studios was just a gleam in Kevin Feige’s eye.”
“So, it made sense that the person who was the “the legend” in charge of that media would be a Stan Lee-type,” he continued. “In our world, comic books are sort of what comic books are now in reality, which is like an awesome medium but a reasonably small slice of the audience. In our universe, it’s Vought Studios and massive movies and television shows on Vought Plus.”
How The Boys Shifted For The Legend
To show how pervasive superheroes are to the cultural zeitgeist of the universe of The Boys, Kripke decided to shift the basis for The Legend to a film producer like Robert Evans, someone who would be the “king” of the media in the fan-favorite series.
“They were so out of the time and inappropriate, and they were just fascinating to watch,” the showrunner concluded. “[The Legend] was sort of my love letter to those guys, and it feels appropriate for this world.”
Season 3 Is Getting Heated Up!
The Legend is played in The Boys by Paul Reiser. It is still unknown how big his role will be in the remaining show, assuming the character makes an appearance in some episodes in the future. He was revealed to have a relationship with many characters within the series’ universe, including Soldier Boy and Mother’s Milk.
The first two seasons of The Boys are streaming now on Prime Video while new episodes of Season 3 premiere every Friday.
Source: CBR
