“They are becoming what they once made fun of”: ‘The Boys’ Mocking Marvel and DC Hasn’t Aged Well As it Follows the Footsteps of Legendary Studios With Latest Move

When The Boys burst onto the scene, flipping the superhero genre upside down, it was like a breath of fresh air in the typical world of superheroes saving the day. The show took a messy approach to a corporate-controlled reality of superheroes.

The Boys has been taking shots at Marvel and DC and mocking their endless series of spin-offs and franchises, as if being the parody version of their superheroes was not enough. But now, it seems like their shots are backfiring on them.

The Boys Expands Its Universe

The V52 was a parody of Disney’s D23 event in The Boys Season 4. It was a jab at the endless superhero announcements by the studio. Just like Marvel Cinematic Universe’s phases, Vought’s plans for “phases” stretching decades into the future was a fun parody.

However, it seems like the joke is on them now. The show that once stood as the antithesis to superhero franchises is now going to launch more of its own spin-offs. The studio has already launched Gen V in 2023 and its season 2 will most likely be released in 2025.

Apart from that, The Boys: Mexico is in the works and is being produced by Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. Jensen Ackles, on the other hand, has recently announced his return as Soldier Boy in his own spin-off prequel, Vought Rising. The Boys Season 5 will also be released by 2026.

Fans are starting to notice this trend. The same viewers who cheered The Boys for its satire are now raising eyebrows at its hypocrisy. 

They are becoming what they once made fun of

— Giblet Head (@d0gshitretard) July 26, 2024

The boys is becoming like the big franchises they mock pic.twitter.com/ZOyWx1f0Ec

— ThorCast (@ThorJanisz31197) July 26, 2024

yeah…. okay marvel 2.0 lmfao. Gen V was already pushing it, what the hell is ‘The Boys: Mexico’ ? And seriously, a prequel too?🚀

— Reverse Truth🦅🇬🇧👑 (@Bidal4Life) July 26, 2024

Theyre making a mockery of themselves

— Mtndewtank🇶🇦🍉 (@tweeter_prime42) July 26, 2024

when I saw Eric kripke as the show runner I knew that he would milk this series. No one is asking for any of this 😭 https://t.co/ojNIGdAju6

— mimi (@messmur) July 26, 2024

Moreover, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke is already hinting at another spin-off starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Laz Alonso and Antony Starr want a movie that will sum up The Boys franchise after Season 5, as they mentioned in the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

It looks like The Boys spent years criticizing the superhero franchise model, only to embrace it later. It will be interesting to see how it will play out for the fan-favorite show.

Is The Boys Ruining Its Own Story?

The Boys was once all about shocking events that had real consequences for the storyline. Now, it looks like the show is going for its weirdness and boldness, just for the sake of it.

Maeve’s sacrifice in Season 3 had little to no impact. Season 4 has some explicit scenes that have almost no consequences in the story, Hughie’s trauma is heavily ignored, and his character has to go through random acts that put his character arc under question.

The Boys has also moved quite far from its comic book roots. There are inconsistent superpowers, abandoned romantic subplots, and traumatic and serious situations portrayed as comedy. It might feel less like a biting satire and more like a parody of itself.

But there is still hope. The Boys has always been about doing the unexpected, and the way Season 4 ended definitely raises the anticipation for Season 5. However, one thing that is for sure is that The Boys is no longer the plucky underdog taking on the superhero establishment, anymore.

The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video.