Watching superhero flicks as a kid, I always wondered how the superheroes were all perfect, how superman would be reluctant t his powers in some dire circumstances, or how some of them could manage their world-shattering powers and still maintain a very cordial relationship with the humans that in a realistic scenario would have probably suffered from the aftermath of the superhero vs villain battles.
Marvel’s civil war hinted a bit at the destructive possibilities of superhero battle aftermaths in Captain America’s Civil war movie, and how the Government tried to hold the heroes accountable for their destructive powers although good intentions.
Then I stumbled on The Boys on Amazon and I was spellbound by the premise; Heroes that were extremely flawed but put up a show for their audience, a realistic premise similar to what would be possible in the current age of image curating and putting up a show for social media, something all of us can relate with and most of us are guilty of.
The show also went further with the possibility of murdering sociopaths posing as superheroes, heroes by day, and evil twisted villains in the shadows, a premise that reflects the current-day reality of total power corrupting its wielder. In reality, a lot of us are held captive by those in power, political power, religious power, and institutional power, some of whom have absolute power and some have institutions acting as checks and balances to possible excesses by keeping them in check.
We could put two of the main characters of The Boys in these roles, the villainous superhero, Home lander as one who has absolute power, and Butcher his nemesis as the check and balance. A scenario with the superhero as the villain and the protagonist or hero of the series as more of an anti-hero, with characters like Hughie and Starlight being somewhere in the middle, the good guys caught up in a battle they have no idea how to fight.
The Boys is realistic, exciting, grimy, and is closer to what would happen if some humans would wake with superhuman powers.Watching superhero flicks as a kid, I always wondered how the superheroes were all perfect, how superman would be reluctant to use his powers in some dire circumstances, or how some of them could manage their world-shattering powers and still maintain a very cordial relationship with the humans that in a realistic scenario would have probably suffered from the aftermath of the superhero vs villain battles.
Marvel’s civil war hinted a bit at the destructive possibilities of superhero battle aftermaths in Captain America’s Civil war movie, and how the Government tried to hold the heroes accountable for their destructive powers although good intentions.
Then I stumbled on The Boys on Amazon and I was spellbound by the premise; Heroes that were extremely flawed but put up a show for their audience, a realistic premise similar to what would be possible in the current age of image curating and putting up a show for social media, something all of us can relate with and most of us are guilty of.
The show also went further with the possibility of murdering sociopaths posing as superheroes, heroes by day, and evil twisted villains in the shadows, a premise that reflects the current-day reality of total power corrupting its wielder. In reality, a lot of us are held captive by those in power, political power, religious power, and institutional power, some of whom have absolute power and some have institutions acting as checks and balances to possible excesses by keeping them in check.
We could put two of the main characters of The Boys in these roles, the villainous superhero, Home lander as one who has absolute power, and Butcher his nemesis as the check and balance. A scenario with the superhero as the villain and the protagonist or hero of the series as more of an anti-hero, with characters like Hughie and Starlight being somewhere in the middle, the good guys caught up in a battle they have no idea how to fight.
The Boys is realistic, exciting, grimy, and is closer to what would happen if some humans would wake with superhuman powers.
