Superheroes are supposed to be altruistic, friendly, and unencumbered. At least that is the way it seems outwardly to the public eye. What if that wasn't really true and they are acting that way for the public but are completely different behind closed doors? What if they were really selfish, manipulative, and egotistical? Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson set out to answers those questions when they created a comic book called The Boys, which was published monthly from October 2006 to November 2012. Last year, Amazon Prime debuted an eight-episode series based on the comic book that not only received critical praise but also boasted a record number of viewers making it one of the most successful original series on Prime.
As the second season gets ready to debut next month, the cast spoke about what's changing, what's staying the same, and what is unique about the series. "If Season One was introducing the characters, Season Two breaks them", star Karl Urban (Star Trek), who plays Billy Butcher, explains.
Executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke (Supernatural) expanded Urban's sentiment. "We did a mental exercise…what is the worst position we could put every character in, and then we did it". He further elaborated, "We have Butcher knowing his wife is out there but can't get to her. We have Hughie (Jack Quaid; The Hunger Games) apart from Annie (Erin Moriarty; Captain Fantastic). We have Homelander (Antony Starr; Wish You Were Here)…there's another superhero whose stealing his spotlight and not respecting him.
These were all the worst nightmare scenarios for every character because we wanted to corner all of them."
As for The Deep (Chace Crawford; Gossip Girl), who has been kicked out of the Seven, Season Two is a bit of a search. "I think he is genuinely close to rock bottom. He doesn't really know who he is, has never really known so I think he is broken and open enough to at least try some self-exploration. Jessie T. Usher (Shaft) who plays A-Train elaborates," They have to deal with it. They're both at a place in their lives where they can't really move passed [their behavior].
But don't think Season Two will be all introspection and serious. There are still the bizarre and outlandish moments the audience came to love in Season One. When reminded about a particular scene in episode three, Crawford laughed and said, "I'm just excited to see more of the same, in a way, from last year like doing these crazy scenes. I found some comedy in there".
When asked if Annie will be able to forgive Hughie in Season Two, Moriarty stated, "Well that's going to be the big question…one of the bigger questions in terms of her [Starlight's] character. The answer is I can't really answer that. I will say…as the season progresses it becomes harder and harder for her to deny the solidity of his character". Quaid was also non-committal when discussing Hughie, "I don't want to say too much. He has lost everything at the start [of Season Two] and watching him and being able to play him building everything back up has been super fascinating…If Season One was about Hughie grappling with anxiety, Season Two is about him dealing with depression." When pressed about Annie and Hughie's relationship and, if just as in the comic books, they will end up together, Quaid said, "That is the million-dollar question". Moriarty was also vague in her response. "They will either end up together or end up really good friends." She explained.
In Season One we met these characters and we got to see them develop into a family only to have it fall apart in the end. So far, Season Two seems to be about individuals on their own journeys instead of a cohesive group focused on a common goal.
With the announcement of a Season Three renewal; before Season Two has even started; it will be interesting to see how far these individuals will go and if they will come back together to once again form a (dysfunctional) family.
Season Two of The Boys premieres on Amazon Prime on September 4, 2020. That only gives you a few weeks to refresh your memory by rewatching Season One.
