While the premise of “The Boys” is fairly simple to convey–a group of people aim to take down self-obsessed celebrity superheroes–there is a lot more going on in the show, especially in more recent seasons. The show never pulls its punches when it comes to social messaging. Hell, there was a literal Nazi bad guy in the series. And according to the showrunner, if you don’t like the messages found in “The Boys,” there’s really only one thing you should do–go watch something else.
In a new interview for THR, “The Boys” showrunner Eric Kripke talked about the messages found in his superhero satire. Kripke made it abundantly clear that he isn’t trying to trick people into learning about the politics found in the series. He likes that the show wears its politics on its sleeve.
“I clearly have a perspective, and I’m not shy about putting that perspective in the show,” said Kripke. “Anyone who wants to call the show ‘woke’ or whatever, that’s OK. Go watch something else. But I’m certainly not going to pull any punches or apologize for what we’re doing.”
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He continued, “Some people who watch it think Homelander is the hero. What do you say to that? The show’s many things. Subtle isn’t one of them. So if that’s the message you’re getting from it, I just throw up my hands.”
For those who don’t watch the show, the overarching villain in each season–more so than the evil corporation that controls everything–is Homelander. He’s basically Superman with none of the morals. He believes that his superpowers make him better than regular people. He’s the epitome of facism, and from what we’ve seen teased from the new season, he is entering the world of politics. Again, the social messaging is a badge of honor in this series.
“The Boys” returns for its fourth season on June 13.