From the very beginning, it has been a battle between The Boys and the mainstream superhero franchises, DC and MCU. The Boys has always focused on edgier events, making it less fan-pleasing than what the mainstream studios produce.
In recent events, they organized the V52 Expo, where the imaginary Vought International announced a bunch of shows and video game DLCs, mocking what happens in the real world. If you haven’t watched the fifth episode of The Boys Season 3, this might be a spoiler, so buckle up.
For starters, there are shows like Training A-Train, Homelander: Land of the Free, Home of the Saved, The Seven Reborn, Deep: Lifeguard Summer, and something along the lines of Homelander vs. Soldier Boy: Annihilation. These are just imitations of Marvel and DC titles.
Even the name of the event is a mockery of Disney’s fan event, D23 Expo, where they organize something similar to a comic-con in their own style.
Their way of announcing the shows is pretty similar to Marvel’s style, with Vought announcing shows from Phase 7 to Phase 10, again mimicking the advanced planning by major studios.
Is it working?
Practically speaking, it doesn’t need to work. At the end of the day, it needs to be accepted that Marvel and DC, though forever relevant, are going through a period of drought, and The Boys is showing a major contrast. Despite being too edgy, the show is practically awesome; it has all the good bits and pieces of the MCU and takes a realistic tone.
For a show to be a hit, a rogue Superman-type character is enough. When you add complex character chemistry and evil, The Boys is destined to succeed. The show is more popular than ever, and as they have one more season to run, it has new heights to reach.
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