As it turns out,The Boysdidn’t just alter the perception of superheroes for fans of the genre, but for its actors too. Even though he’s been involved with the production since being cast as a super exterminator, Tomer Capone admitted that readingThe Boysgraphic novel series forever altered his perception of superheroes.
Capone, who plays “Frenchie” in the live-action interpretation ofThe Boys, admitted that he was a fan of superheroes beforehand. However, upon reading the graphic novel and participating in the show, he admitted thateverything he previously believed about superheroeshas been turned on its head.
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In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Capone reflected on how he initially perceived superheroes. “I think it ruined the whole superhero experience for me. I used to think that men in Spandex who have special powers are cool. But this show just wiped that away.” Capone later elaborated by talking about how much more popular superheroes have become in the filmmaking industry leading up to when the show first came out back in 2019, and how much has changed three years later. “When I see superheroes onscreen, I don’t buy it anymore. In the last 10 years, everybody was into the whole superhero thing, trying to run away from reality. Andthen I readThe Boysand I’m like, ‘They took the genre and f***ing flipped it.’ They said, ‘Let’s see how superheroes act in front of the mirror when they’re finishing their day. What are they really about when they’re taking the Spandex off?'”
Capone’s story is exactly what the show is going for with its audience.What makesThe Boysso appealingis how brutally fresh the material is compared to what we usually get from Marvel and DC characters in films. They’re portrayed to be relatable role models who we look up to because we’d like to see them that way.The Boys’story shows that if superheroes really existed, sure they would give off that image as role models, but they probably would think of themselves above everyone else and become reckless because of it.
When DC first started the superhero trend, they were demi-Gods who were all-powerful, flawless beings to worship. Marvel changed the game when they made their superheroes more relatable than powerful, which forced DC to change their game up a bit.The Boystook it one step furtherby basically making the superheroes corrupted by their own power, turning them into actual villains. That element of realism makes for uncomfortable subject material, but that’s how it’s intended, and that’s why they have their audience.
The reason why people tune into this show is that the live-action superhero genre has become formulaic. It can be fun to see the good guy beat the bad guy with whatever superpowers the audience hasn’t seen before coming to light, but if the story follows the exact same beats as previous films of the same genre have, it will lose its flavor. Making the superheroes the villains of the story isn’t something audiences are used to, but it is something that really makes you think about the notion of what would happen if these fictional beings actually existed.
