“The Boys” is a popular Superhero show that takes a subversive look into the genre and essentially asks “What if the Justice League were evil and bad people?”
The show’s unusual angle has attracted a wide following, but some fans are not happy with its recent turn. In response to a new wave of complaints about wokeness, show writer Eric Kripke has told complainers to “go watch something else.”
Return of The Boys
Season four of “The Boys” aired on Amazon Prime Video this Thursday, bringing with it the expected displays of blood, guts, profanity, and dark humor.
However, some audience members have also complained about a pronounced focus on supposedly “woke” themes.
“Woke Nonsense”
Some social media critics have said woke content has dulled the show’s spark and distracted from the most interesting elements of “The Boys”.
One X/Twitter user opined, “TV show “The Boys” used to be one of my favorites. Pointing out the elite’s evil tendencies in the form of “superhero’s”. Now it pivots to say Trump people bad other people good. Along with every scene injecting woke nonsense+ new strong smart female black character,”
Has Wokeness Ruined A Great Series?
Audience members who have expressed outrage at “The Boys”‘ supposedly woke shift feel like progressive political messaging has overtaken meaningful story-telling.
One Twitter/X user posted, “It’s really bad. Not only that, but the writing is just awful now as well. Characters are just sitting around complaining about things the whole time. And they completely butchered the story line. They ruined another great series with their nonsense.”
Show Writers Won’t Back Down
In an interview published June 7 with The Hollywood Reporter, show writer Eric Kripke reaffirmed his belief that political messaging was an essential part of the show and would not be going anywhere.
“I clearly have a perspective, and I’m not shy about putting that perspective in the show. Anyone who wants to call the show “woke” or whatever, that’s OK. Go watch something else,” Kripke said.
Has “The Boys” Always Been About Trump?
When asked about the show’s message, Kripke said “The Boys” had always been about the phenomenon of Trumpism.
He said, “When Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] and I took it out to pitch, it was 2016. We just wanted to do a very realistic version of a superhero show, one where superheroes are celebrities behaving badly. Trump was the, “He’s not really getting the nomination, is he?” guy. When he got elected, we had a metaphor that said more about the current world.”
Political Parallels
The latest season of “The Boys” features a presidential election, which mirrors the one happening this year in the real-world United States, with the character Homelander on trial. Kripke says the plots for the episodes are written “close to two years” before they air, and the timing just happened to line up.
Kripke added, “We were already heading there anyway, but we’re talking about an election and a president and when the votes are counted in Congress. It’s odd to call it good luck, but sometimes we feel like we’re Satan’s writers room.”
An Authoritarian Story
Kripke said he felt compelled to focus “The Boys” on a critique of fascism in response to observations he saw in the real-world.
“Suddenly, we were telling a story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism. We’re right in the eye of the storm. And once we realized that, I just felt an obligation to run in that direction as far as we could,” the show writer said.
Mirroring The Real World
Kripke says the writing team for “The Boys” has always looked to real-world themes for inspiration.
“We write what we’re either scared of or pissed off about. Someone asked me last year, about season three, “How are you so prescient with cops and over-policing in Black neighborhoods?” Well, it’s been a problem for over 100 years. It was a problem five years ago, and, unfortunately, it’s going to be a problem five years from now. It’s always the same sh*t,” said Kripke.
Not Pulling Punches
Kripke confirmed that he will continue his style of politically-charged messaging in “The Boys” and argued that some fan are “not getting” the point of characters like Homelander – who become a stand in for Trump and the wider threat of fascism.
“I’m certainly not going to pull any punches or apologise for what we’re doing. Some people think Homelander is the hero. What do you say to that? The show’s many things. Subtle isn’t one of them. If that’s the message you’re getting, I just throw up my hands,” Kripke said.
