The Boys season 1: 6 reasons why this show is more than just violence

Photo: The Boys.. Jan Thijs/Amazon Prime Video

Changing just enough

One of the biggest problems with creating comic book movies and shows is that you can’t follow the story 100%. Some things will have to be changed. A character may have to look different to fit better on screen, and sometimes parts of the stories will be cut because they just don’t work. It stinks, but it’s true. The Boys is no different. There were too many parts of the source material that are too raunchy for a show, even if was going to be uncensored. There were also characters whose looks were too ridiculous to recreate. For example, in the comics, The Deep wore a silly, old school diving helmet. There’s no way that translates well, and changes like this helped the show.

There were also some adjustments to the characters. Butcher wasn’t with the government, Mother’s Milk, Butcher, and Frenchie didn’t have powers, and Queen Maeve is gay. These changes may seem minor, but helped the story. Queen Maeve had a deeper story. In the comics, she was just a drunk. With Maeve leaving a woman she loved, you can understand why she became so cold. Especially since Homelander pretty much said he’d kill any person she was with.

Then there’s the relationship between Stillwell and Homelander. When you see what’s going on with them, it gives Homelander more layers. They’re somewhat disturbing layers, but they help make him who he is. While there were some alterations to the source material, they did leave in the most crucial elements.