Ever since its introduction in 2019, ‘The Boys‘ has taken up quite a spot among fans of the comic book genre by adding an unseen level of satire, gore, and layered characterization. The series developed by Eric Kripke based on the comic book of the same name quickly hit it off the bat due to its originality.
With a power-packed cast featuring Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr and so on, the show has been running for 4 seasons with a fifth and final season on the horizon soon. But did you know that several of the cast members had also been part of a Marvel or DC project in the past? Here is a list of the top 10 ‘The Boys’ characters who have also been in other superhero projects.
10. PJ Byrne
PJ Byrne, who shows up occasionally in the show as Adam Bourke is a comic relief character, who is the primary scriptwriter for Vought and a director for Vought Studios as well.
PJ Byrne also represented DC Comics as he voiced the character of Firestorm in the animated TV series, ‘Justice League Action‘, which ran for 2 years. Although quite unknown, it is said that Firestorm’s abilities top that of Superman and he is also one of the strongest characters in the DC universe.
9. Laurie Holden
Soldier Boy’s ex-girlfriend and a former member of the Payback, Laurie Holden plays the character of The Crimson Countess, one of the antagonists in ‘The Boys‘ who inevitably saw her doom coming from Soldier Boy’s wrath in season 3.
Laurie Holden also had a brief role in the 2005 ‘Fantastic Four‘ movie, playing the ex-fiancée of Ben Grimm, who goes to turn into The Thing later on in the movie.
8. Goran Visnjic
Alastair Adana, a recurring antagonist who primarily was part of the second season of ‘The Boys‘, was portrayed by Goran Visnjic. In the show, he was the chairman of the Church of the Collective, which worked like a cult and also recruited The Deep for a brief period as well.
Apart from playing the cult leader in ‘The Boys‘, Goran Visnjic had appeared in the 2005 Marvel Movie, ‘Elektra‘ starring Jennifer Garner in the titular role. Goran had portrayed the character of Mark Miller, who Elektra was hired to kill in the movie.
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7. Shantel VanSanten
Shantel VanSanten, who plays Becca, the wife of Billy Butcher and who is also the mother of Ryan, Homelander’s child, is a recurring character in the show and is a very important plot point as well.
Shantel VanSanten has also been part of the DC universe with her portrayal of the character Patty Spivot in CW’s ‘The Flash‘. First appearing in season two of the show, she plays a police officer who later becomes a member of the Anti-Meta-Human Task Force. She was also a love interest for Barry Allen which ended shortly after she left Central City.
6. Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Ashmore played the character of Lamplighter in ‘The Boys‘ and was also part of the Seven, before being replaced by Starlight after his retirement. It was revealed that he was a spy for Grace Mallory but ended up killing her grandchildren accidentally instead of her due to being blackmailed.
Long before he was Lamplighter, Shawn Ashmore was a recurring character in Fox’s X-Men Universe, portraying the character of Iceman, who can turn his body into organic ice.
5. Erin Moriarty
Starlight is one of the main antagonists in ‘The Boys‘ and is played by Erin Moriarty. Starlight was part of the Seven but resigned due to the injustice that Vought and Homelander put her through to be a full-time member of The Boys and also side-by-side start her Starlight House for at-risk youth.
But way before she was on ‘The Boys‘, she had a minor role in Netflix’s Marvel show, ‘Jessica Jones‘, where she played Hope Schlottman who was a victim to Kilgrave’s powers.
4. Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito is no stranger to playing the big, bad guy in TV shows, From the infamous drug lord Gus Fring to the cunning Vought CEO Stan Edgar, he is your Grade-A antagonist.
But a little-known fact is that he was also part of the DC universe when he voiced Lex Luthor on season one of the animated TV series ‘Harley Quinn‘. He’s now going for the hat trick as he’s set to be the new bad guy in the upcoming MCU movie ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘.
3. Jensen Ackles
Homelander’s father and fan-favorite Soldier Boy played by Eric Kripke’s confidant from their ‘Supernatural’ days, Jensen Ackles is not just an important figure in ‘The Boys‘ but in other franchises as well.
Ackles has voiced several characters in DC’s animated ventures, most of them being iterations of Batman due to Ackles’ deep and unique voice. He’s also played the Batman antagonist Red Hood in the widely acclaimed animated movie, ‘Batman: Under The Red Hood‘.
2. Karen Fukuhara
Kimiko Miyashiro is a major character in ‘The Boys‘ and has been a fan favorite since the first season due to her upfront, brutal and unpredictable nature. First considered as a threat, she quickly took a liking to Frenchie and soon became an integral part of the show.
Way before she portrayed Kimiko, she was part of 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad‘ as Katana who used the formidable weapon of the Soultaker to trap the souls of her victims within it.
1. Karl Urban
Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher is undoubtedly the biggest screen presence in the show, known for his diabolically impeccable charm and wit, he carries the show with his personal vendetta for ending Homelander.
Karl Urban has been a part of major franchises in the past such as ‘Star Trek‘ and also ‘Lord of the Rings‘ as well but he was a comic relief character in 2017s ‘Thor: Ragnarok‘, playing the character of Skurge who eventually sided with Hela, but quickly switched sides to die as a hero.
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