The latest episode of The Boys, "King of Hell," is largely uneventful. As Starlight reunites with her father, the show's heroes and villains search Fort Harmony for a trace of V-One, a quest that proves unsuccessful, as tensions rise between Homelander and Soldier Boy.
Oh Father introduces America to its new Messiah as the episode ends, but the revelation of who is beneath Black Noir's mask may be the biggest talking point. However, it's not the surprise twist many of you will have been expecting.
In the comics, Black Noir was unmasked as Homelander's twisted clone. Created by Vought as a fail-safe to kill the leader of the Seven, he secretly orchestrated Homelander's descent into villainy and was, in some ways, The Boys' true villain.
The TV series has already veered from that, by revealing he was originally a member of Payback, left brain-damaged after a clash with Soldier Boy. Later, when Homelander learned that Black Noir knew that Soldier Boy was his father, he eviscerated his "friend," and the role has since been filled by another Supe, far more talkative than his predecessor.
In Season 5 of The Boys, Black Noir has had nothing to say, leading to theories that he's been replaced (again). Fans have speculated that he could be a Homelander clone or even Gen V's Sam Riordan, but the truth isn't quite that exciting.
Confronted by The Deep following their mission to apprehend Stan Edgar, Black Noir unmasks as the same actor we first met in Season 4. It turns out he's been going method in the role, which is why he stopped speaking. He's pissed at The Deep for betraying him, and this subplot, while fun, seemingly has no relevance to the wider Season 5 story.
So, Black Noir hasn't been maimed, swapped out, or somehow resurrected. He's still Black Noir II, and regardless of how The Boys Season 5 ends, it clearly won't be with the revelation that Homelander's even more evil clone is pulling the strings.
You can check out this scene with Black Noir and The Deep in the player below.
In the fifth and final season of The Boys, it's Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a "Freedom Camp." Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found.
But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It's the climax, people. Big stuff's gonna happen.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, and Daveed Diggs.
The series is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and was developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke.
The Boys Season 5 is now streaming weekly on Prime Video.