The Boysis a show about superheroes existing and living amongst regular people. In the world ofThe Boys, superheroes are idolized, marketed, and oftentimes even exploited. A lot of the real-world problems that everyone faces on a daily basis are the problems that superheroes face such as political corruption and corporate greed. The comic series on which the tv show is based is much of the same thing.
Related:10 Comic Books To Read If You Like The Boys
As most film and television adaptations go, there have been many changes between the comics and the tv show. Some are smaller than others such as changes to a character’s gender or the disposition of one character towards another to larger changes such as an entirely different depiction of a character from page to screen. There are spoilers forThe Boyscomics and tv show.
10The Female Is An Original Member Of The Boys
The Female is a character and member of the titular, superhero-fighting team onThe Boys. In the comics, she is only known as “The Female of the Species” and does not have any other name. In the show,the Female actually has a name, Kimiko.
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The biggest change with the Female between the comics and the show is the fact that she actually isn’t a member of The Boys until a few episodes into the first season. Her comic counterpart is already a member of the team when she is introduced.
9The Boys Are A Part Of The CIA
In the show, The Boys are their own separate entity from any national government or governmental agency. They do not work for or answer to any higher authority. While they used to work for the CIA prior to the events of the show, that is not the case currently as of the first two seasons.
Thismakes things much more difficult for Billy Butcher and his teamin the show because they have to work more secretively, whereas, in the comics, they could brandish their CIA badges and go about their day. Although the Boys work independently of the CIA, but they do interact with the CIA in some cases through Susan Raynor.
8Mother’s Milk’s Family Life Is Different
Marvin T. Milk, more popularly known as Mother’s Milk or M.M., is a member of The Boys. He serves as one of the calmer, more collected, and wiser voices of the group. In both the comics and the tv show, M.M. has a family outside of The Boys: a wife and daughter.
However, what his family looks like is slightly different between the two mediums. In the comics, M.M.’s wife is not in the picture much, and they don’t have a great relationship. His daughter is also in her teenage years. In the show, M.M appears to have a healthier relationship with his wife and his daughter who is much younger than her comic counterpart.
7Mallory’s Gender Is Different
Grace Mallory is a former deputy director of the CIA and founder of The Boys. She disbanded after The Boys failed to apprehend Lamplighter, a member of the Seven, and he burned her grandchildren alive.
Related:The Boys: 10 Goriest Deaths In The Series
Grace Mallory appears in the show to serve as a mentor for Billy Butcher and assists him in his leadership of The Boys.In the comics, Mallory’s gender is different. Greg Mallory is the founder of The Boys. The fate of his grandchildren remains the same in the comics. However, Grace Mallory from the show never received the revenge of killing Lamplighter as Greg Mallory did in the comics.
6The Seven Operate Out Of An Airship
The Seven are the most popular superhero team inThe Boys. Everyone knows who they are and, for the most part, what they do. They are the equivalent of Marvel’sAvengersorDC’sJustice League, and just like those superhero teams, they operate out of a flashy base.
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The base of operations, however, differs between the comics and the show. In the show, the Seven operate out of a large skyscraper with the number 7 imprinted on the side. In the comics, they operate out of an airship, not unlike a Helicarrier inMarvel comics.
5Popclaw And A-Train’s Relationship
In the tv show adaptation ofThe Boys, Popclaw andA-Train have a relationship with each other that The Boysexploit in order to get closer to the Seven and ultimately bring them down. Their relationship is fragile because of A-Train’s celebrity status and they both are addicts of Compound V, the chemical that gives superheroes their powers and strengthens them.
In the comics, this relationship does not exist at all. Popclaw and A-Train never meet or mention each other at all in the comics.
4The Boys Already Have Super Powers
Throughout the first two seasonsofThe Boys, the Female is the only one of The Boys who possessed superpowers. This adds to the idea of Billy Butcher and The Boys' hatred towards supes, specifically the Seven. The third season of the show hints at the fact that at least one member other than Kimiko will possess superpowers with Compound V.
In the comics, all of The Boys have superpowers when Hughie first meets them, and once he becomes a part of the team, he receives superpowers immediately through an injection of Compound V.
3The Seven Are Not The Boys' First Target
The tv show adaptation ofThe Boysshows Billy Butcher and his team attempting to bring down the Seven as well as Vought, the company that owns and funds the Seven. However, The Boys do not go after the Seven immediately.
Related:The Boys: The Seven Members' Costumes, Ranked Lamest To Coolest
They slowly build their way up to the Seven by going after some lesser-known superhero teams. When Hughie joins the team, their first target is a superhero team known as Payback. The Boys specifically go after a member of Payback known as Tek Knight.
2Hughie’s First Kill
Hugh “Wee Hughie” Campbellis the newest member of The Boys. Hughie is a naive and kind-hearted person who enters the story only out of circumstance. He also is not as willing to kill as the rest of his team members are, however, when Hughie kills for the first time, it is different between the comics and the show.
Hughie’s first kill in the comics is a member of the Teenage Kix superhero team, Blarney Cock. Hughie punches him right through his chest after being given Compound V. In the show, Hughie’s first kill is Translucent after blowing him up with one of Frenchie’s bombs.
1Hughie Is Scottish
In the tv show, Hughie is a tall American who has a full head of hair and a clean-shaven face. Hughie’s girlfriend is killed by A-Train which catapults him into the story ofThe Boys. He isn’t the biggest fan of killing. Hughie, in the comics, shares most of the same story elements but none of the appearance.
In the comics, Hughie is much shorter than his tv counterpart and the rest of the team. He has little to no hair on his head and a goatee. The biggest difference between the two Hughies is that Hughie is Scottish in the comics.
