The Boys Season 4 Copying Controversial Twist With Black Noir Return?

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dig into why fans of the comic books are a tad worried about what lies ahead for The Boys Season 4. You see, in the original story, which was penned by Garth Ennis and co-created by Darick Robertson, it turns out that Black Noir is nothing more than a clone of Homelander. As audiences will know, Homelander (played by Antony Starr) is perhaps the most dangerous Supe out there – and certainly the biggest wildcard – leading Vought to create a controllable clone should they ever need to bring him down.

Not only could this be a troubling indication of what lies ahead for The Boys Season 4, but it could also cast a confusing light on what we thought we knew about Homelander. If the production team decides to follow suit with the comic storyline and make Black Noir a clone of Homelander, there are a handful of incidents from the past – including the rape of Billy Butcher’s wife Becky – that will likely shift the blame from Starr’s character to his double. 

While there are plenty of points to be made about how The Boys Season 4 could sneak a Homelander clone into the suit of Black Noir, including some comments made by series creator Eric Kripke to Deadline back in 2022, there’s even more reason for the creative team to stick to the gruesome death in Season 3. Kripke’s comments were rather vague, with the Supernatural and The Boys creator commenting, “His organs are out all over the place, but when you have a completely silent, completely masked-clad hero, they’re reasonably easy to recast.”

Although this, to some, may sound like the groundwork for the big clone reveal in The Boys Season 4, it’s more likely that a new hero will don the suit. From a storyline aspect, we already know Black Noir’s backstory and his drama with Soldier Boy and the rest of team Payback, so it would be odd to change things up. However, bringing back the silent but deadly member of The Seven to the fold with a new character under the mask could play into an even bigger reveal as the season progresses.

For now, fans waiting for the arrival of The Boys Season 4 will just need to hold their horses as the series has yet to announce a release date – although a broad window is set for 2024. With so many surprises happening during the first episode of the show’s spin-off series, Gen V, there’s also always the possibility that Vought will slip one of those characters into Black Noir’s suit and let them go crazy. We’ll just have to wait and see.