The Series Is Very Tame: Here Are the 13 Most Morbid Moments from ‘The Boys’ Comic Book
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The Boys is renowned as one of the most popular comic book series ever, largely due to the immense success of its TV adaptation, which in turn boosted the comic’s popularity. The series has consistently been acclaimed as one of the greatest of all time, which fuels ongoing curiosity about it.
With that in mind, we’re diving into the original comic book. While the TV series is infamous for its brutal and gory scenes, it’s surprisingly tame compared to the graphic content depicted in the comics. In this article, we’ll explore the 13 most disturbing moments from the comic books—scenes too extreme to be portrayed, either directly or at all, on screen.
1. The Airplane Massacre by The Seven
Remember the airplane scene from the series—the one that cemented Homelander as a truly vile villain, despite the prior suspicions? That scene was adapted from the comics, and it’s where we’re starting our list. However, the original version was far more brutal. In The Boys #21, the Seven were summoned to rescue a hijacked plane full of civilians. Instead of saving the passengers, they slaughtered them one by one before fleeing the scene, leaving behind a massacre and pretending it never happened.
2. Starlight’s Updated Costume
In both the series and the comic, Starlight gets a new costume, but her reaction differs in each. In the TV show, she’s furious about the costume’s objectification and vulgarity. This storyline is lifted from the comics, but the original design was even more explicit, resembling something from an adult film. This over-the-top portrayal was meant to underscore the deplorable nature of Vought. The scene can be found in The Boys #32.
3. Butcher’s Savage Revenge Scheme
Butcher is infamous for his ruthlessness, especially when seeking revenge. In The Boys #33, he single-handedly takes down the superhero team Payback, making the survivors flee in terror. Among his inventive methods of dispatching the heroes were delivering a pickaxe blow to the head and using a shovel to the neck.
4. An Unconventional Pizza Topping – Pizza with Extra Face
This is likely something that will never appear in the series due to its extreme brutality. In The Boys #11, the opening issue of the “Glorious Five Year Plan” story arc, the Boys travel to Russia in search of organized crime figures whom Butcher refers to as a “buncha bloody savages.” When they order pizza, they are horrified to discover a disturbing topping: the face of the delivery guy, as shown above. This gruesome detail underscores the savagery they are dealing with.
5. Blarney Cock’s Pet
Blarney Cock is one of the most bizarre and repulsive characters in the series, and we hope he remains absent from the TV adaptation due to his truly abhorrent nature. In The Boys #6, Hughie accidentally kills him, only for a hamster (or gerbil) to emerge from his rectum—a disturbing nod to the “gerbiling” myth used by homophobes to mock homosexuality, a notion debunked by scientists. Although Hughie decides to care for and save the little creature, the scene remains thoroughly revolting.
6. G-Wiz… They Really Live Up to Their Name
Surprise, surprise—the G-Wiz, a spin-off of the G-Men from the series, are as vulgar and brutal as their reputation suggests. Hughie gets an unpleasant firsthand experience of this while working undercover. In The Boys #27, during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, the G-Wiz encounter a very drunk man on the bathroom floor and proceed to urinate on him in front of a horrified Hughie. While the inebriated man seems to be oddly enjoying it, the scene remains deeply disturbing, and we hope it stays out of the series.
7. Kessler and His Monkeys
This isn’t the same Kessler featured in the series, although Joe Kessler, Butcher’s alter ego, was likely inspired by Howard Kessler from the comics. In the comics, Howard, nicknamed Monkey by Butcher, was a CIA agent who occasionally assisted the Boys, though not always out of genuine goodwill. You might be curious about the origin of his nickname. In one of the more bizarre backstories from The Boys #56, it’s revealed that Kessler once had his ears assaulted by two small green monkeys, who penetrated each ear from the sides. And believe us, this is just the start of Kessler’s eccentricities—so it’s probably for the best that Joe Kessler, rather than Howard, made it to the series.
8. Tek Knight’s Sex Drive Explained in the Most Bizarre Manner
Tek Knight was introduced in Season 4 of the series as an exceptional pervert, but the original comic book portrayal was even stranger and more bizarre. In the comics, Tek Knight’s insatiable sex drive is attributed to a tumor that compels him to engage in sexual acts with anything that has a hole. As he puts it, if it has a hole, he can… well, you can guess what he does. In The Boys #8, he even attempts to engage with his own butler inappropriately.
9. Frenchie’s brutality
Remember #3 and Butcher’s brutal actions? Frenchie can be just as ruthless. In The Boys #12, Frenchie goes on a rampage against a group of villains in a car. The scene culminates in a headless corpse next to a man with a machine gun jammed down his throat, while the car interior is drenched in blood and guts. Quite intense.
10. Butcher’s Wife Was Killed by Her Supe Baby from the Inside
In The Boys #6, it’s revealed that in the comics, Butcher’s wife was raped by Black Noir and became pregnant. As she neared childbirth, the “super fetus” killed her from within, leaving her intestines scattered around the room before it began to crawl out. Butcher then bludgeoned the creature with a lampstand. It’s pretty hardcore, right? Given this, the series’ take on Ryan seems almost tame by comparison. It’s clear why the writers chose to avoid this gruesome depiction in the show.
11. Butcher’s Ingenious Bomb-Planting Method
Little Nina is a secondary antagonist who remains alive in the series, but her fate in the comics was far less fortunate. In The Boys #14, Billy decides to eliminate the wicked mobster by planting a bomb in her vibrator—a toy she frequently uses. We’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
12. Hughie Had It Out for the Poor Blarney Cock
Blarney Cock met his end twice, both times at Hughie’s hands. While the vile character certainly had it coming, being featured on this list twice signifies just how depraved he was. After Blarney returns to life in The Boys #18, Hughie ultimately disposes of him by dropping him into a drum of oil and setting it ablaze to ensure he’s gone for good.
13. Homelander, A-Train, and Black Noir Assault Starlight as a Welcome Gift
We know that The Deep forced Starlight into providing him with oral pleasure in the series, which was his way of welcoming her to the Seven. And while everyone was disgusted by it, the comic book welcome was even more gruesome. Namely, Starlight was “welcomed” by Black Noir, A-Train, and Homelander, who raped the poor girl as a way of welcoming her into the group. The disgust remains, but the comic book scene was far more brutal, and we can understand why it was never shown on TV. The comic book scene happened in The Boys #3.
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