As The Boys season four airs on Prime Video, its first episode left viewers with Easter eggs, teasing some familiar characters from the comics that have similarities to a couple of well-known Marvel superheroes. According to Comicbook.com, these references appeared quickly on-screen, making them easy to miss but noticeable to the show’s fanbase.
There will be spoilers for The Boys season four ahead to give context for the Easter eggs. In this new season, Homelander, played by Antony Starr (Outrageous Fortune, Wish You Were Here), is assigned by Vought CEO Ashley Barret, played by Colby Minifie (Fear the Walking Dead, Jessica Jones), to restore Vought’s star superhero team, The Seven. Once superheroes Queen Maeve, played by Dominique McElligott (Leap Year, Moon), and Starlight, played by Erin Moriarty (Captain Fantastic, Blood Father), left the group, The Seven “is nowhere close to their namesake,” reports Comicbook.com. To fix this, Barrett gives Homelander a list of potential superheroes to fill as their replacements, who have some interesting cameos.
One of the names on the list is Dr. Peculiar, a play on Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Comicbook.com shares that in The Boys comics, “Dr. Peculiar is a supe that ran a brothel for other supes, something that could very well happen in the show as well, and since he kept meticulous files on the other supes’ proclivities he became a major source for Butcher and The Boys.”
Another name on the list is a character named Groundhawk, who has appeared in the animated series The Boys Presents: Diabolical. Comicbook.com continues that in the comics, “Groundhawk has a mask [eerily] similar to Wolverine’s and instead of claws on his hands he just has sledgehammers for hands,” drawing a reference to another one of Marvel’s characters. Groundhawk was voiced by John DiMaggio (Futurama, Adventure Time) in the animated series, but the character has not made a physical appearance in the live-action show.
Other references on the list include characters like Tek Knight, who was a character in Gen V season one; Dogknott, who parodies DC Comics Beast Boy of Teen Titans; and Talon, who draws on similarities from Lady Deathstrike, a Marvel villain, says Comicbook.com.
To follow up on The Boys, the first three episodes of season four were released on June 13th. New episodes will stream on Prime Video weekly until the July 18th finale via mxdwn.