The Boys Season 5: Every Major Way the Main Characters Are Different In the Comic Books, Explained

The Boys Season 5 is halfway through, and fans of the show who haven’t read Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comics would be surprised to know the number of changes showrunner Eric Kripke has made to the Prime Video series. While watching the final season of The Boys, this gives us a chance to dive into the main characters of the show and explore their differences from the comics.

From a frighteningly different Homelander to a shorter Hughie, here are major ways the main characters are different in the comics. We’ll start the list off with the one and only Butcher.

1 Butcher Has V From the Get-Go

Looking at the comics, Butcher has Compound V injected into him from the outset, giving him superhuman strength and durability to fight supes on an equal footing. The show waits until Seasons 3 and 4 to give Butcher superpowers with Temp V (with lethal side effects). The comics depict a monstrous Butcher whose hatred of all supes makes him genocidal and manipulative in ways the show has barely scratched.

2 Hughie Is a Short British Simon Pegg

Hughie was envisioned with British actor Simon Pegg in mind, giving him the exact likeness of the Shaun of the Dead star in the comics. Funnily enough, Pegg plays Hughie’s dad in The Boys Prime Video series. The comics give Hughie Compound V from his very first mission, putting him at superhuman levels like Butcher. Hughie’s first kill happens when he accidentally impales Teenage Kix member Blarney Cock, and not Translucent.

3 Homelander Is More Sadistic and Sinister

Just when you thought the Homelander wasn’t evil enough, the comics portray him as a downright lunatic s*x predator whose antics are far more violent and graphic than the shows. The show gives his character more nuance by psychologically exploring his various complexes as a study on narcissism, politics, and superhero paternal figures.

4 Starlight Has Less Agency as a Supe

While both the comics and show depict her as a Christian girl who becomes traumatized after joining the Seven, Starlight is often used as a vehicle for Ennis’ commentary on religion and misogyny. In contrast, the show gives her more main character arcs in the fight against Homelander while she lives up to superhero ideals.

5 Mother’s Milk Has Powers From V-Breast Milk

The name Mother’s Milk was derived from his powers being conceived when fed with V-laced breast milk. He is dependent on this in the comics, but the show changes this origin name to a symbolic nurturer. The comics portray him with serious strength, who routinely has all-out brawls with other supes.

6 Frenchie Is Enhanced by Compound V

Frenchie is known as The Frenchman in the comics, enhanced by Compound V to become an ultraviolent supe. The show gives us a softer and more complex Frenchie with a troubled past, but the comics do not hesitate to make him an erratic and impulsive fighter with superhuman strength. In the comics, Frenchie is a former military agent, but the show reimagines this as a former hitman.

7 Kimiko Is Known as The Female

For a majority of the comics, Kimiko has no name apart from being known as The Female, who does not speak. She moonlights for the mob when she doesn’t go on missions with the Boys as part of several enhanced teams. Her origin backstory is also different: as a kid in the comics, she fell into a pile of discarded Compound V, but in the show, she’s a child soldier who was subjected to V experimentation.

8 Soldier Boy Is Cowardly and Ineffectual

The Soldier Boy we’ve known and come to love is radically different in the comics, portrayed as a loser desperate to join The Seven. He is quickly broken by Butcher during a mission and lies about his military service. The show has reimagined him as a Captain America-esque parody of a supersoldier who served in World War II.

9 Ryan Butcher Goes Unnamed and Killed Young

Ryan Butcher is introduced as Homelander and Becca’s secret son, playing a crucial role in Season 5 of The Boys. However, in the comics, he is a baby born with natural powers and kills his mother during childbirth. The process gravely injures Butcher, who murders him without giving the child a name.

10 The Deep Can Actually Fly

The Deep in the comics is barely even a character, sidelined with just a few lines as an Aquaman parody. The key difference in physicality is that The Deep can actually fly in the comics, along with his oceanic powers. The show uses him as the comic punching bag, exploring the manosphere and various other social media parodies.

Here is a summary of the characters discussed, along with their comic characteristics that are not in the show.

CharacterChanges

Billy Butcher	Has Compound V from the start in comics, making him superhuman immediately.
Hughie Campbell	British, short, and given Compound V from his very first mission.
Homelander	Far more violent and graphic predator with no nuance.
Starlight	Used mainly as a vehicle for commentary on religion and misogyny in comics.
Mother’s Milk	Has actual superpowers from V-laced breast milk in comics and physically brawls with supes.
Frenchie	Enhanced by Compound V in comics and is an erratic, ultraviolent fighter.
Kimiko	Fell into discarded Compound V as a child rather than being a test subject.
Soldier Boy	A cowardly loser desperate to join The Seven in comics.
Ryan Butcher	Kills his mother during childbirth and unnamed.
The Deep	Can actually fly and is sidelined for most of the comics.

The Boys will end with Season 5, tying up all narrative arcs (hopefully) that the comics and show have introduced. If things go according to the comics, then we are in for a brutal and rough ride to the end. Here are commonly asked questions about the main characters from the comics.

What’s your most shocking revelation in the changes? Let us know in the comments.

The Boys Season 5 is currently streaming on Prime Video.