Summary
- The Boys offers a unique take on superheroes, exploring consequences of super-powered beings in society.
- Characters like Hughie and Kimiko showcase a diverse range of powers and abilities within the show.
- The series features a variety of memorable supes, with unique strengths and weaknesses depicted throughout the seasons.
The Boys is based on a long-running comic series, but Prime Video’s adaptation is an intriguing idea that takes a slightly more measured approach to the deconstruction of the superhero genre, and this shows in The Boys powers. The show wrestles with questions like “What are the consequences of having super-powered superheroes in society with the everyday person?” and “What happens when superheroes aren’t all decent people and become more concerned about their celebrity status than the people they are supposed to protect?”
Viewers get an exploration of this when Hughie, an everyday human, watches his girlfriend torn apart as A-Train (a superhero) accidentally runs through her. While humans have their own strengths, there’s no denying that most of the supes are on another level. The Boys franchise continues to grow with more seasons and spin-offs, including a web series called Seven on 7, an animated series called Diabolical, and a live-action series called Gen V followed. What they have in common is The Boys powers that rivaled even the movies and shows from Marvel and DC.
35 Web Weaver Creates Webs
Web Weaver Disgusts With His Webslinging
Web Weaver is The Boys‘ answer to Spider-Man, but is a much less impressive super-powered person. He is shown to have a drug addiction and doesn’t seem to have any interest in using his powers in any meaningful way. In fact, the most useful thing about him in his brief appearance on the show is his costume, which Hughie uses to sneak into a supe gathering.
The only time his power is really seen is when he is nervous. When confronted by Homelander about being the potential leak in Vought, Web Weaver’s nerves cause him to “vomit” webs out of his web-shooter on his back. It is a disgusting display of superpowers and Web Weaver is killed before he is ever shown to use the powers in a meaningful way. It’s likely he could use his webs to trap enemies and perhaps swing like Spider-Man, but that is never seen.
34 Firecracker Makes A Lackluster Spark
Firecracker’s Powers Don’t Wow
Firecracker is introduced in season 4 of the series as a powerful new supe. However, her power does not come from her actual super abilities, but rather her ability to inspire a certain kind of person to follow her. She manipulates people’s insecurities and fears, using conspiracy theories and lies to bolster narratives that impassion the angry mob. She is also talented at making herself useful to Homelander, even at the cost of her own health.
However, when it comes to her superpowers, Firecracker is one of the most lackluster ever seen on the show. She can generate a spark by snapping her fingers, and it is hard to see where that would ever come in handy. In fact, she is seen using a gun to kill people rather than her powers. It makes sense that she feels the need to find a new purpose, given that her powers aren’t going to do her any favors.
33 Hugh Campbell Sr. Can Phase Through Things
Walking Through Walls And People
As The Boys continues on, audiences have seen more and more human characters getting superpowers. In season 4, Hughie’s father has a stroke and is brought back from a coma and certain death with the help of some Compound V. As to be expected, the drug also gives him superpowers, as Hughie Sr. can suddenly phase through walls — and people.
The power is something that has been seen before, such as with the X-Men character of Kitty Pride. Being able to walk into anywhere can be handy, but The Boys also shows how it can be used to kill people, with Hughie Sr. walking through people and reaching into their chests to pull out their hearts. There is also the added complication that Hughie Sr. still has brain damage, making it so he cannot understand any of this and is more of a danger without knowing it.
32 Termite Can Shrink
Small But Mighty
There are several powerful variants of Marvel’s Ant-Man across superhero media, but Termite seems to do the least with his incredible ability. Termite was the central figure in season 3’s shocking opening episode, and it set the tone that he’d rather use his powers for leisure than combat. Termite doesn’t appear to be able to grow as Ant-Man can, but a tiny person that retains strength could still cause damage.
The only times that Termite is seen using his powers are to aid in his sex life and run away when he’s in trouble.
He is shown to be difficult to catch when in his shrunken form, giving him a big advantage over his enemies. Unfortunately, the only times that Termite is seen using his powers are to aid in his sex life and run away when he’s in trouble. He also proved that, like most insects, he is easy to deal with once he is caught. Termite is killed unceremoniously in the episode “Herogasm,” so his potential will go unfulfilled.
31 Popclaw Has Enhanced Strength And Razorsharp Retractable Claws
Popclaw’s Feline Fury
Popclaw was A-Train’s semi-secret girlfriend. While she is an actress, she doesn’t have the celebrity status of the Seven. She possesses extreme strength and sharp claws that she can use to fight, though she does work out to increase her strength. The claws make for an intimidating weapon, making her seem like a female version of Marvel’s Wolverine.
Viewers don’t get many scenes of Popclaw in fighting mode, but she easily killed her landlord when they were engaged in a sexual act, which proved her strength. It would have been interesting to see how she handled herself in a fight, but perhaps as a sign that she wasn’t ready for the big leagues, she is easily disposed of by a more powerful hero. A-Train was able to take her out quickly without much trouble with the help of his super speed and an overdose of Compound V.
30 Zoe Neuman Releases Deadly Tentacles From Her Mouth
Young Zoe Is Hiding More Teeth
Zoe is one of the youngest supes to ever be seen on the show and is surprisingly formidable for her age. It is a shocking reveal when this little girl shows off her abilities, opening her mouth and allowing deadly tentacles to spring out and attack her enemies. It is something similar to what is seen with the ca, Goose, in the Captain Marvel movies, but much deadlier and bloodier.
While the tentacles are effective at ripping people apart, Zoe herself doesn’t seem to be very strong. In the season 4 finale, when Butcher reveals his own tentacle powers, he is able to easily swat Zoe away when she tries to attack, proving that she is still just a little girl, no matter how impressive her abilities are. Perhaps the show will see that strength evolve a little more in The Boys season 5.
29 Ezekiel Can Stretch Every Part Of His Body
Elastic Man
Although not in the Seven, Ezekiel has ties with them as we see Homelander and Starlight at his religious function. His celebrity status comes from him being the leader of a large Christian group, which benefits his position with Vought. Apart from this celebrity status, his power is extreme elasticity.
Like Marvel’s Mister Fantastic, Ezekiel can stretch his limbs to extreme lengths in all directions. He is also very close to Homelander, which is a power in itself. While his superpower was initially just seen as somewhat gross, season 4 of The Boys allowed the chance to see Ezekiel in action when he used his powers to fight Butcher. He proved to be powerful and ruthless, nearly choking Butcher to death with his elongated arm. However, this was the extent of his power display, as he was brutally killed by an unexpected display of even more power.
Mesmer’s Mental Manipulation
Mesmer once was part of a previous superhero team and has become somewhat of a celebrity. He was a child star, headlining his own series only to fade from popularity as an adult. He wants to get back into A-Train and Homelander’s inner circle, and that is what dampens his power. While his power is incredible, as he can read minds by touching any part of someone, his desperation makes him weaker.
He doesn’t read his superhero acquaintances or the urgency of his human allies well. In addition, he believes that one mind-reading represents the whole person, not realizing that people can change and develop connections (i.e. his estranged daughter). It is used more as a party trick for Mesmer to hold onto some of his fame, but it gets used ironically as he is able to read Butcher’s mind about how he is going to kill Mesmer before doing so in a brutal fashion.
27 Doppelgänger Is Able To Completely Transform His Body
A Shape Shifter
Doppelgänger first appeared in season 1 when he worked with Madelyne Stillwell to help blackmail corporate rivals. After first posing as a beautiful woman, he engaged in a sexual act with a senator before transforming into an overweight man to get some compromising photographs. However, he is likely best remembered for how Homelander put his shapeshifting powers to use.
Doppelgänger was kept away at a secluded cabin by Homelander, where he was forced to use his shapechanging abilities to transform first into Madelyn and then into Homelander himself to engage in sexual activity and act as his closest companion. Similar to Mesmer, this power comes in useful for certain things but doesn’t really help Doppelgänger in a fight. It is also shown that he is unable to hold a disguise for an extended period without causing himself a lot of pain.
26 Hughie Campbell Can Teleport
Hughie’s Teleportation Talent
Hughie may have started out as the most naive doe-eyed member of The Boys, but that all changed in season 3 when he started taking doses of Temp V. As of now, there’s no way to predict what powers will manifest with this temporary version of the super serum, and Hughie ended up being able to teleport.
This has certainly come in handy both while fighting and engaging in more stealth-based operations, but they also don’t make him a top-tier fighter.
Hughie doesn’t seem to have been granted any increased durability, so he still needs to avoid direct hand-to-hand combat. Instead, the powers seem to fit Hughie’s typical way of dealing with conflict and danger as they allow him to make a quick getaway while also being able to get his friends and loved ones out of danger quickly. It is also fitting that, even with superpowers, Hughie can be the butt of the joke as the teleporting makes him lose all of his clothes.
25 Splinter Can Duplicate Himself
Clone Warrior
Splinter is introduced as Firecracker’s endlessly devoted sidekick and follower, but his powers are much more impressive than her own. Splinter is a supe team all by himself as he can split and duplicate himself into exact copies. As is expected with The Boys, this is first seen to be used for a disgusting sex act, but Splinter does prove himself to be a formidable enemy.
When fighting The Boys, he is able to take them all on, while Firecracker herself proves rather useless. While his duplicates can be killed somewhat easily, they simply return to his body so he can regenerate new copies. However, Splinter is vulnerable because if the original dies, then the others cannot duplicate. As such, he makes for an admirable enough opponent for The Boys, but they are ultimately able to kill him off fairly quickly.
24 The Deep Can Speak To Fish And Has Enhanced Strength
The Deep’s Oceanic Abilities
The Deep is portrayed as initially a “good” guy, but then his terrible true colors are shown as he takes advantage of the newcomer, Starlight. This sets The Deep up to be one of the most disgusting and self-involved supes on the show, even using his unique powers for his own gratification. Characters like Aquaman have shown that communicating with aquatic life can indeed be a formidable power, but The Deep has made it hard to take these abilities seriously.
In season 3, The Deep’s powers are made even more of a joke as he only uses them to express his bizarre form of sexuality. The Deep may not have the strongest powers, but he could certainly get more out of them than he is if he wanted to. One instance of his showing his potential was attacking The Boys’ boat with an army of sea creatures.
23 Black Noir Has Enhanced Strength And Durability
Silent But Deadly
Black Noir is the most mysterious of the Seven, as he doesn’t even open up to his other teammates for reasons that are unknown until the events of season 3. Suffering from severe brain damage after an altercation with Soldier Boy in their Payback days, Noir is left as a largely amoral assassin who can still put up quite the fight.
It was revealed in the second season of The Boys that the master martial artist not only wielded incredible strength but was also incredibly durable and nearly impossible to kill. He is shown to take on some formidable enemies, such as Kimiko, and emerges largely unscathed. However, he is not the most powerful member of The Seven, as it turns out, as Homelander ultimately kills him for keeping the truth about his father a secret.
22 Translucent’s Diamond Hard Skin Renders Him Invisible
Translucent’s Invisible Threat
In the opening scene of the first episode, two teenagers debate whether Translucent or the Deep would win in a fight. It is true that Translucent and the Deep seem almost equally matched, though the former seems more aggressive with his abilities. Translucent is invisible which proves to be an asset in a fight as he is able to evade Butcher and get the upper hand, nearly killing him.
Once the secret of his skin was cracked, Translucent was pretty vulnerable.
Even more impressive than his ability to turn invisible is what he is able to withstand when he is in this form. The Boys search for various methods to penetrate his skin, which becomes incredibly durable. However, once the secret of his skin was cracked, Translucent was pretty vulnerable. With a bomb implanted inside of him, The Boys find a way to get around the super skin and Translucent proves he is vulnerable after all as the first supe to die on the show.
21 The Shapeshifter Takes The Form Of Other People
Shapeshifter Could Be Anyone
Like Doppelganger, Shapeshifter is a supe who has the power to look like anyone else. Their powers are a little more disgusting as they have to peel off their current skin to take on the new disguise, which also makes it a less time-effective power. However, while Doppelgånger only uses his power to blackmail people and please Homelander, Shapeshifter shows the true danger behind the power.
Shapeshifter is able to infiltrate The Boys by taking the place of Starlight. They can do this simply by briefly touching the skin of a person, and they not only look like them but also inherit their thoughts to pull off the deception perfectly. This allows for Shapeshifter to be an ideal assassin, nearly taking out the President of the United States single-handedly. Shapeshifter is also super strong and formidable in a fight, killing several Secret Service agents with ease while showing his reaction to their gunfire.
20 Kenji Miyashiro Has Deadly Telekinetic Hands
Kenji’s Telekinetic Terror
Kimiyo’s brother Kenji Miyashiro was mentioned in the first season, though he didn’t make his debut until the second season as the mysterious Supe-Terrorist who was given his abilities by the same organization that transformed his sister. However, while Kimiyo was able to escape with the help of the Boys, Kenji was conscripted and manipulated to work with the Shining Light Liberation Army with his powerful telekinetic hands, which made him a deadly threat.
These powers are first shown when he is able to lift an entire boat and throw it, showing an incredible display of strength. When he encounters The Boys, he continues to be an impressive new supe, nearly bringing an entire store down on the heroes. He is even able to step up to Homelander, bringing a sewer system down on the supe’s head. However, once Stormfront brutally breaks his hands, Kenji is left powerless and easily killed.
19 The TNT Twins Can Shoot Lasers From Their Hands
The TNT Twins’ Explosive Power
The TNT twins were a pair of young siblings that fought with Soldier Boy back in his Payback days, but they haven’t maintained any control over their abilities as they’ve aged. The two host Herogasms, and when Soldier Boy arrives, it’s clear that the two don’t like each other anymore and haven’t used their powers in years. In fact, the only display of their power is shown in old movies they starred in and a cartoon version of Payback’s time in Vietnam.
When they need them most, all the twins can muster from their powers is a sad little fizzle. Even at their strongest, though, they’re severely limited by their powers, requiring the two to hold hands to function. They are a perfect example of how these supes seem impressive when they are fighting crime, but those powers and their ability to wield them effectively can fade over time.
18 Lamplighter Can Control Fire
Lamplighter’s Fiery Abilities
The character known as Lamplighter was an original member of the Seven in the original The Boys comic series, though he was absent from the team and only mentioned a few times during the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation. However, the character debuted in the second season, where his pyrokinetic abilities to control fire and his past with both the Seven and the Boys were revealed.
Lamplighter’s powerful abilities were put to use eradicating Supes at the Sage Grove Center, showing how even seemingly powerful supes don’t stand a chance against the power of his flame. In fact, even Lamplighter himself was not immune to the heat he could generate using only a lighter. Confronted with the idea that he is a failed supe, Lamplight sets himself ablaze in Vought Towers, burning himself to a crisp.
17 Crimson Countess Can Shoot Explosive Energy Balls
Crimson Countess’ Explosive Power
Crimson Countess is past her combat prime by the time she appears in season 3 of The Boys, but she still packs quite a punch. The Countess is able to summon red, glowing orbs from her hands that fire at enemies and destroy anything they contact in a massive explosion. This is seen to be used to great effect both in the show’s modern timeline and in Payback flashbacks, but the ability does come with one major drawback.
The Countess can only use her abilities when she brings her hands together, so she’s rendered defenseless if her arms are restrained. When she is introduced in the show, she is shown to be something of a washed-up supe, performing on webcams for high-paying customers. While she might still have been formidable, she had the bad luck of being targeted by Soldier Boy, who makes quick work of her.
16 Cate Dunlap Can Control People’s Minds
Cate Dunlap’s Mental Domination
Cate Dunlap has one of the most powerful The Boys powers, but there are limits to it. Introduced into The Boys universe in Gen V, she is a student at God U, and she can control the minds of others. The most powerful character in this universe has mind control powers (Mindstorm), but Cate’s limitations keep her from coming close to his level. She can control someone to fight for her or to put themselves in danger to eliminate them as a threat.
The biggest downfall is that her power drains her as she uses it, and she soon loses the ability to continue on in longer battles.
She is shown to be manipulative while insisting that she is doing the right thing. However, the biggest downfall is that her power drains her as she uses it, and she soon loses the ability to continue on in longer battles. She also has to be close enough to touch the person, so there are limitations, but she is still extremely powerful.
