The problem with following The Boys is that one minute you think you’ve seen all season 2 has to offer and – in an A-Train style blink of an eye – there’s enough to fill the vaults of Vought Seven times over.
But we’ve just about caught up from not only the Amazon Prime show’s big SDCC panel, plus all the fallout from it too.
We’ve got the latest and greatest quotes, news of a season 2 supplementary aftershow, and even what I can only describe as the most WTF clip in The Boys history down below. Which is saying something.
With September fast approaching, we’ve even put together a quick guide on everything you need to know about The Boys season 2. There’s a new release schedule for one thing, plus images, episode titles, and a diabolical tease from the likes of Karl Urban of what’s to come later in 2020.
So, put on the Spice Girls, grab a nice cold glass of milk, and soar through what you can expect from The Boys’ sophomore season.
The Boys brought the goods to a fairly subdued Comic-Con 2020. Not only was there a surprise season 3 announcement alongside news of an aftershow hosted by Aisha Tyler, we also got a completely OTT first look at one of The Boys season 2’s biggest scenes.
Yeah… that sorta speaks for itself?
We can expect things to get ramped up to a similar level as that clip in general. “Everyone is pushed to the limits in season 2,” showrunner Eric Kripke teased of the upcoming return. “We tried to make it more intense, crazier, more emotional, and with higher stakes.”
It’s even getting political up in here, as Kripke said, “We made it more edgy. We’re going after white supremacy in season 2. White nationalism in season 2. We’re going after systemic racism in season 2, and all of those things really effing suck.”
Interestingly, we’re also potentially getting a Butcher/Starlight team-up this year, while Butcher will soon find out how far he’ll go in his vendetta against Homelander: “Season 2 really becomes about saving [Becca],” Urban revealed. “How far is Butcher willing to sacrifice? It’s particularly pertinent coming off season 1 where Butcher would turn his back on the boys… there’s a certain evolution for Butcher in season 2 where he has some tough choices to make.”
The Boys season 2 release date is September 4, which is a little later than expected perhaps. Showrunner/creator Eric Kripke revealed as much during The Boys’ recent announcement stream, but there’s a catch.
Whereas the first season dropped all eight episodes at once, only the first three (of eight) episodes will be released on September 4. From thereon, it’s weekly. This is what it means for your viewing schedule:
There’s a new trailer for The Boys season 2 and, if you were uncertain that it would be as brutal as last year, you can rest easy knowing that this is looking like everything we could have wanted from a new season: more blood, more gore, and The Boys on the run.
Yep, those opposed to mega-corp Vought are now fugitives, with Billy Butcher going MIA entirely. We’ll find out what happened to Karl Urban’s lovably sweary Brit in an upcoming short film, though the new trailer also teases some other goings-on, not least of all Homelander’s unique “bonding” time with his son. Tat features him, uhh, throwing Homelander Jr. off a building. It’s presumably to test his powers, but who knows with this guy? Even worse: his love of breastmilk is still present. So, maybe forget about ordering shakes for a while?
The Boys “F*ckin’ Reunited” stream involving the entire cast not only came bundled with a release date announcement, but also the first three minutes of The Boys season 2 if you just can’t wait ’til September.
Soundtracked by The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” the sneak peek details a meeting with Vought CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito, who also appeared briefly in season 1 and will have a larger role this time around) and Secretary of Defense Robert Singer (Jim Beaver).
Elsewhere, Black Noir is shown violently dealing with Naqib, one of the terrorist Supes that sprung up at the tail-end of the first season. You can watch it now above over and over, a perfect way to whet the appetite before September. Speaking of which…
The Boys season 2 episode titles have seemingly been revealed
The Writers Guild of America West website has seemingly revealed what appears to be the first confirmation of all eight episode titles for The Boys season 2. Here they are, in alphabetical order. Bonus points for the Italian Job reference.
- Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker
- Nothing Like It In The World
- Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men
- Proper Preparation and Planning
- The Big Ride
- The Bloody Doors Off
- We Gotta Go Now
- What I Know
The Boys season 2 cast remains mostly the same – with a few key additions
The Boys season 2 cast is the same at its core, but there are a few newcomers to take note of.
Karl Urban (Billy Butcher), Jack Quaid (Hughie), Laz Alonso (Mother’s Milk), Karen Fukuhara (The Female), and Tomer Kapon (Frenchie) are all returning.
The Seven also remains intact: Erin Moriarty (Starlight), the terrifying Anthony Starr (Homelander), The Deep (Chace Crawford), and Queen Maeve (Dominique McGelliot) will be back and potentially form part of Vought’s fightback against Billy’s crew. Jessie T. Usher (A-Train) will also be up and running for season 2.
It’s Black Noir, though, who we should keep an eye on. The mysterious masked member of The Seven, played by Nathan Mitchell, is confirmed to appear in season 2 – but will play a much larger role. Karl Urban recently said he will feature in some “diabolical action,” while Anthony Starr says Black Noir is a “fucking force” in the upcoming episodes.
Two faces who appeared in The Boys season 1 should be part of the regulars in the season 2 cast. Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito, who made a brief cameo in the season 1 finale, will be returning as Vought supremo Mr. Edgar. “He will be a really important character in season 2,” series creator Eric Kripke told EW. He’ll be featuring in “four to five episodes.” It’s a big year for Esposito, as he’s set to be glowering his way through Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian season 2. But he could be at his menacing best here.
Plus, there’s a new superhero in town. As revealed by Kripke, The Boys season 2 will feature a fresh character in the form of Stormfront, played by Aya Cash, who is “on par or worse than Homelander,” according to Cash.
Cash also said Stormfront “matches” Homelander, though her comic book counterpart is a nasty Nazi. Judging by the rest of Vought’s super-powered stable, she’s probably not going to play nice, either. The first footage of her character was revealed on Twitter, and she’s certainly able to stand toe-to-toe with Homelander judging by their brief face-off, as well as being a whizz at social media. That’ll get her in Vought’s good books.
More fresh talent is also inbound. According to Deadline, Goran Visnijc will play “Alistair Adana, the charismatic and shadowy leader of a mysterious church,” and Claudia Domit is Victoria Neuman, a “young wunderkind congresswoman”
Patton Oswalt has also been confirmed. He’s in a “#SecretRole”. Eric Kripke has even hashtagged it, so you know it’s a big deal. Jim Beaver will also reprise his role as Secretary of Defense Robert Singer.
Thank you @pattonoswalt, that was AMAZING! #TheBoysTV #Season2 #[email protected] #TheBoys @PrimeVideo #SPNFamiIy pic.twitter.com/y47quxLCgROctober 17, 2019
Elsewhere, Shantel VanStanten, who plays Becca Butcher in the show, should also have a much larger role to play after The Boys season 1 ending rug-pull revealed that she has been raising Homelander’s child – not dead or missing like Billy had believed – for the past eight years.
It’s unlikely, however, that Elizabeth Shue will return as Madelyn Stilwell. Having laser holes for eyes will do that to you – though never say never in the world of supes and Compound V.
Kripke is looking beyond The Boys season 2, though. He recently gave Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan an informal job offer with an unknown role in season 3. Could we see those seeds being sown this year?
The Boys season 2 story: “No one is ready”
The Boys season 2 plot
Much of The Boys season 2 story will invariably deal with the aftermath of Homelander’s grand reveal, as well as charting the escape of Hughie, Frenchie, The Female, and Mother’s Milk now that they’re on the FBI hitlist. Kripke, though, has also offered up a slightly more light-hearted tease of what’s to come, including an appearance by producer Seth Rogen.
“In season 2, we’re filming a movie within a [show] called Dawn of the Seven,” Kripke explained to EW, “We’re all talking about wouldn’t it be great if Seth was one of the main characters of that movie [if] he was like the Agent Coulson of the group? If his schedule is clear, we’ll do that.”
Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie on the show, has teased even bigger stakes this time around. “No one is ready,” he tells ComicBook.com. “It’s just absolutely bonkers. I’ll just put it this way, the scale is a lot bigger. I think we’ve topped season one, in terms of insane moments that make you say ‘What the hell?’ I’ve done things this season that are definite firsts for me in my career, and I probably won’t do them again since.”
Quaid also echoed that hype in another interview. “We have gone so much further,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly. “No one is ready. Really. No one. I have done things this season I will never forget, [things] I’ve never done in my career and probably will not in the future.”
At CCXP, Anthony Starr (who plays Homelander) also revealed what we can expect from his character (via Collider): “It’s a very internal journey. It gets really fucking weird, and I can’t tell you what, but I’ve done some of the weirdest things I’ve ever done.” Let’s hope it doesn’t involve milk…
Karen Fukuhara (The Female) adds: [Show creator Eric Kripke] wants it to be big, more action, bigger sets, all of that. But he wanted every character to dive into their past. It just digs deeper.”
This was backed up by a recent appearance from much of the cast at the C2E2, where Urban said that “you’re going to love season two” (via ComicBook.com) and that Billy Butcher’s dog, Terror, will also make an appearance.
Watch the first The Boys season 2 trailer now
The Boys season 2 trailer is here nice and early. That can only be a good thing. Featuring buckets of blood, the moments immediately after The Boys season 1 ending, and plenty of OMG moments, you’re unlikely to see a better trailer all year. There are so many heart-stopping moments, that it can be difficult to keep up.
But here’s what we’ve gleaned from the trailer: Homeland Jr. is there alongside his dad. That spells trouble for Billy Butcher, who appears to have escaped his missing wife’s new home. Black Noir also appears to be getting more involved this season, while Starlight is getting roughed up by Homelander in another scene. Something tells me she isn’t out of Vought’s clutches just yet.
The Boys season 2 images are here: Billy Butcher, blood, and middle fingers
The Boys season 2 images
A handful of stills from The Boys season 2 have been released – and they’re not for the squeamish.
The first was shown off by Eric Kripke on his personal Twitter account. As you can see below, he’s standing alongside The Female, Hughie, and Mother’s Milk, all covered in blood, plus a suspiciously clean Frenchie. They’re all giving us the middle finger too. Cute.
A small token for #TheBoysTV fans. World’s first pic of #Season2. As you can see, we’re up to our old tricks. If you haven’t seen, JOIN US. Streaming now on @PrimeVideo @TheBoysTV #TheBoys #SPN #SPNFamily #Timeless pic.twitter.com/3z29mVBfNlAugust 10, 2019
Karl Urban has also posted an image to social media, essentially confirming he isn’t dead (yet) despite being in Homelander’s sights come season 1’s end. He’s well and truly Butchered, according to the caption, and is sporting a nasty bloodied head. Let’s hope the show’s return mirrors these images and doesn’t skimp on the red stuff.
Finally, there’s The Female looking ponderous with Urban’s Billy Butcher. The character, played by Karen Fukuhara, should have a more extended role next time around.
The Boys season 2 premiere is “better than I ever could’ve hoped it would be,” says Seth Rogen
Two of the show’s main producers have already watched an early cut of the season 2 premiere and shared their thoughts.
“We just watched the first episode of the second season this week.,” producer Seth Rogen said in a recent interview with Collider. “It was a wonderful thing as producers. This is way better than I ever could’ve hoped it would be.”
Fellow producer Evan Goldberg likewise said: “Immediately, it just looks a bit better, feels bigger, the actors all know what they’re doing.” Rogen added: “They already have more resources for the second season. They’re adding more characters, the scope of the show organically grows as the show continues.”
The Boys season 2 episode count has been confirmed
The Boys season 2 episode count
Episode counts are a funny thing. Overshoot it and you can end up with a bloated, flabby season – a common complaint about Netflix’s Marvel output. With The Boys season 1 being such a roaring success with its eight-episode run, it may have been tempting for Amazon to ask for more episodes for season 2. That’s not the case. Kripke told Collider’s Steven Weintraub that season 2 will also be eight episodes.
