The Boys’ REAL Reason Why Homelander Only Trusts Black Noir

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3, episode 6

Homelander and Black Noir share a strange dynamic in The Boys – but not without good reason. The Boys season 3 finds Homelander in even more unhinged mental territory than usual, but Soldier Boy’s sudden return is the supe that breaks the Seven’s back. Vought’s former figurehead allegedly died a hero’s death in 1984, but now lurks on street corners blowing up buildings. Fearing a PR disaster, Homelander trusts no one… except Black Noir. In a strangely uncharacteristic moment of… friendliness? Homelander tells Noir, “I’m really glad to have you with me on this one pal… seriously, you’re the only one I can count on.”

The Boys already proved Black Noir was the sole Seven member Homelander respected during season 1’s Seven meeting sequence (“not you Noir, you’ve been great“) but the duo’s season 3 scene goes further by establishing a more personal bond between them. Homelander shows genuine vulnerability to Noir, expressing a gratitude precious few are lucky enough to witness, let alone receive. Renowned for treating other supes like personal play-things, Homelander’s BFF relationship with Black Noir is seriously weird. Appreciating professional work ethic is one thing, but for Homelander to expose his humanity in front of another supe like this indicates some serious interpersonal history…

Homelander’s reliance upon Black Noir is fully explained by The Boys Presents: Diabolical‘s “One Plus One Equals Two,” which Eric Kripke (The Boys showrunner) has confirmed is canon to season 3. Set during Homelander’s public debut, Black Noir is Vought’s number one supe of the day, and the Silent Knight’s popularity makes the red, white and blue newcomer extremely jealous. Determined to prove himself superior to Noir, an over-enthusiastic Homelander botches a relatively routine mission. Panicking in the midst of his mess, Homelander is approached by Black Noir who immediately takes control of the situation, covers his rookie colleague’s bloody tracks, and makes everything okay. Noir helped Homelander reach the dizzying heights of Vought’s top spot, and Homelander has trusted his shadowy friend completely ever since.

The Boys’ REAL Reason Why Homelander Only Trusts Black Noir

Flapping about Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3, Homelander pings right back to being that scared, anxious newcomer from The Boys Presents: Diabolical. Black Noir got him through that predicament, so it’s only natural Homelander acts so deeply reliant and sounds so unusually effusive toward his old mentor during The Boys season 3’s Soldier Boy crisis. Homelander falls back on Black Noir like a regular person might turn toward an older sibling, and it speaks volumes about Homelander’s gargantuan ego that the only person he connects with on a meaningful level is unable to talk back…

Black Noir is an emotional defense mechanism for Homelander in The Boys – but it’s harder to see what Noir is getting from their friendship. Any other supe in Noir’s position would’ve let Homelander flounder and retained his status as Vought’s greatest star. Perhaps the Seven’s resident ninja feels more comfortable as a second-in-command answering to a higher authority, rather than being the authority. First there was Soldier Boy, then came Homelander… Is having a patriotic leader just Black Noir’s comfort zone?

Homelander is delighted to have Black Noir by his side after years of one-way cooperation, but as that elevator scene proves, Soldier Boy might be the one problem that breaks their unconventional loyalty. According to the TNT twins, Payback’s Silent Knight was the mastermind behind betraying Soldier Boy in Nicaragua, so seeing his ex-leader’s miraculous return is probably haunting Black Noir even more than it’s vexing Homelander (not that he’d show it). As the one Seven member he trusts goes AWOL, Homelander will surely fall even deeper into his Soldier Boy malaise as The Boys season 3 continues, making irrational choices, suffering violent outbursts, and letting his inner villain seize control.