The Boys season 2 will put the characters under increased pressure. The popular Amazon series offers a twist on the traditional superhero story. Instead of those with powers being inherently good, they’re morally corrupt. Known as the Seven, the superhero team needs to be kept in check by the Boys, a group of vigilantes that includes Billy Butcher (Karl Urban). As the team’s leader, he often goes toe-to-toe with the Seven’s Homelander (Antony Starr). The Boys is also notable for crafting a more irreverent take on comic books than one might see from Marvel or DC.
The strategy has clearly worked for Amazon. The Boys is one of the streamer’s most-watched shows, with season 1 earning largely positive reviews. Season 2 will premiere on September 4, while season 3 has already been ordered as well. In fact, though that season hasn’t even begun filming yet, many are excited about the casting of Supernatural‘s Jensen Ackles. He’ll play Soldier Boy, otherwise known as the original Superhero. However, season 2 has a lot to offer as well, including the introductions of Stormfront (Aya Cash) and Lamplighter (Shawn Ashmore). It will be interesting to see what The Boys has cooked up for the next couple of seasons.
Recently, creator and showrunner Eric Kripke offered a hint. In an interview with ComicBook, he spoke about the stress that came with crafting season 2, considering the success of season 1. He revealed his way of minimizing that was to take a different approach than some showrunners:
So I thought, I attack this season with like, ‘Okay, let’s not go bigger with, let’s go deeper. Let’s be more intense. Let’s corner all of our characters. Let’s put them all under the most pressure we possibly can.’ And then let’s see what comes out, and how they reveal new facets of who they are. And that you can keep doing season, after season, after season. So that was the goal.
Viewers won’t know for sure if Kripke’s strategy paid off until The Boys season 2 releases this week. However, it certainly seems like a smart approach. As the creator noted, the tendency is to increase the scope of a show with successive seasons. However, that often makes a series lose the very thing that made audiences fall in love with it in the first place. It’s a much more interesting narrative choice to look inward and put the pressure on the characters instead.
It also helps The Boys has already been renewed for season 3. Viewers will be able to go into season 2 with an open mind, knowing it won’t be the last run of episodes for the series. This should help them enjoy the intensity season 2 will bring and simply go along for the ride. Hopefully, Kripke’s comments about what the characters will face in The Boys season 2 have only increased anticipation for the upcoming episodes.
