It’s official: The Boys’ ever-expanding universe is now the Vought Cinematic Universe. And if you don’t understand why that’s diabolical, there’s a scene from the first episode that shows it’s at risk of becoming the very thing it hates on. Let’s not get it twisted: I love everything about The Boys. Season five has been one of the best so far, and its spinoff Gen V is as brilliantly original (and butt-clenchingly disgusting) as its predecessor. But the main reason it stands out in the superhero space is that it tears into exactly that. Just like Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comics on which it’s based, showrunner Eric Kripke has delivered a satirical take on modern America through consumerism final boss, Vought Inc. Vought is The Boys’ version of Disney – a cynical antidote to superhero fatigue in a show that’s never afraid to take a swing at the machine. Now, it feels like it’s starting to become the machine. The Boys’ Vought machine used to be purely fictional If you need proof, just look at The Boys season one episode one, when then-senior VP Madelyn Stillwell read to crowds at a Vought shareholder meeting, “It is without a doubt a good time to be in the superhero business. “Our net income is up 14%. Our latest film, G-Men: World War, just grossed shy of $1.7billion worldwide.” In a sinister, cynical tone, she goes on to highlight a brand new theme park in Paris, stating, “The branding opportunities are limitless.” It’s as subtle as a brick to the face – the joke is the Walt Disney conglomerate and the wider superhero industry that turns IP into cold hard cash. The satire only gets sharper as the show goes on, with every marketing phrase and fake movie trailer feeling painfully familiar. The Seven, assemble. It peaks in season four, when Vought lays out phases seven through 19 of its cinematic universe in “exhaustive detail”. The joke still lands, but with The Boys franchise only expanding, the self-aware elbow nudge is beginning to blur the lines. Credit: Prime Video While The Boys is ending with season five, there’s a potential third chapter of Gen V, Soldier Boy prequel Vought Rising is on the way, animated spinoff Diabolical has been and gone, and The Boys: Mexico is on the cards. Amazon clearly wants to keep the franchise going, and that’s fine. But it just needs to make sure it doesn’t cross the line into becoming a parody of itself. It’s something Kripke is well aware of. As he told IGN about the end of the flagship series, “Look, you want to go out before people are sick of you, and you want to go out on top, and you always want to leave them wanting more. And so I think it’s the right time.” But according to entertainment journalist Jack Shepherd, Amazon told him that the franchise is officially titled the Vought Cinematic Universe. It’s walking a fine line, and the studio needs to make sure the creators continue to make the creative decisions. If not, the joke stops becoming a joke – and it’ll be a problem even Ashley’s PR machine can’t get around. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Prime Video Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
