Black Noir Kills Homelander: Here Is What Happened

Black Noir, despite his minimalist approach in the TV adaptation of The Boys, is still one of the most popular characters in the series. On top of that, the series portrays him to be the most loyal friend to Homelander because he always seems to follow what the leader of The Seven tells him to do. That means that he is one of the most reliable members of The Seven, as far as Homelander is concerned.

But the fact of the matter is that, in the comics, Black Noir was enigmatic in a different way in the sense that there were no clues as to who he really was. It was later revealed that he was the one who ended Homelander’s life in what was the biggest twist in the comic book series. In that regard, we are here to look at how Black Noir kills Homelander and what really happened in the comics.

Who Is Black Noir In The Comics?

One of the most popular characters in The Boys is Black Noir because of the fact that he is a cool, mysterious, and stoic ninja that doesn’t say much but is capable of speaking through his actions. And the fact that he is a cool ninja that keeps his face hidden was discussed in season 3 of The Boys when his background story was explored.

In the live-action series, Black Noir is an African-American man that wanted to get rid of his mask because he wanted the people to know him. But in the attack by the Sandinistas and the Russians in the Contra base in Nicaragua, Black Noir got seriously injured. His face was burned and deformed, and he probably lost the ability to talk due to his injuries.

But while he may be a ninja that keeps his face hidden in the live-action adaptation of The Boys, Black Noir is a different character in the comics. At first, he was portrayed as the same stoic and silent character that’s dressed in all-black. Nevertheless, Black Noir isn’t a ninja in the comics but is just a man dressed in an all-black costume that keeps his face hidden. So, who is Black Noir in the comics?

It was only during the final parts of the comics of The Boys that Black Noir’s identity was finally revealed. This happened during a fight between Homelander and Billy Butcher. Before that, Homelander’s mental health had already deteriorated to the point that he was questioning his own sanity. He finally snapped and attacked the White House so that he could try to get some semblance of control over his life.

Butcher had to go to the White House to kill Homelander. As he and the powerful supe were about to engage in a fight, Black Noir suddenly appeared while laughing. This was the first time he uttered a sound in the comics while he was wearing his costume. At that moment, he revealed himself to be a clone of Homelander.

Black Noir revealed that he was created to be a clone of Homelander so that he could kill him if ever he were to go rogue. That was his only purpose in life, and that was the reason why he actually started the entire mess that led to Butcher hating Homelander.

The clone said that all of the crazy things that were attributed to Homelander were his actions. This included raping Butcher’s wife, killing innocent people, and even eating babies. Black Noir was so bored that he dressed up as Homelander and started doing horrible things so that people would think that the superhero had gone crazy.

Of course, if Homelander were to go rogue, that would speed up Black Noir’s life purpose of killing him. He essentially gaslighted Homelander into thinking that he was doing those horrible things. Black Noir was the one responsible for making Homelander believe that he had gone crazy. And it was all just because Black Noir was already too bored with his life that he wanted to fulfill the mission he was given when he was created.

The very reason why Butcher went on a mission to kill Homelander and eradicate the supes off of the planet was that Black Noir was simply bored. And this is where you will understand how completely different the Black Noir in the comics is from the one in the live-action series.

How Does Black Noir Kill Homelander In The Comics?

After Black Noir revealed himself to be Homelander, he forced the superhero to go into a mental breakdown where he began questioning his own existence. This eventually led to a fight between the two versions of the same character, as they began lasering each other, all while Billy Butcher was left looking at the fight between Homelander and Black Noir.

However, Black Noir was always meant to be stronger than Homelander because he was created to be the fail-safe or backup plan of Vought in case Homelander were to go rogue. After a laser spectacle between the two, Black Noir eventually killed Homelander by hitting him so hard on the face that he took out his jaw. It was that punch that killed Homelander, as Black Noir was also injured after the fight.

Billy Butcher took the opportunity to kill the man that started his entire crusade against the supes by pelting him with a Gatling gun. He finished Black Noir off by ripping his face with his trusty crowbar. 

Will Black Noir Also Kill Homelander In The TV Series?

At this point, it is tough to say whether or not Black Noir will also kill Homelander in the TV series. He has been a very mysterious character. Except for his past as a member of Payback and as a regular supe with a strong body, we know almost nothing about him or his motivations. He went completely mysterious after the injury he suffered in Nicaragua.

Nevertheless, we do know that Black Noir has been the most loyal supe to Homelander in the entire series because he was willing to do anything that the leader of The Seven told him to do. He did so without question, as Homelander actually treated Black Noir as a true friend instead of simply treating him as a lackey that he could manipulate and threaten.

This makes the entire story interesting because we don’t know what Black Noir could be planning. It was revealed in episode 6 of season 3 that he was the one responsible for giving Soldier Boy to the Russians, but that remains to be seen. Nevertheless, he did run away when he found out that Soldier Boy was still alive, as that could be a clue to what he did in the past and what he could be up to now.

In that regard, there is still a tiny possibility that he would end up killing Homelander, but in a different way because we all know that this is not the same Black Noir as the one in the comics, unless the show’s creators end up finding a way to change his character background. But we do believe that he won’t kill Homelander in the series because he might see his ultimate end at the hands of Soldier Boy, who is out for revenge against Payback.