Black Noir vs. Soldier Boy: Who Is The Stronger Supe?

What we learned in episode 6 of The Boys is that it was actually Black Noir who orchestrated the mutiny of Payback against their former leader, Soldier Boy. While we are not yet privy to the reason why Black Noir did that, we do know that both him and Soldier Boy are actually quite strong and able to stand up against any other supe not named Homelander. But who between Black Noir and Soldier Boy is the stronger supe?

Soldier Boy is by far stronger than Black Noir. His strength and durability are close to Homelander’s, and that means that Black Noir is far below him in that regard. On top of that, Soldier Boy is a walking nuclear bomb that could kill supes or take away their power. Black Noir simply has no chance against him.

Probably the only area where Black Noir is better than Soldier Boy is his combat skills because he needs to be a good fighter as a ninja assassin character. That said, there is a reason why Black Noir ran away from Vought after learning that Soldier Boy was still alive, as he could be afraid of him. Nevertheless, let’s look at who between Black Noir and Soldier Boy is stronger.

Strength

Black Noir seems to have the same kind of augmented strength that most of the other supes have in the sense that he can easily lift things that no regular human can lift. He is also stronger than most other supes because he could overpower Starlight, who is actually quite strong herself. Black Noir was even strong enough to knock Queen Maeve out back in episode 5 of season 6. He is probably somewhere close to Maeve’s level, who is said to be second to Homelander in The Seven.

Soldier Boy was Homelander before Homelander was even around. He is said to be almost as strong as Homelander, and he was able to display his immense strength when he was able to match Homelander’s own strength in their first fight in episode 6. That means that he is far above any other supe in terms of his strength, as he and Homelander are simply at a different level when it comes to their strength.

Black Noir is strong, but he doesn’t have the same kind of strength level that Soldier Boy has. Soldier Boy is right up there with Homelander in terms of how strong he is, and that’s why he became a threat the moment he got back from Russia.

Black Noir 0, Soldier Boy 1

Durability

One of the things that Black Noir has been able to display since season 1 is his immense durability. He is capable of taking attacks from strong supes like Kimiko and Starlight without getting injured too much. In many ways, his durability is similar to the durability of the other supes because of how he is capable of taking damage without getting injured. But he is not invincible as he can still get hurt, as evidenced by the fact that his face got deformed after he survived the Russian attack in Nicaragua.

Soldier Boy is immensely durable and is said to have the same kind of durability that Homelander has. He is impervious to almost any kind of damage and can withstand attacks from Homelander himself. Soldier Boy also spent decades getting experimented on by Russian scientists that used all sorts of different things to try to hurt him but failed to even show signs of injury on the part of the supe. In that regard, he is one of the most durable supes in the world of The Boys.

Like a lot of other supes, Black Noir is durable and can withstand damage. But the fact is that they are still levels below both Soldier Boy and Homelander, who are just as durable as each other.

Black Noir 0, Soldier Boy 2

Combat Skills

If there’s an area where Black Noir stands out, it is in combat. He is a master assassin that’s capable of killing people quickly and efficiently. Black Noir is an expert combatant thanks to his mastery of martial arts. That means that he is one of the most skilled supes when it comes to close combat and is probably right up there alongside Queen Maeve in terms of his abilities as a hand-to-hand fighter or weapons expert.

Soldier Boy is like Homelander in the sense that he is a straight-up brawler because he has never needed to develop combat skills. He must have experienced military training in the past, but he has never displayed his mastery over any kind of martial arts because he never needed to. Soldier Boy could kill people with his bare hands without using any weapons or martial arts, and that’s why he is yet to showcase his expertise as a great fighter.

Black Noir is arguably the best fighter in The Boys because of his mastery of martial arts. He may not be as strong as Soldier Boy, but he could still find a way to make life hard for the legendary supe by using his expertise as a close-combat fighter to good use.

Black Noir 1, Soldier Boy 2

Power

Black Noir is probably similar to a lot of other supes in the sense that he doesn’t have a lot of special powers. Aside from his enhanced strength, durability, and reflexes, he does have better senses than any other supe aside from Homelander. On top of that, he also has a regenerative healing factor that allows him to heal quicker than other supes but not at the same rate as Kimiko, who could heal from almost any kind of injury in an instant. That said, Black Noir’s powers are more suited to his style as an assassin.

Soldier Boy used to be quite simple in terms of his powers because he only had augmented strength and durability that were far superior to what any other supe had during his time. However, after he got kidnapped by the Russians and became the subject of their experiments, he acquired the ability to blast nuclear energy from his body. This energy is strong enough to cremate people and supes alike. And if supes were to survive this attack, it was able to take away their powers, as that was what happened to Kimiko.

The lack of powers on Black Noir’s part is what could possibly hinter him in a fight against Soldier Boy, who became a walking nuclear bomb after returning from Russia. At this point, Soldier Boy’s powers could kill any supe or, at the very least, take away their powers.

Black Noir 1, Soldier Boy 3

Experience

Black Noir has been an active supe since the 80s or probably earlier than that because he was a member of Payback, the very same supe team that Soldier Boy led back in the 80s. That means that he was the most experienced member of The Seven before Stormfront joined the team. However, after the entire Nazi mess with Stormfront, Black Noir became the most experienced member once more. He is also quite experienced in the sense that he is often the one sent out on dangerous missions that involve underground operations.

Soldier Boy is just like Captain America in the sense that he has been alive since the 1920s and was actually a soldier during World War II. That means that he has seen more fights and battles than anyone else in The Boys. After he fought the Germans in WWII, he even went on to become an active supe that fought all kinds of enemies like the Russians. In that regard, he is the most experienced supe in existence.

Black Noir was probably up there in terms of his experience, but Soldier Boy’s return changed all that because, even though he was able to earn nearly 40 years of experience during Soldier Boy’s absence, his experience still doesn’t hold a candle to the legendary supe’s age.

Black Noir 1, Soldier Boy 4