‘The Boys’: Is Black Noir a Clone of Homelander in the Show?
One of the most intriguing characters in The Boys show is Black Noir because there is always something fascinating about silent ninjas that never show their faces. However, in the comics, he did show his face when he revealed that he was a clone of Homelander and was the main antagonist all along. This is something that wasn’t shown in the live-action series. So, is Black Noir a clone of Homelander in the show?
Black Noir is not a clone of Homelander in The Boys TV show. Instead, he is his own character and is actually an African-American male instead of a Caucasian. It can also be presumed that he is much older than Homelander because he was already a superhero for Payback in the 80s.
Arguably the biggest change from the comics to the live-action series is Black Noir because his identity and personality were all made to be different in the TV show. That’s why The Boys is becoming more unpredictable as it explores stories that comic book readers have never read. So, with that said, let’s get to know Black Noir in The Boys.
Who Is Black Noir In The Boys Comics?
There is no doubt that one of the most popular characters in the entire The Boys series is Black Noir, even though he is only playing a smaller supporting role than the rest of the characters. One of the things that make him very popular is the fact that he carries an air of mystique due to being a ninja character that never talks or shows his face. On top of that, he is the most skilled fighter in The Seven.
But while Black Noir may be popular, the thing that fans of The Boys should understand is that he is very different compared to what he is in the comics. There are still some similarities, such as their mysterious identities and stealthy nature. But the Black Noir in the comics is really just different from the one we have seen in the live-action series.
The difference between the two can be seen in the fact that Black Noir in the comics is actually just a clone of Homelander. He was created to be the fail-safe option for Vought in case Homelander were to go rogue. As such, he is just genetically the same as Homelander but has kept his identity a secret for the longest time.
Black Noir eventually revealed that he was Homelander’s clone during the final portions of the comics. He took off his mask and revealed to Homelander that he was the one responsible for all of the bad things that were happening. His motive was to convince the world that Homelander had gone rogue so that he could fulfill his mission.
So, in a sense, Black Noir in the comics is even more psychotic and crazy than Homelander, as he did the craziest things for the simple reason that he got bored of his life and wanted to fulfill the mission for which he was created. He was actually the main antagonist of the comic books.
Is Black Noir A Clone Of Homelander In The Show?
As established, the Black Noir in the comics of The Boys is simply a clone of Homelander created to kill him if he ever went rogue. So, does that also mean that the Black Noir in the show is also just a clone of Homelander?
Probably the biggest difference between the comics and the series version of The Boys in Black Noir because he was portrayed to be totally different compared from his counterpart in the comics. In fact, he is a completely different person in the live-action series, as the story of The Boys tends to be a bit different compared to what we have seen in the comics.
With that said, there were early hints in The Boys live-action show that point to the possibility that Black Noir could be a clone of Homelander. This was true during the events of season 1 when Black Noir remained as mysterious as ever. However, things changed during seasons 2 and 3 when more information regarding Black Noir was revealed. It was in season 3 when we finally saw that he was a completely different person.
Who Is Black Noir In The Boys Show?
It was established in season 3 that Black Noir used to be a member of the superhero group called Payback, which was active during the 80s and was led by the legendary supe named Soldier Boy. However, after Payback was disbanded, Black Noir found himself joining The Seven as the group’s resident mysterious ninja.
During season 3, Billy Butcher and The Boys were on a mission to find out more about the weapon that was said to be powerful enough to kill Soldier Boy, who was nearly as powerful as Homelander. In that regard, Butcher’s mission took him to Grace Mallory, who told him the backstory about what happened in a CIA operation in Nicaragua in 1984.
While Mallory was still with the CIA and was taking part in an operation that included the US assisting the Contra forces in Nicaragua, Payback arrived to participate. That was when we saw Black Noir without his mask as he was speaking with a younger version of Stan Edgar, who was yet to become the CEO of Vought.
In that conversation, Black Noir was revealed to be a regular-looking African-American male. He wanted to take off his mask for good because he wanted to show people who he was. Edgar didn’t agree with the idea because he believed that people were more into mysterious ninjas. But Black Noir still wanted to take his mask off anyway.
The Sandinistas attacked the Contra base as the Russians aided in the attack. This surprise attack was due to the carelessness of Swatto, one of the members of Payback. During the surprise attack, Black Noir got so injured to the point that his face got disfigured and burned. He was seen trying to reach his mask as if to show that he wanted to wear it to hide his face or that he regretted removing it because it could have kept his face protected during the attack.
Whatever the case may be, Black Noir has since been wearing the mask to hide his disfigured face. The injuries he suffered in that attack from the Sandinistas were so grave that he could not bear to reveal his face to the public anymore. It is also possible that he lost the ability to speak due to the injuries he suffered back then.
