Homelander is by far Vought's most popular supe in The Boys, but who was the company's top hero before him? The answer might surprise you...
The top super of boys before Watt introduced Homelander might not be what you think. Garth Ennis' original The Boys comic books and Amazon's live-action adaptation both placed one man and only one man in Watt's superhero hierarchy. By every conceivable measure, the Homelander is the company's top dog. He is their most powerful weapon, the leader of the Seven, their most marketable asset, and an unmatched political bargaining chip. Homelander clearly isn't a newcomer when The Boys debuts either—he's lauded the pack for a decade or so, if not longer. Based on dated footage from his childhood, we can roughly guess that Homelander debuted in the mid-2000s.
While churning out Compound-V heroes since World War II, we know that Voot has existed for a very long time. So, who was the company's highest-ranked Super before the arrival of Homelander? To most The Boys viewers, it seems wrong to imagine anyone other than Homie in that position, but a prime candidate should definitely be Soldier Boy. We know that Soldier Boy was active from WWII to the 1980s, starring in several films along the way, and a statue has been erected in his honor. Debuting in The Boys Season 3 and played by Jensen Ackles, Soldier Boy is also described as a "proto-homelander" with the same patriotic, all-American message.
The Boyz Now Reveals Watt's Top Super Before Homelander Actually Black Noir. In the episode "One Plus One Equals Two" of The Boys: Diabolical, Homelander (or "The Homelander," at this point) is featured for the first time Watt Debut. He has hired Black Noir as a mentor, describing Silent Super as a man he has admired throughout his life. This must mean that black noir has operated under Watt's employment since at least the early 1990s. The interior of Watt Tower is apparently covered in "black noir" merchandise, and Madeline Stillwell has even warned Homelander that noir would not want a competitor for its "number one spot".
Black noir isn't exactly the first super you'd imagine to top Watt's company-wide ratings. For starters, he doesn't even talk. That means no interviews, no proper media presence, limited charismatic appeal. Black Noir's powers are also pretty standard - superhuman strength, agility, durability, etc - nothing quite like the Homelander's impressive flight and laser eyes. Black Noir is as close to a polar opposite of Homelander as you'll find on Watt's books, so replacing Homie Noir as Watt's biggest star instead of Soldier Boy, Lamplighter, or Mr. Marathon is certainly a shock. . Perhaps The Boys: Diabolik's black noir popularity hinges on the real-world DC rivalry between Superman and Batman. If Homelander sups, noir sits close to the Dark Knight, and DC's top stars have faced (mostly) friendly popularity competition for nearly a century. Their real-life feud may have informed the decision to make Black Noir Homelander its immediate predecessor.
That's not to say that Soldier Boy wasn't the top super of Watt before Black Noir. From his statue, we know that Soldier Boy was retired/died in the 1980s, so he may have dominated the company's charts from the 1940s until the time Black Noir came to prominence. Noir's strong, silent appeal propelled him to stardom, but Watt wanted a more patriotic super in the Soldier Boy mold, thus Homelander was introduced, stealing Noir's mantra. What's particularly interesting is that Black Noir doesn't seem to particularly care either way. Instead of seeing the Homelander as a threat to his throne, Noir goes out of his way to help the inexperienced newcomer. It may be the same chilled-out guy as Noir, but this instantly friendly relationship between Seven Heroes could also be a factor in The Boys Season 3 — especially if, as rumors suggest, Noir is secretly a watt. has been replaced by the fraudster.