One The Boys Scene is Not Just Sad, It's Downright Devastating

Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Eric Kripke's The Boys is a sharp and frank satire of both superheroes and the capitalist world where big companies manipulate people's opinion to make profits. The show doesn't shy away from portraying the superhuman characters comically, making fun of their cynicism, greed for profit, and authoritarianism.

And yet, The Boys brilliantly conveys the idea that superheroes are also human and fall victim to corporative manipulation, just like other people. Vought International forces the Supes into wars, makes them kill innocent civilians, and hides terrible secrets from them and the public.

So for all of the Supes' arrogance and brutality, their stories in The Boys are often awfully tragic. In particular, the backstory of Black Noir might be the most heartbreaking.

'I genuinely felt bad for him when he [revealed] his backstory at the Chucky Cheese knockoff,' a fan shared on Reddit.

Black Noir has been a pawn in the hands of the superhero corporation since he was a young kid. When he was just three years old and still known by his real name, Earving, his parents dropped him off at Vought, where Noir was raised to become a protector of the weak.

Noir dreamed of becoming the Eddie Murphy of the superhero world, the first Black celebrity with superpowers. But instead, his parent company forced him to do terrible things, crashing the boy's hopes for a noble future.

Eventually, Noir made one terrible mistake when he agreed to rebel against Soldier Boy and sell him to the Russian government. He was urged to do so by Vought CEO Stan Edgar, who feared that Soldier Boy's excessive arrogance, brutality, and lack of control would tarnish the company's image.

But Soldier Boy was too strong and ruthless, and he nearly killed Noir in battle, leaving him permanently brain-damaged.

While his injuries were already tragic, the scene of Noir's death was probably the most devastating in The Boys. Loyal to the end to Vought, Noir was treacherously murdered by Homelander, who was angry that he hadn't revealed the truth about his biological father.

In his final moments, we see a sparkle in the fading eyes (or rather, lenses) of the Buster Beaver's Pizza Restaurant mascots — Noir's only, albeit imaginary, friends who supported him for doing what he thought was right.

While he was a terribly disfigured and mute man by the time of his death, Noir still had the mind of a child, dreaming to prove himself as a good superhero and inspiration to all Black people. But this bright future was never destined to happen, and that's what makes his story the most tragic of all.

Source: Reddit.