The Boys: Everything You Missed In S4 Episodes 1-3

WM-TV-The-Boys-Season-4-Episodes-1-3-Things-You-Missed_D6S4F1

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best Easter Eggs, callbacks, and hidden jokes in the first three episodes of the Boys Season 4. If you aren’t caught up on the show up to this point, beware of massive spoilers ahead.

#10: A New Video Game Hero

“We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”

Before Ryan started playing the Mortal Kombat-esque “Tournament of Heroes” with Butcher, we were treated to a roster full of familiar supes. The stretchy Ezekiel, the tiny Termite, and the not quite invisible Translucent were just a few of the funniest fighters. But the one masked face that looked unfamiliar sported a yellow and black suit with talons on the mask. Based on the costume’s spider design, the character is the show’s version of the comic hero Webweaver. The supe’s presence was also foreshadowed in episode 1 when a news report hinted they had just been released from rehab. Webweaver’s appearance would mark the second time an Amazon Prime show featured a Spider-Man inspired hero.

#9: The Marvelous Miss…Rachel?

“Life Among the Septics"

While we’re on the subject of Amazon shows, we couldn’t ignore the scene where “The Boys” stopped to make fun of one of the streamer’s most popular programs. After a surveillance plan goes south, the boys end up running away from villains and into a bat mitzvah. The font on the decorations for “Ms Rachel” is the exact same titling used for Amazon’s “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. To further hammer in the point, cardboard cutouts of a few of the show’s most prominent actors appear in the scene. We’ll try not to think about the fact that Mrs. Maisel’s existence in this universe would mean that Ashley took a break from Vought to act on the show.

#8: Justice for Susan Raynor

“Department of Dirty Tricks”

A quick shot on a plaque in season 4’s second episode reminded us that we lost one of the show’s best characters a couple of seasons back.The deputy director of the CIA was fully ready to give her allies crucial information. But Susan’s life ended right after she got a nosebleed that signaled her head was about to be popped. During that episode, the writers sneakily showed us who did it before we knew it was Victoria Neuman with an extremely clever cut. The team never managed to get justice for the CIA operative’s sudden death. However, since Mallory and Dakota Bob are pushing the Boys to eliminate Neuman by any means necessary, Raynor may be avenged.

#7: Supernaturally Good Actors

“Life Among the Septics"

The duplicating supe that had trouble getting out of Firecracker’s friend zone was played by Rob Benedict. Before being cast as Splinter on this Eric Kripke show, the performer appeared on another little-known Kripke show called “Supernatural”. Back on that fan favorite program, Rob Benedict just so happened to play God. His powerful role on that show made his lowly character on “The Boys” even more hilarious in hindsight. Outside of Benedict, Kripke was also able to bring on “Supernatural” alum Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Both actors arrived just a season after Jensen Ackles, aka, Dean Wincester started playing Soldier Boy. Kripke just needs to cast “Supernatural’s” Jared Padalecki to satisfy nostalgic fans of the CW show.

#6: Two Comic-al Changes

“Department of Dirty Tricks”

When Frenchie and Kimiko attempt to sneak acid into the vice presidential hopeful’s hotel room, they are confronted by Neuman’s superpowered daughter. Although the chemist escapes unharmed, his partner loses an arm. This brutal scene is a twist on a huge moment from the comics. During a routine operation, Frenchie and Kimiko are ambushed by a team of violent supes. The battle ends up costing the chemist his arm. Unlike the show’s Kimiko, the comic Frenchie’s limb does not regenerate. In literally “lighter” news, the tv series is finally giving Starlight a power she had in the comics. Although she could always fly in the source material, the show has changed things so that she learns the ability late in her career.

#5: Correct Soldier Boy Conspiracies

“Life Among the Septics"

Most of the conspiracy theories that appear at Truth-Con are just there to fill in space on the set. But if you look closely, you’ll spot a couple of conjectures that are actually accurate. One of the posters claims that Soldier Boy and Liberty used to hook up. We know this rumor is true because he admitted she helped him start the very adult Herogasm event. Outside of that X-rated conjecture, another conspiracy theory claimed that Soldier Boy had been captured by the CIA. We knew this hypothesis is true because we saw Mallory putting him away in season 3. Whatever theorist is getting intel on Soldier Boy might be a real government mole who would definitely get in trouble for leaking secrets.

#4: The Writers Roast Brett Favre

“Department of Dirty Tricks”

Fans are used to seeing celebrities roast each other or themselves on “The Boys”. But one of the most severe burns was entirely devised by the writers. During a news broadcast in the season 5 premiere, a headline claims that Brett Favre said “Childhood Obesity justifies diverted food bank funds.” This fake story references the real controversy where the former quarterback was accused of using funds intended for people on welfare for his own benefit. The fact that this easy to miss joke appeared at all suggests a writer really wanted to roast Brett Favre. Judging by this scene, every celebrity should be prepared to get dinged whenever they watch “The Boys”.

#3: Video Store Callbacks

“Department of Dirty Tricks”

During Butcher’s secret meeting with Victoria in Vought’s version of Blockbuster, we got distracted by a few great Easter Eggs. The poster for a movie called “Static Heat 3” is a callback to the Polarity character introduced on “Gen V”. There’s also a few Soldier Boy posters to remind us that he was once a big movie star. Ironically, one of the sneakiest Easter Eggs appeared outside of the store. If you pause at the right moment, you’ll see a ruined reading room that was sponsored by the “Church of the Collective”. That was notably the name of the organization The Deep got caught up in…before realizing it was a cult. His public feud with the church is likely why the store looked abandoned.

#2: Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Upgraded Character

Various Episodes

Anyone who read the comics might’ve been shocked to find out that a suave and intimidating actor was playing Joe Kesssler. In the source material, a character named Howard Kessler was a complete joke. This pathetic CIA agent was nicknamed Monkey after being involved in an incident we cannot go into details about without getting demonetized. What we can tell you is that comic Kessler lacked the spine to stand up to Butcher. By contrast, Morgan’s take on the character has no problem staring Karl Urban down. This adaptation upgrade was the perfect way to add conflict to the show. As Butcher tries to do everything he can to save Ryan, he has to worry about Kessler trying to turn the kid into a weapon.

#1: A Screen Full of Past & Future Supes

“Department of Dirty Tricks”

Ashley’s list of 25 potential heroes that could join the Seven was full of excellent references. Obscure comic supes like Malchemical got major shout outs. Additionally, spin-off characters like Groundhawk and Tek Knight were also mentioned. We even got deep cuts like Big Game, a supe that appeared in the series’ very first episode. Out of all the heroes that appeared on the screen, Hyperion stood out thanks to comic history. When Ashley brings up that supe’s profile, she notably insults her with some very NSFW language. She coincidentally happens to share a name with a Marvel hero that has been accused of being a Superman ripoff. It was a clever way for the writers to burn the comics company during the already funny scene.


What was your favorite easter Egg? And did you catch that Tilda Swinton was the voice of the Deep’s very special…octopus friend? Let us know in the comments below!