Friday, December 6
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Sister Sage, Firecracker, and Black Noir reboot: Showrunner Eric Kripke teases three new supes for The Boys S4

Sister Sage, Firecracker, and Black Noir reboot: Showrunner Eric Kripke teases three new supes for The Boys S4

The Boys’ notoriously incomplete superhero team, The Seven gears up to welcome three new supes in season 4, revealed showrunner Eric Kripke in a recent interview. Alongside the misanthrope Lady Sage and Firebrand Firecracker, there’s a surprise third addition. While maintaining his humorous commentary on the show’s membership woes, Kripke confirms the return of actor Nathan Mitchell, who previously portrayed the mysterious Black Noir, but for a completely new role. However, further details on this new character remain under wraps for now.

“Beyond that, it would be spoiling some of the fun stuff to reveal who it is and what that person’s like,” Kripke remarks. He adds, “I will say, in a world that is about a certain amount of show business satire, it’s funny to go to an anonymous superhero and say, ‘We need you to take on this performance and you’ll be completely anonymous, but you’ll play this other role.’ That’s a funny challenge for an actor.”

In The Boys S4, Sister Sage (played by Susan Heyward) brings a unique twist to the “world’s smartest person” trope often seen in superhero universes. Kripke flips the script by making her a Black woman who hails from a disadvantaged background, someone constantly ignored despite her brilliance. “It’s such a funny power,” Kripke says. “A lot of superhero worlds have that character. Whereas most of them are usually really reedy white dudes, we wanted a Black woman who was raised in a low socioeconomic area, so no one f—ing listens to her. It’s both commentary and satirical that you have literally the smartest person in the world that could cure all of society’s ills, but she just can’t get anyone to listen to her. So then she becomes a bitter misanthrope.”However, Homelander recognizes her potential. “We’ve always said one of Homelander’s biggest problems is that he’s surrounded by idiots,” Kripke shares. Sister Sage’s intelligence presents a dangerous advantage for the volatile supe.

Meanwhile, Firecracker (played by Valorie Curry) evokes a sense of American patriotism with her red, white, and blue costume, and fondness for firearms. Kripke draws inspiration from far-right political figures and extreme right-wing media for this character, hinting at a backstory with surprising connections to existing characters.

“There’s always crazier,” Kripke explains. “Firecracker represents both members of the conspiracy-minded movements and the super extreme right-wing news media. That character has some surprising backstory that connects her to some of the characters in our world. It was just interesting to bring in one of those pistol-packing ‘I shot my puppies’ type of characters.” Her arrival promises to stir the pot with her shocking personality and unexpected ties within the show’s universe.

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. The series, from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, is all set to return with the upcoming season on June 13 in English, with dubs in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam languages, only on Prime Video.