The Boys’ 9/11 metaphor goes so much deeper than that 1 shocking scene

The boys‘ Comic universe is absolutely themed with superheroes, but despite the sheer number of supes in the setting, they rarely make the world a better place. This was best shown in one of the most shocking scenes in the comic depicting the events of 9/11. While the scene is certainly shocking, it is also a perfect encapsulation of the main themes of the story.

Readers first learn about the world’s different stories from ​​9/11 in The boys #36 by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson. In this issue, Hughie and Mother’s Milk meet and look over the ruins of the Brooklyn Bridge, which is completely destroyed in this universe’s version of 9/11. But it is not only a terrorist attack that destroys the bridge. Instead, it is the utter incompetence of the seven.

During a planned terrorist attack on New York City, Homelander and the rest of the seven are sent in to prevent it. Not only do they fail to prevent the onslaught of execution, they actually contribute to it. Their actions cause a plane to go down and destroy the Brooklyn Bridge, killing hundreds of innocent people. While this is a shocking moment in the comic, it also demonstrates how truly terrifying superheroes are in this world.

The seven completely fail to save anyone

The boys #36 by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson and Tony Avina.

When the terrorist attack on the plane is discovered, the seven are sent in to deal with the situation, but just like in the TV show, the comic versions do not do anything worthwhile. Instead, their actions doom everyone on board the plane to death. While the TV show has moments where superheroes try to do heroics, or at least have them Illusion Of heroism, the same cannot be said in the comic. After the plane incident, readers rarely see any Supes trying to save people, Generally. They are mostly relegated to being entertainment figures and celebrities.

Despite the Seven being viewed as the saviors of Earth who can deal with minor threats, they are never actually shown doing so in the comics. If anything, the superheroes are the ones more likely to commit crimes than anyone else. The rare times they Do Try to get involved, they just ruin everything out of sheer incompetence and make issues Phil Worse. It ties into one of the core themes of The boysThat something does not need any power to do something good. With all Homelander’s strength, he can’t save anyone, and he doesn’t even try.

People with power rarely make the world a better place

Homelander is one of the most powerful beings in The boys universe, and is able to do almost anything he wants. With such power he could make the world a better place a thousand times over. But Homelander never even tried it after 9/11. While there may be some goodness in Homelander, it is immediately lost when he realizes just how out of his depth he is dealing with life-or-death situations. Homelander has never had any interest in making the world better, just like most superheroes The boys.

While Homelander and the Seven have no interest in saving human lives during 9/11, other characters Do. The readers are shown that after the plane destroyed the Brooklyn Bridge, the mother’s milk is there. He does everything he can to save a random woman, someone he’s never met before, simply because it’s the right thing to do. Mother’s milk doesn’t have the fraction of power that Homelander has, and yet he still makes a genuine attempt to save someone’s life.. Nor is he the only character to prove this point.

Mother’s Milk’s father, Pop, is also a character without powers that the comic shows great respect for. When Pops realizes that his wife and kids are being poisoned due to Vogt breaking the law, he spends years learning the law and going after them.

He fails dozens of times and has his case thrown out, but eventually, He is able to win against Vought, being one of the first characters in the series to do so. Another character who consistently proves the idea that being a good person is more than just having power is Yuji.

Hughie consistently proves that someone doesn’t need power to be good

Hughie starts the series absolutely powerless. He loses everything when his girlfriend is killed by a train. Instead of accepting Voughts’ hush money, Hughie is able to discover a way to fight back by joining the boys group. The whole point of Hughie’s character arc is proving to him that good is more important than having power. This is how he finally manages to defeat Butcher, by not letting Butcher mold him into a cynical monster. It also perfectly ties into how Homelander handles the 9/11 attack. Despite having the power to save everyoneHis cynicism and incompetence prevent him from even trying.

Even after Homelander can’t prevent the terrorist attack, he doesn’t even stick around to help clean it up. With Homelander’s speed and strength, he would have been indispensable in helping rebuild the Brooklyn Bridge. This is especially true considering it His fault That it is destroyed in the first place. Instead, the amazing heroes who are supposed to use their powers to save the world simply quit after their terrible failure. What follows is regular people spending years Repairing and rebuilding the bridge, all on their own.

Yugi immortalizes The boysTrue heroes on the Brooklyn Bridge

always, The boys Comic shows that the characters who make the most change in the world are the ones with the least power. While the 9/11 event in the comic is infamous and definitely has elements of shock value, it’s deeper than that. It perfectly shows how incompetent and terrible superheroes are in the world, and that no matter how terrible or seemingly insurmountable a situation is, it can be conquered with teamwork and the help of good people. It was seen when the Brooklyn Bridge was repaired without superheroes, it was seen when Pop hit Vogt, and it was seen when The boys Finally removed the seven.

The boys #36 Now on sale from Dynamite Comics!