Remember, we are in 2019 and Avengers : Endgame has just broken records in the cinemas of the world. The latest film in the Marvel stable has proven the omnipotence of superheroes at the box office. But between two outings at Marvel and DC, new ones are a shattering arrival. On the video bonus, The Boys makes its singularity its greatest strengthand this, from the first moments.
The girlfriend of the main character, Hughie, is reduced in a charpi by a vigilante addicted to drugs, the barely disguised copy of Superman is a psychopath and a symbol of the rise of fascism. Everything in the adaptation of the comics of Garth Ennis sounds like A finger of honor to politically correct superheroes which regularly invade dark rooms.
Deforming mirror
The Boys The heads of everyone is paid, of the film industry in the first place, but also and above all of the United States more polarized than ever, in the hands of the industrialists and the magnates of finance. By exploring the behind the scenes of Vought in his first seasons, the series of Eric Kripke offers a distorting mirror of our capitalist companies.
Blood effusions and explicit scenes serve to pass our time under a microscope… Helped by the scriptwriting strings offered by the genre. In Gen v -Spin-off dedicated to students-The powers allow this time to change scale and to evoke more human themes. They come to life… literally.
Humans under the magnifying glass of fiction
According to Maddie Phillips, who camps Cate Dunlap in the series, the approach is still different in that that she concentrates less behind the scenes of power than on the response of citizens and the interactions between humans.
“Our series does it more zoomedly, showing how People interact in our societies. The two series reflect the world in an interesting way, but I think that our series is more accessible to young spectators. It is a more digestible front door, then they can go see The Boys for the darker, heavier and important side ”.
The case of the character of Jordan Li, who can change his appearance and his kind at leisure, perfectly transcribes the tone of the series. Through his career, Gen v Can evoke the question of trans people in the United States and in the rest of the world, at an hour when their rights are more threatened than ever. For London and Derek Luh, who camp the character, the work of the writers makes these heroes so relevant. “We are very lucky to have them. It is a unique and dynamic representation”.
Marie’s journey also highlights The place of young black womenbetween standard and eternal standard bearer left behind. His power is also used to evoke the taboo of female sexuality, his first menstruation triggers a series of dramatic and traumatic events that the series will continue to explore throughout the first and the second season.
“Marie is a classic outsider. If we talk about existing powers structures, nothing is done for her to win. The fact that she has this powers makes her success undeniable and I think it puts it in an interesting position”.
The series thus adapts the classic patterns of the genre to better divert them, with a sinister look that suits particularly well with the franchise.
Space of freedom
But if Gen v is so political, it is also because the context gives the writers an unprecedented playground. America of The Boys is not contemporary America, it is a society where tensions are exacerbated and where weapons have been replaced by superpowers. According to Asa Germann, who camps Sam Riordan in the series, fiction is a dreamy opportunity to amplify the social themes of Gen vto tell our world differently.
“There is a shiny satire in the series. It is a bit like a DSA of decompression in full way in this tension and this pressure that we can feel when we light the info. There is something very digestible to look at this analogy, a world that looks like ours, but which is as different. We have the impression of being able to comment almost everything. Thank you Matt Groening (laughs) ”
“Go watch something else”
But now, even if the series is most often distant from the political reality that inspires it, some spectators have observed a rise in satire over the seasons and projects. This is particularly true for season 4 of The Boysstrongly criticized on social networks for some of the choices made by the narration.
The revelation of the bisexuality of Frenchie sparked a wave of indignation on social networks, some arguing that the series had taken a “virage woke” Close to his grand finale. Erik Kripke, creator of The Boyswas questioned in June 2024 by The Hollywood Reporter After this controversy.
At the microphone of our American colleagues, the screenwriter explained that he had presented the project in 2016 when the idea of a Donald Trump in power was absurd. “When he was elected, we had a metaphor that said a lot about the current world. Suddenly, we are telling a story about the crossing between celebrity and authoritarianism, and on the way social networks are used to promote fascism”.
But the series was caught up in reality. If Kripke willingly concedes not to be subtlety, he invites those who would not be seduced by his approach to dedicate themselves to other universes and mythologies. “I clearly have a point of view, and I do not hesitate to integrate it into the series. If you want to qualify the series of Woke or other, no problem. Go watch, something else. But I will certainly not apologize or hold my blows”.
We are warned. It remains to be seen now if Gen v will be able to be as relevant over time as its elder. We would be tempted to say that this is already largely the case … And then, the adaptation of the comics of Garth Ennis has already found its audience, among those who want to discover committed and political series.
At an hour when Marvel tirelessly revolves around the pot, refusing to use his new Captain America to tell the contemporary United States, the courage of The Boys et Gen v To take these questions to arms the body deserves to be praised. Even DC has taken the plunge with his Supermanunder the leadership of a James Gunn finally completely free to move. If this risk -taking earned him some criticisms, it is clear that in the radius of summer blockbusters, the steel man finally got out of it. Superheroes who are not afraid to offend, Maybe that’s all we asked for …
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