‘The Boys’: Is Black Noir Really Defeated?
This season, each episode of The Boys is filled with wild or “uh-oh” moments that lead to a twist. And when certain Supes like Black Noir enter the scene, that energy is kicked up. He’s quiet but deadly with a dose of arrogance and has managed to become one of the show’s favorite villains.
After episode 7, fans are still trying to figure out the head explosion mystery while guessing each of the Supe’s weaknesses. Though Homelander and Stormfront’s version of Kryptonite remains to be seen, we now know how to subdue the incredibly strong and fierce Black Noir.
[Spoiler Alert: The article contains spoilers from episode 7 of The Boys Season 2]
Black Noir is knocked down by an allergy
If episode 7 proved one thing, it’s that none of The Seven are omnipotent. We’ve seen Black Noir immobilize Kimiko, beat Starlight, and survive massive explosions with minor injuries.
The way Queen Maeve rolled up on him to stop him from killing Starlight could have been to her detriment, but she got over on him. And she did it with an Almond Joy candy bar.
Who knew he kept an EpiPen on him? Black Noir’s tree nut allergy did him in and to make it worse, it doesn’t seem like his remedy saved him. It’s a moment that has fans shocked, laughing, and wondering about his fate. Is this the weakness that takes Black Noir out?
Why Black Noir may not be dead
It’s reasonable to assume that Black Noir is a goner for two reasons. On the one hand, he collapsed before reaching his EpiPen, and this is something that could be fatal. Then there’s the fact that he wasn’t at the hearing with the congresswoman and the other members of the Seven. Maeve was there.
However, no one actually saw him die. In a show where anything is possible, Black Noir could have gone into respiratory arrest and is simply laying in a hospital somewhere.
The question revolves around the severity of his nut allergy and whether anyone came in at the last minute to save him. If he wakes up and spills that Maeve betrayed him, that’s grounds for another deadly plotline with The Seven.
How comic book Black Noir was killed
The TV version of The Boys lifts some inspiration from the comic book series, but it takes creative liberties with many of the storylines and characters. In Garth Ennis’ comics, Black Noir’s story arc aligns with Homelander.
Secretly created as Homelander’s clone, Black Noir’s purpose is to kill The Seven’s leader if he goes off the rails. That happens and Black Noir takes Homelander out, but his rampage doesn’t end there. He also kills the president and after tanks and bullets don’t stop him, Billy Butcher and the gang do.
It takes an immense amount of effort to wound and defeat him, and no tree nuts were used in the process. Butcher ends the fight by ripping out a piece of Black Noir’s brain.
The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has given Black Noir way more action scenes than the character received in the comic series, so fans should expect the stealthy villain’s storyline to go in an unexpected direction.
