The BIGGEST question left in The Boys…. 

Translucent and his son maverick are another example of the same powers between relatives

I think soldier boys is the most interesting. We don’t know exactly what the Russians did to him, but he mutated (prob through all the radiation) and developed the blast that also fries V from his targets

Yes, it's good to see that many people think the same way. I also like the fact that 2 non-related supes can get similar set of powers like Marie and Neuman. They're both bloodbenders, but their abilities work differently. Marie uses her hands while Neuman uses her eyes, so it's like their powers are on the same family tree or something.

Also soldier boy did not have the radiation flare power, he got it due to trauma and extreme radiation exposure, so these can also change

i’m so happy to hear anything about how stupid that sheep door scene was

I think the temp v is based on trauma, hugie got teleporting and super strength because his mom disappeared and bc he felt inferior to starlight, his dad got phase shifting bc he felt like he was never "seen" or his presence aknowledged and billy got homelanders powers (specifically the laser eyes and strength) because of becca and the trauma caused by him losing her and his various interactions with the HOMELANDER

Definitely has something to do with their personalities and emotions, butcher got laser eyes like homelander and they are not related but both are really similar mentally the difference is the other one is a man child

A cool idea to add to this is mental state. Hughie's dad ended up being able to walk through anything and he felt like he was invisible when given V. Hughie has different powers, being able teleport which theoretically could be an extension of his fathers ability. I like the idea that you get abilities based on how you are mentally during injection and your genetics.

Maybe the powers are based more on personality or what you believe they are. Butcher basically became homelander, his mortal enemy Hughie was very cowardly, usually looking to run away, hense why his power made him teleport. Also with Marie and Neumann having the same power, it’s very interesting how Marie didn’t understand how to use her powers the way others with the same powers do.

I think hughie’s dad gaining powers from v is at least soft proof that it works on adults (although it is definitely canonically more unstable), but we all know that vought had a MASSIVE monetary incentive to make temp V for the sake of military use.

R.I.P. Chance Perdomo, your acting was great. lost you too soon. 🕊

What’s interesting too about the genetics side of things is that some people can be predisposed to reacting well to Compound V. For example, the Shining Light Liberation Army correctly assumed that if Kimiko safely turned into a supe as an adult, her brother could too. But in terms of why they have different powers may be due to how close their genetics have to be, like the TNT Twins or any supe with offspring

Honestly never thought this was that big of a question

since when does traditional V not work on adults? it worked on Hughies dad just this season, worked on Kimiko and her brother too and afaik in the comics there is no temp V, the boys just shoot up good old permanent V and it gives them powers. i think its riskier for adults to take it, but it does work.

I just want to point out that I don't think Stormfront and Soldier Boy didn't age at all; they just have slowed down aging. After all, they were both injected in their early 20's and they looked to be around 40 in the present day. So in the 80 years they've been Supes, they've aged roughly 15 or 20 biolgoical years, making them age at somewhere between 1/5 +and 1/4 normal.

The biggest question is Is homelander love for milk is common knowledge or information ? If not how firecracker knew ?

There’s still that half vile of Compound V in hughies jacket

I've been thinking this ever since season 3. That genetics is what determines an individuals specific power they have. After all most of the super powered beings are given the same compound V, yet all have different powers, what is different between all of these people are there genetics. To add, when Hughie and Butcher took temp V each time, the power set stayed the same in these individuals and didn't change with each dose of temp V. The temp V they both took was exactly the same, but what is different between these two, that's right genetics. So I've been thinking this genetic thing for a year plus, and cool to see others are thinking the same thing. (Sorry if this whole thing is coming off as like me bragging.)

Probably it's influenced by the gut biome as well, since food is a bit of an epigenetic modulator. Diet may well have some say over what powers manifest to what extent.

Hes going to make his crippled brother a supe

What about Victoria and her daughter then?

A great theory! It is very similar to actual genetics, where related people are more likely to have similar characteristics, but it's not necessary for them to share those traits. For example, homelander's powerset got passed onto Ryan, however Zoey didn't get bloodbending powers from Vicky. Additionally, unrelated people can also have identical or similar characteristics like a-train and shockwave.

Still weird that Hughie teleports out of his clothes, while his father phases through walls with his clothes on

This becomes even crazier when you start to wonder why Ryan, Homelander and Butcher all got the same power

the one thing i'm kind of sad is that we wont get a backstory for compound V we will never get to see the first supes that vaught made in germany, i do like the idea that he was so briliant that his compound V was more stable and more useful for adults then the new modern variant, the fact he died of old age is kind of crazy since a genious like that could defenitely make multiple compound that gives different sets of super powers instead of just one that gives you something random, i kind of wish we got more chemestry background altough i like teh show as is anyway

2:45 goat simulator, 🔥😮‍💨

The powers also manifests subjects personality and psychological traits. It develops from the need of a person's life. Whatever he or she represents as a whole.

Not 48 hours later, Butcher shows that he has indeed 2 different powers. I guess the type of V matters.

Still left with the question about why Butcher has another set of powers when exposed to standard Compound V instead of the TempV

this basically sums up my headcanon so id say youre on the right track

I think the real big thing for me is how Butcher’s cancer literally turned into a superpower, and what’s more, it was only when he let his dark side take over. I’m wondering if it’s possible that compound V can sometimes have a sort of consciousness, and it chooses who it wants to give powers to. It might seem dumb, but it could explain why it works in kids and not in most adults, because kids are malleable, they can be changed in whatever way the V wants, however adults are very much set in their ways. Plus, there’s the fact that Ryan was born, even though it shouldn’t be possible, because perhaps the V wanted it to happen. Then, of course, there it is manipulating Butcher how it wants, before it gives him powers. I think there are a lot of coincidences in the show that may not be quite so coincidental, at least if you look at it a certain way.

It definitely also has something to do with their personalities and emotions. Both Hughie and his dad are naturally more cowardly, which is why they got powers like teleportation to run away from their problems. Starlight, on the other hand, has always been in the spotlight and liked the attention, hence she got flashy light powers.

V can work on anyone, it’s just be more fatal with age

It could also have a mental factor, Hughie and Butcher get very significative powers related to their traumas. Butcher gets Homelander's powerset (pretty obvious) and Hughie can appear out of nowhere and his first action is to punch a hole through someone (kind of like A-train running through his gf at the beggining of episode 1) This could explain why its mostly given to babies, who are like blank slates and can get a wide variety of powers (and these start manifesting as they grow up). Adults are more prone to darker thoughts and that could be the reason that giving them powers often backfires and kills them.

I think its based on trauma or past experiences, huie had his mother disappear from a young age, so now he can teleport and so as his dad, butcher had his hatred towards homelander so same abilities...

I'm so glad I had the right idea when we saw hughies dad's power how they were kinda similar to each other. Nerd instincts kicked in on that one

Why did the V work on Hugies's dad???? He was an adult, also Kimiko

Counterpoint : Kimiko and her brother

Doesn't seem like question, i think you got it answered brother

This is also why I think Ryan is the most powerful supe and will end up taking out his dad. Hes the only natural born supe.

i only know one thing for sure, regular V and temp V are definitely different formulas. Temp V definitely has something to do with the parasite inside of butcher. my guess is that temp V is some kind of collection of micro parasites that are able to enhance a person's abilities by highjacking their brain. somehow they go into maybe a dormant state after 24 hours and that is what causes the tumors. if you take regular V after temp V, it not only enhances you but also the parasites from the temp V, thats just my guess though

what about Kenji and Kimiko's powers?

I also think personality matters as well. Intresting how Homelander and Butcher have some commonalites and when Butcher takes Temp V he has similar powers to Homelander. Neuman and Marie are similar natural personality or background. Both were put in a foster home because of their powers and was scared (Red River if I remember correctly). And both handeled their upbringing in similar ways.

The bigger question is how did tech knight die that easy?!?

I was thinking this too and was even more curious after seeing Andre have the same powers as his father, genetics was one of my theories, but my other theory was that if you have a conscious you manifest your powers. If Andre was injected with V as a child rather than an infant, he likely could’ve gotten it after being influenced by his father, this can also apply to Hughie and Butcher with Temp v, how Hughie has a power to counter Atrain and Butcher has the same as homelanders (Butcher even dreamt of having those powers before taking temp v). There’s also that one weird episode of Diabolical where a girl gets poop powers after drinking compound V and needing to use the bathroom.

I think the powers are also tied to a want or need from a person at a point in their lives. Hughie’s father felt that Daphne walked right through him, so he gained phase shifting For Homelander, because he was brainwashed into wanting everyone to love him, I assume he developed as many powers as possible to suit everyone’s expectations.

HAMBURGER

I think almost every human and animal has some superpower as a dormant gene and compound V wakes up they gene

Around herogasm in season 3, Soldier Boy mentions having relations with Liberty (Stormfront) implying that she could be Homelanders mother. He was obviously also made more powerful with V injections, but just as speculation could it be that homelander did actually just inherit the powers of his parents? The only powers he really has over soldier boys are flight and laser eyes, and Stormfront / Liberty can fly and shoot lightning, and while lightning and lasers are very different and this is a stretch, they are both concentrated forms of energy and I can see how lasers could be an “upgraded” version of Stormfronts electric powers.

i slightly disagee, its more the personality than the genetics, hughie and his dad's powers are not the same, hughie can teleport while hughie's dad can phase through things here is how i see it: hughie's dad felt like his mom doesn't see him or like no one sees him or appreciates him that is how he got the ability to phase through things, like a ghost that is unable to interact with anything and just spectating things, he even says "And you look through me like I wasn't even there" because he feels that way it manifested into his phasing powers, while hughie is a scared person most of the time wants to "save his friends" or in season 3 specificly "saving starlight" rather than kill that is why his power manifested into teleportation as he can just escape the situation instead of solve it (which he does by teleporting starlight out of the herogasm party) . butcher was alot similar to homelander in the level of evil too but people choose to ignore it because he has a good side unlike homelander, motivated by murdering homelander that is why his powers manifest into those of homelander's super strength and laser beams. you could also argue a mix of both, or how the kid was raised (keep in mind most supes dont even have powers on birth they discover it at some point in their lives)

I like the theory where the powers are most likely developed from traumatic experiences or the feelings during that time, homelander being strong af because he is mentally the weakest having so many traumatic experiences...

Something I don't see talked about often is that Ryan may be the first supe to have entirely genetic powers, as he was conceived without compound V being pumped into him as a fetus. Ryan could very well be immune to the virus.

Did anyone else notice that the formation of the compound v vials spelt the word “bad”

the boys really need to get their hands on some stable v

Yes it all makes sense but then why did sam had different powers than his older brother Luke aka Golder boy ? Golden boy had thermonuclear powers while sam had superhuman strength

I thought it was just genetics since the invisible guys kid had similar... wait no head popper didn't have a head popper kid

I think your personality also plays a part in the powers, for examples both hughie and hugh sr are both kind of ”cowardly” and their powers reflect that. I also dont think that Jordan, a genderfluid person just happens to have the ability to change their appearance like that. And then theres butcher who gains similar heat vision to homelander, highlightimg how similar they are

0:02 My biggest question is why the fuck they don’t just take the V out in rows or columns starting from one side or another…

i think for adult v, it’s more based on their psychological wants and desires? soldier boy wanted to be the peak male condition so his super power was simply being really strong and indestructible, like hercules stormfront probably wanted to be a god/deity, superior to others like other nazis, so she can fly and has godlike lightning powers. also, it was around that time that humans wanted to harness electricity for production, so that’s probably why she wanted to be a deity that could harness lightning butcher is obsessed by homelander and wanted something that could match and top homelander, and he couldn’t think of anyone other than homelander, which is why his powers were pretty much homelander’s. his new powers are somewhat more similar to infant v, in that they’re mostly random unless genetics, but they’re still manifested through his desire to kill supes, and managed to kill the bullet proof, laser proof neuman huey jr was basically someone who wanted to run away from his issues, and this is an obstacle that he’s fully overcome as of season 4, but not so much in season 3. his desire for escapism led to manifesting teleportation as a superpower, a method to escape. also, his ability is somewhat very similar to a train, in that huey too can travel long distances in a blink of an eye, but in huey’s case, his power won’t hurt anyone, as he cannot collide with another huey sr was also a runner like huey jr, but in a way that disassociates himself with everything else. when his wife left, he just sat, watched tv, and ate pizza rolls or something. when huey jr’s girlfriend died, he pretended like it wasn’t a problem so things can be convenient again, and because he disassociates himself from the world to run away from problems, thus phasing out the world, he gains the ability to no be a part of the world, to become immaterial and phase through anything

I was enjoying listening to this and realized. "Wow, this guy sounds just like Ekhart's ladder." Plus I could hear the vibe music in the background. Turns out it is! :)

Homelander and Soldier Boy's powers are more similar than most people realise. Homelander expels concentrated blasts of thermal radiation from his eyes, Soldier boy expels unconcentrated blasts of ionizing radiation from his chest

Two people who look like they are of different ethnicity could have a common ancestor 3,4,5,6,7 generations ago.

This means that technically Ryan could have a power he inherited from Becka, although unlikely, because he would probably know about it already. Still, I think if he is going to go up against homelander in the future, it might be just the leg up he would need, so that could be interesting to see in the future.

I'm excited to see what kinda madness happens to Ashley because of the V

i think there is also some self actualization with it. butcher needed to be able to take on home lander so he got homelanders powers, hughie was always scared so he got the ability to run away(his dad the ability to run from his wife), all the animals had more or less the same powers which is mostly due to their instincts as the survival of the fittest means to be the strongest and so on. this is at least what i believe happens when an adult or at least something that has concert values(animals) takes V whilst the children have no particular want for nay specific powers

What about Butcher and Homelander both having laser eyes. Could they be related in some sort of plot twist towards the end?

Mark my words, callin it now, Ashley is gonna go all Dr Manhatten.

butcher got one from temp v and another from v

I’m pretty sure v24 is said to imply it’s the 24th iteration

What about kimiko and her brother? They had very different powers but were genetically the most similar

I guess that what defines is the classic "personality" thing (what's basically narrative convenience) plus some genetic stuff. It's similar to BNHA quirks. Butcher's powers mimic Homelander's ones, because he's drived primarly by hate towards him. Hughie's powers of teletransportation reflect his desire for self-preservation.

this is exactly what i thought of how compound V works

Imo the biggest question is what happens when homelander takes v to boost his powers like a train

What explains that Butcher got different supe powers through TempV and PermanentV

"Metal psychics". I love it.

I think k the reason it worked on Neumans daughter Zoe is because she is the child of a Supe Not because she’s a teen Hughies dads powers being the same is a stretch - but I guess conceptually it kind of feels like they’re related But I think this is a solid theory for the most part

Hueys Dad getting to keep his clothes when he shifts through walls is weird given Huey specifically loses his clothes, but makes sense thematically so it doesn't really matter.

soldier boy off in it ohh watch me crank it watch me roll

Fair points but it doesn’t explain why related ppl come out with completely different powers. Like Kimiko and her brother. And golden boy and his brother(Sam?), probably due to more varied DNA i imagine

Homelander is the first biologically superhero or not?

Neuman and her daughter would be the biggest challenge for this theory. If we can figure that out I think you have a very solid case.

I think Compound V interacts with a human in the same way a human is naturally born. It's very similar to the DNA each of us have. There are thing's we'll inherit from our parents (hair color, eye color, genetic diseases) and things that get changed/mutated during our conception. V is the same way. it uses a basic template based on existing DNA, then is modified as needed. Likewise, in the same way genetic mutations can occur based on external factors, V can be mutated in the same way. Soldier Boy had a standard set of powers that mutated through the Russian experiments. Butcher had a powerset similar to Homelander's until he mutated the cancer he got from the original V he took with more V, causing the cancer to take on a mind of its own.

What I didn't get was why did Butcher's powers change? With temp V he was kinda like homelander, now hes some sort of Venom

There should have been more defective offspring of Soldier boy that the scientists didnt like the power set so they just labled them rejects. Thats kind of how Black noir is in the comics but the show doesnt really touch up on any of that

My biggest question is, will A-Train survive?

love your hockey content, glad to see you branching out so much

I think the temp v powers are based on what the person truly has in mind. Like when Hughie visited Red River, a teleporting boy pops up in front of him and soon after he takes temp v with the boys power still fresh in his head and for Butcher his only goal will and always be Homelander which explains why he got Homelander's powers. That's my theory, at least.

i do agree with people in that i think the v develops better for the person within how their body deals with trauma responses to their environment, its kinda like a super adaptation in a way. Which would also explain why homelander is the way he is he just was probably gifted at birth not only because of the soilder boy genes because his moms life sucked so much since as we know she was some homeless drug addict and the adaptation transferred over to him. This is probably also why butchers powers reflects his current states, one of which is that he has a very similar history to homelander and the fact that he basically has to fight someone like himself on equal footing, while the tumor inhibits butcher to carry out the plans his own consciousness won't allow. Kimiko needed to Regen in order to keep fighting n survive, and yea it could be said that hughie's power was based on the fear of people disappearing from his life or just the fact that hes more of a flight response kind of person than a fight. Then there's the main characters of gen v who i forgot the name but her powers came in through puberty, and another is dealing with gender identity although you could make the case that may just come with the power already cause if i could go back from male to female in a snap id feel like alot of people would struggle with like their sense of who they are or just develop like dissociative identity disorder. i just kinda hope in the final season or the movie frenchie and mm get temp v or something because i really am curious what they get although im secretly hoping frenchie still gets super smell itd just work so well for how they already write his character.Although thatd kinda blow a hoke in this theory if they did that.

The only thing that I see contradicting your point here is Komiko and her brother, given that she can regenerate like Deadpool or Wolverine, and he has telekinesis like Prof. X

I think the Sheep just had more strength in their mouths and muscles but were not super tough.

You forgot the TnT twins

Victoria's daughter actually took the original compound v, homelander said, "original formula, all 11 herbs and spices," when he gave it to numan

The only factor deciding how Compound V works is the writers laziness

The real question nobody ask is how is compound V made though?

It mutates whatever is wrong with you like deadpool with his cancer it gave him powers but spread the cancer like with Huggies dad brought him back but increased his memory loss and with Bucher gave him super powers but made him ill

As frenchie said in season 1, each supe is like a snowflake, every single one different in big or little ways

Why do people assume that Soldier Boy and Stormfront have different V? Why not just "Two examples of successful V of the many hundred failed attempts"?

Correct me if I’m wrong but my understanding from the show is that regular v and original v are the same thing and that children and infants are more likely to take well to V vs adults. I think we may *spoilers* see that happen with Ashlee as she shot up V in the s4 finale.

Just wanted to mention, there is also a 4th variant of V, but it's only in the comics. It's made by Vogelbaum after being captured by Mallory & Butcher, he is the one that makes a variant of V for the boys in the comics that only enhances their strenght and durability so they can go up against other supes, but doesn't give them any special ability.

this is a nice theory, but it also retcons itself. A-Train's rival, Shockwave, is also a speedster, but they arent related. theres also the girl from kimiko's camp, that has the same powers as kimiko, but they arent related either.