The Boyshas no shortage of parodies of superheroes from mainstream comic book universes like Marvel and DC, including a parody ofShe-Hulknamed Shehemoth. While Shehemoth doesn’t play a major role inThe Boysthe way other superhero parodiesdo (like A-Train, Black Noir, and Homelander), she almost did. In fact,The Boys’ version of She-Hulk almost joined the Seven instead of one A-list character, Starlight.
InThe Boys#63 by Garth Ennis and Russ Braun,Butcher has A-Train tied up on a roof, and he’s tempting Hughie to kill him. As every fan ofThe Boysknows, A-Train killed Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin, in the very first issue, which was the catalyst for Hughie’s entire story arc - and it all came down to this moment. So, with A-Train tied up, Butcher was trying to get Hughie to finally pull the trigger by playing some recordings of the corrupt supe’s private conversations with the rest of the Seven, and they were incredibly revealing.
The purpose of the recordings was to make Hughie angry enough at A-Train to kill him right then and there. They revealed that A-Train sexually assaulted Hughie’s current girlfriend, Starlight, when she first joined the Seven. But, in a more understated manner, the recordings also revealed that Starlight was almost passed up for another supe before she joined the Seven - and that supe was Shehemoth.
The Boys’ She-Hulk Parody Would Have Made the Comic Series Look Very Different
A major aspect of both Hughie and Starlight’s characters inThe Boyscomic series was their relationship. Getting together with Hughie helped Starlight recover from the shame she felt after being assaulted, as it gave her someone she could feel safe with, and somewhere to be that wasn’t the Seven Tower. Their relationship also empowered Starlight to stand up against the corrupt members of the Seven.
If Shehemoth were chosen to join the Seven instead of Starlight (as the recordings Butcher played for Hughie revealed), then this entire portion ofThe Boysseries would be altered. Not only would the romance between Starlight and Hughie have been eliminated entirely, but it’s not certain whether Shehemoth would turn on the corrupt members of the Seven or join them. Whatever would happen if Shehemoth took Starlight’s place, it’d be significantly different from what fans got.
Shehemoth Replacing Starlight Would Have Impacted More than Just the Comic
Starlight Would Never Become the Main Character She is inThe BoysTV Series
While it’s true that the storyline ofThe Boyscomic series would have been greatly altered if Shehemoth took Starlight’s place, it’s nothing compared to how different the live-action series would be. Starlight had a fairly big role in the comics, but in the show, she’s actually a main character and official member ofThe Boys. The growth and development Starlight experiences in the show far exceeds her comic book counterpart, meaning if she was replaced by Shehemoth right from the start, all of that would be undone, and the show would be worse-off as a result.
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No matter what, even if the changes were somehow for the better, the entire series ofThe Boys(both the comics and the live-action) would be drastically altered if the Seven decided to recruit Shehemoth - a clear parody ofShe-Hulk- instead of Starlight, and fans were evidently very close to seeing that outcome.
The Boys
The Boysfranchise is a satirical and dark superhero series based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. It explores a world where superheroes, or “Supes,” are corrupt, violent, and morally bankrupt, all controlled by the powerful corporation Vought International. The story centers around two opposing groups:The Boys, a vigilante team aiming to expose and defeat the corrupt heroes, andThe Seven, Vought’s elite team of Supes led by the ruthless Homelander.
