The Boys Season 3 New Characters Explained - Gunpowder, Supersonic & Blue Hawk
The Boys has added a troublesome triumvirate to season 3, but what do they each bring to the table? Growing in popularity since debuting in 2019, The Boys is now one of Amazon's hottest properties, and anticipation for season 3 is reaching fever pitch as rumors of blood and guts like never before emerge from set. Joining the fun is Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, one of Vought's earliest supes and a World War II hero who led the Payback group long before The Seven rose to prominence. Another comic character confirmed for The Boys season 3 is Little Nina, who'll be played by Katia Winter.
The latest update from Vought HQ reveals three new superhero characters set to debut alongside Soldier Boy and Nina in The Boys season 3. Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints, Saw: The Final Chapter) will play Gunpowder, Nick Wechsler (Roswell) is Blue Hawk, and Miles Gaston Villanueva (Law & Order: True Crime) portrays Supersonic. Some of the trio hail from the comics, whereas others are reported to be stand-ins for missing comic characters. Here's what we know about Gunpowder, Blue Hawk and Supersonic so far.
Gunpowder is the only new addition to hail directly from the original Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic series. Able to manipulate projectiles and conjure weapons from thin air, Gunpowder is an NRA-sponsored member of Teenage Kix - a group of up-and-coming supes The Boys target shortly after Hughie joins. He's quickly defeated by Mother's Milk. Gunpowder has actually made his on-screen debut already, featuring in a news interview during The Boys season 1, in which he was played by a completely different actor. Both versions are parodies of 2000 AD's Judge Dredd. Gunpowder's addition to The Boys suggests season 3 will continue to take aim at far-right values in a modern day context, this time targeting the gun control debate. Since Flanery is 55-years-old, don't expect Gunpowder's "Teenage" Kix comic story to carry over directly.
Blue Hawk is a fresh name to The Boys' universe, but could be based on the comics' Ground Hawk, who does don a blue hawk helmet. This character is a hilarious parody of Wolverine but instead of claws protruding from his knuckles, Ground Hawk boasts the considerably less convenient superpower of hammers for hands. Whether The Boys would adapt such a wacky ability into live-action, however, is highly contestable. Ground Hawk is a member of the G-Men (no prizes for guessing which Marvel creation they're based on), who are a supe group entirely separate from Vought. If Ground (Blue) Hawk and the G-Men are coming in season 3, they might be aligned with Victoria Neuman - a supe who also seems to hold a grudge against Vought.
Supersonic represents another TV-original character with no obvious ties to the source material. The name would obviously imply a speedster, and after Shockwave's untimely head-splattering in The Boys season 2, Supersonic could present a new rival to A-Train. With that said, reports also claim Supersonic will be an ex-boyfriend of Starlight's. While he could be a different ex altogether (most people have more than one, as it goes), Annie previously mentioned dating Drummer Boy as a teen. Supersonic could be Drummer Boy's supe moniker as a grown adult. Although he does appear in the comics, little is known about Drummer Boy other than the time he cheated on Starlight with a supe called Holy Mary. Whoever he is, introducing a traditionally good-looking love rival to the timid and insecure Hughie would be a great way to test his relationship with Starlight in The Boys season 3.