Amazon’s smash hit superhero series The Boys is both a love letter to and deconstruction of the genre, and showrunner Eric Kripke has never hidden the fact that he’s more than happy to take shots at the competition in the blackly comedic and insanely violent comic book adaptation.
As well as knocking the visual aesthetic of the DCEU, Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Joss Whedon’s contributions to the franchise in the space of a single scene, Kripke also worked his personal disdain for Avengers: Endgame‘s A-Force moment into a recurring gag throughout season 2.
Now, based on the latest batch of set photos to make their way online as production continues on the third run of episodes, it looks like The Boys may be lifting another page from the Endgame playbook by jumping forward in time to 2024, as you can see in the images below.
Filming Update!#TheBoys epic set in downtown Toronto π¦ΈββοΈπ₯π¬
Was going to save mine, but everyone was posting yesterday. Ted Cruz 2024 π€¦ββοΈπ€¦ββοΈ pic.twitter.com/KEMHBA1daj
— Toronto Filming (@TOFilming_EM) May 30, 2021
The American Hero poster with Starlight would appear to tease a reality series being part of the narrative where everyday Supes can try out for a spot on the Seven’s roster, while Ted Cruz running for president surely has to be a reference to the politician’s long-running social media feud with The Boys executive producer Seth Rogen, with the two regularly trading barbs on Twitter.
Either way, Kripke has already promised that he’s increasing the intensity and insanity when Billy Butcher and the gang return to our screens for their third wild adventure, which probably won’t be until next year, but that’s only going to bring up the levels of hype and expectation for what’s now firmly established as one of the most popular exclusive streaming shows across every major service.