Is The Boys’ New Vought Prequel Based On The Comics?

With The Boys announcing a prequel show at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the news raises questions about whether the upcoming spinoff will be based on the same comic book series written by Garth Ennis. The Boys has strayed from the source material throughout its run, so it’s reasonable to wonder whether the new show will also elaborate upon Ennis’ established world or whether it’ll introduce more original elements – just like its parent program.

The Boys season 5 will be the final run of episodes for Prime Video’s superhero show, so the announcement of a prequel show to The Boys is very understandable. The franchise has grown steadily over time, with Gen V, the animated Diaboloical anthology, and the upcoming The Boys: Mexico all fleshing out or adding context to the fictional universe. With another project to add to the mix, The Boys ending its run becomes a much softer blow to Amazon’s streaming service.

The Boys’ Vought Rising Prequel Spinoff Will Be Largely Original Material

Vought Rising will be set in the 1950s

Although the upcoming Vought Rising – as announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 – will likely have one eye on the source material, just like The Boys always has, it will take greater liberties with what happens as the story unfolds. Like Gen V, Vought Rising will be set within the same world as Prime Video’s adaptation of The Boys, but there are far fewer details in the comics about the prequel’s 1950s setting. Therefore, Vought Rising will add its own details to what already exists to enhance the worldbuilding aspect of the adaptation process.

Vought Rising is set to bring back Jensen Ackles as Solider Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront during the earlier years of Vought International’s operations. Both characters made their onscreen debuts in The Boys, but they originate in the pages of Garth Ennis’ prolific comic book series. So, the prequel will include characters, settings, and other elements from the source material, but it will need to expand upon them massively too.

Vought Rising Can Use Some Flashbacks & Details From The Boys’ Comics

Prime Video’s The Boys prequel will have a loose starting point

Soldier Boy and Stormfront are part of a superhero team called Payback, in both the TV show and the comics. While there are key differences across the two mediums, such as Stormfront being male in the source material, Vought Rising can look to Ennis’ work when shaping the story for the extension to the live-action universe from Prime Video. While this won’t stop the prequel from largely being fresh additions to the original story, it does mean the addition to Amazon’s The Boys‘ timeline won’t be starting from scratch.

The Boys

The Boys is a superhero/dark comedy satire series created by Eric Kripke based on the comic series of the same name. Set in a “what-if” world that reveres superheroes as celebrities and gods who experience minimal repercussions for their actions. However, one group of vigilantes headed by a vengeance-obsessed man named Billy Butcher will fight back against these super-charged “heroes” to expose them for what they are.

Character(s)

Billy Butcher , Hughie Campbell , Homelander , Annie January , A-Train , Mother’s Milk , Kevin Moskowitz , Frenchie , Kimiko Miyashiro

Release Date

July 26, 2019

Seasons

4

Franchise(s)

The Boys

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

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