AsThe Boyspremiered the first three episodes ofits bloody and brutal fourth season, fans have been left scratching their heads over one mysterious member of The Seven. Black Noir had wound up dead in Season 3 and yet somehow he continues fighting and taking Homelander’s orders.
We first met the silent and stealthy Supe in Season 1, where he served loyally as Homelander’s mysterious sidekick. And while several members of The Seven, like Translucent and Queen Maeve, have fallen since then, Black Noir has been a mainstay. In season 3’s shocking conclusion, Noir was killed off for good after being tossed into the path of Homelander’s test for loyalty.
Of course, a dedicatedThe Boysfan knows, no one’s death is ever certain in thishyper-violent playground of superherosatire. Time and again, Vought international has covered up fatalities among The Seven’s ranks for PR-friendly reasons. Plus, trailers forThe BoysSeason 4 had already teased the presence of Black Noir. Without giving too much away just yet, let’s just say that Black Noir’s replacement is the subject of heavy fan speculation. Here’s why.
Why Did Homelander Kill Black Noir?
Throughout his tenure with The Seven, Black Noir had been Homelander’s most trusted teammate and friend. Despite being mute and edge, Noir’s unflinching support for Vought’s golden boy proved that he was never in the wrong. He was The Seven’s superpowered ninja, but all viewers knew of his past was that he was trained by a master sensei and that he had a stone-cold exterior that allowed him to murder people without hesitation.
Season 3 ofThe Boysrevealed that Black Noir has been around for a long time, initially serving for a different superhero group back in the 1970s and 80s. Also managed by Vought International, being in Payback meant Noir was forced to conceal his face and work under Soldier Boy.
But when Vogelbaum approached him with a plan to hand Soldier Boy to the Russians because he was developing a young Homelander, Black Noir agreed and his fury only escalated when Soldier Boy pinned the side of his face to a bruning Jeep, severely scarring and disfiguring his face.
Flash forward to present day, Black Noir still experiences delusions, believing himself a 7-year-old child and seeing cartoon mascots of Buster Beaver’s Pizza Restaurant as his best friend.
When Soldier Boy returns and hunts down Black Noir, he constantly manages to escape, which worries Homelander because he needs his partner by his side. In a final confrontation, when Homelander asks if Black Noir knew he was Soldier Boy’s son, Noir nods, Homelander cries in painand eviscerates him for his betrayal.
Vought Has Hired an Actor to Pose as Black Noir
Fans were surprised to see Black Noir appear unscathed and freshly masked in the first episode ofThe BoysSeason 4. He seemed silent and menacing as before, albeit not by Homelander’s side anymore. Viewers quickly noticed that things were off – the new Black Noir was clumsy and he was talking and trying desperately to fill the big shoes left behind by the former death dealer.
The episodes do not attempt to conceal his personality, though. The episode suggested that Vought has replaced the original Black Noir with a professional actor, who is also a Supe. A nobody wearing the same suit, the new Noir was no ace assassin but just a means to fool the public and drive their attention away from Vought’s many mishaps. Still, he has got super strength, great reflexes, and is durable in fights.
Showrunner Eric Kripke had revealed that he wanted Black Noir II to be “pretty interesting and hilarious” as a character. So he makes the new guy blurt out thoughts,question Homelander’s intentionswhen he forces Noir, The Deep and A-Train to beat three men to death using baseball bats, and having to be constantly reminded to shut up.
The fact that Vought will go to such absurd lengths to cover Homelander’s tracks, especially at such a delicate time, even if the results are laughable, is fascinating and imaginable.
Related:10 Best Quotes From the First 3 Seasons of The Boys
Black Noir II Is Played by Nathan Mitchell in the Boys Season 4, the Same Actor Who Portrayed the Character in the First 3 Seasons
Even though behind the mask, Black Noir is a whole new character, he is still being played by the same actor that portrayed the original Black Noir. Another fun fact noticed by eagle-eyed fans is the fact that Nathan Mitchell, who played Black Noir in Seasons 1-3, is still credited at the end of Season 4 episodes 1-3.
Black Noir never removed his mask in the earlier seasons, and when his true identity was revealed, fans saw his disfigured face and put two and two together. Given he doesn’t talk either, Mitchell only ever got to flex his physical skills and mannerisms as Black Noir before.The Boyshad no reason to recast him asthe show could now use the actor’s full potential; his voice, his somewhat goofy side, as well as his acting talents.
So far, fans are assuming that Vought’s motivation to find a quick stand-in for Black Noir extends so far as maintaining Homelander’s public image. But using an actor to play Noir, one who speaks and clearly does not have a filter, makes it look like there is more to the character than meets the eye. Plus, he is narcoleptic. Either of those things could give Black Noir II away, but only time will tell what the season has in store for him.
