So Can We Talk About the Fact That The Boys Casually Confirmed Aliens Are Real?

The Boys comic book series is known for satirizing superheroes and corporate greed, so it might sound funny when I say it is a relatively "grounded" comic book universe, compared to some others – which is why I was legit surprised when the series casually confirmed that aliens exist within its fictional world.

As fans will know, the "supes" of The Boys were created by a super-serum; though it is fantastical, it is not outside the realm of possibility. While I suppose neither are aliens, the way that the existence of extraterrestrials is met with such a flippant non-response in The Boys took me aback, at least for a moment.

Ultimately, I’m not against the inclusion of aliens in The Boys canon, as it makes the franchise weirder and wilder – a tall order given the terrestrial antics Ennis’ characters get into – but it does lead me to reconsider the series as a whole.

Jack From Jupiter Might Be A Fake, But Real Aliens Do Exist In "The Boys" Comic Universe

Aliens are such common knowledge in The Boys universe, that not only does Butcher know about them, but so does the general public. Butcher proves his knowledge of aliens by recounting the origin of the Boys' version of Green Lantern, confirming that, while the exact truth of aliens in The Boys is unclear, they are out there to some extent. What this suggests to me is that the Boys was clearly originally meant to be far more fantastical like DC/Marvel, before Garth Ennis seemingly altered its trajectory.

I don't think there's any way that Vought could use the excuse of an "alien invasion" if the public didn't already readily accept the existence of aliens in this universe.

Every Supe under the Vought corporation needs an exciting origin story, of course, so that they can sell merchandise. That's why Homelander has dozens of movies exploring his origins and his adventures. Likewise, every other member of the Seven needs to be marketable. This resulted in Vought just making up their origins for some of them. Such as Jack from Jupiter, who, as his name implies, is marketed as being from the planet Jupiter. While this isn't actually true, the important bit is that Vought believes the public will buy it.

Aliens never play an actual role in The Boys' storyline, but because Vought is more than happy to use aliens in their marketing, it's fair to assume that the public just accepts them as real. This is especially true because Vought uses the excuse of an alien invasion to explain away the events of Herogasm, a massive orgy that the Supes participate in every year to "let off steam." I don't think there's any way that Vought could use the excuse of an "alien invasion" if the public didn't already readily accept the existence of aliens in this universe.

Galaxius Is "The Boys" Unbelievable Version Of Galactus, A World Destroying Alien

Another Boys proof of aliens I'd like to point out is Galaxius, an obvious parody of Marvel's iconic Galactus character. In the Marvel Universe, Galactus is a character with an unending hunger. He must consume planets to satisfy his hunger. This results in him often coming to Earth and trying to consume it, only to be repelled by the Fantastic Four. In The Boys, Galaxius needs to find sexual pleasure, and only one hero has the power to satisfy him. This results in Galaxius continually returning to Earth again and again.

Related The Boys Wanted Starlight to Have a Very Different Arc, But One Scene Changed It All Starlight is one of the most important characters in The Boys, which is why it's so surprising that her character arc was meant to be a lot darker.

With characters like Jack from Jupiter or the Herogasm event, I think it's easy to just hand-wave those as being Vought publicity. But Galaxius doesn't work for Vought, he's a true and honest supervillain. Because of this, there's no real reason to believe that he isn't an alien. He's certainly presented as one, and he's clearly a parody of one. It's a surprising leftover of what The Boys universe was apparently supposed to be, but Garth Ennis seemingly decided that involving aliens made the story more complicated than it had to be.

Having Aliens Would Ultimately Have Taken Away From The Boys Overall Story

In the end, I think I understand why Garth Ennis made the decision to hold back on incorporating more things like extraterrestrials – or magic, which is also hinted at early in The Boys, but ultimately never plays a prominent role – into the main storyline. As Ennis continued to shape the story, its plot and themes came into focus, and he followed these threads in order to maximize the impact of the story. This meant certain elements had to be foregrounded, while others fell by the wayside.

I think it's ultimately a good thing that Garth Ennis dropped the idea of including aliens and magic, which would have made it more like a typical comic book universe.

While The Boys does have superheroes and incredibly silly moments, it never strays so far into absurdism that it can't be taken seriously at its core. Because of this, I think it's ultimately a good thing that Garth Ennis dropped the idea of including aliens and magic, which would have made it more like a typical comic book universe. The Boys already has plenty of absurd and incredible moments in it. It really didn't need aliens, even if I do think it's a little weird they confirmed aliens exist, and then never addressed it again.

The Boys is on sale now from Dynamite Comics!