The Boys: Why Black Noir Is Perhaps the World's Greatest Warning Against Blind Belief in AI

While Homelander and The Seven take center stage in The Boys as the primary villains, the true evil driving the series is Vought International — a powerful corporation that co-opted the superhero concept, transforming it into a tool to satisfy its insatiable hunger for power, influence, and wealth. Over the years, Vought’s dominance over the superhero industry has not only yielded enormous profits but also fostered a delusional sense of its own omnipotence.

In several ways, big tech companies developing AI technologies mirror Vought in real life. While not necessarily evil yet, they have commandeered the concept of artificial intelligence – now commonly referred to as AI – and leveraged it to amass power, influence, and wealth. As the sole entities with the resources to develop and manage this technology, their dominance in the sector has yielded immense profits and an unmistakable air of omnipotence.

Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic.

Today's Big Tech Have An Emerging Vought Problem

The Boys Prove That High Tech Solutions To Common Problems Are Not Foolproof

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If big-tech companies and AI technologies ever become the "Voughts" of the real world, The Boys offers an important lesson for both them and the public: beware of placing blind faith in a single "great solution." This was exemplified in Vought's approach to their Homelander problem. Vought created Homelander to cement the company’s dominance at the top of the power hierarchy. They did so despite the inherent risk that such a powerful being could one day turn against them. Vought proceeded with his development, confident they could ensure his loyalty or otherwise maintain control over him.

If controlling Homelander directly proved impossible, Vought believed it had the ultimate failsafe: Black Noir, his clone. However, the hubris and profit-driven motives that fueled Homelander's creation also plagued the development of Black Noir. Just as Vought failed to fully comprehend the consequences of creating a godlike being in Homelander, they similarly overlooked the profound implications of creating a god-level assassin tasked with taking care of Homelander should he "break free" from their control.

Related Believe It or Not, The Boys Was Nearly Folded Into the DC Universe, Pitting Homelander Against Batman The Boys was originally pitched to take place in the DC Universe, which would have seen Batman and Superman encounter Homelander, Butcher, and others.

To facilitate this “ultimate solution,” Black Noir was placed as a key member of The Seven, often providing critical support during their missions. However, his primary role on the team was to tacitly yet continuously monitor Homelander. Above all else, Black Noir’s prime directive was to eliminate Homelander, should he ever “go rogue.” While the plan might have seemed sound on paper, it ultimately showcased Vought’s typical shortcoming: ignoring, underestimating, and failing to anticipate the unintended consequences of their creations. In this case, they overlooked the repercussions of giving Black Noir such a rigid and narrowly defined mandate.

The Boys' Black Noir Was A Solution Without Guardrails That Became Bigger Than The Problem

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The issue with Black Noir was that, despite Vought’s persistent signals that he needed to be ready to kill Homelander at a moment’s notice, years of deployment at Homelander's side passed without Vought greenlighting his kill order — even though everyone knew or likely witnessed numerous instances of Homelander going rogue. While a typical “hitman” might have understood Vought’s hesitancy as something beyond their pay grade, Black Noir’s rigid, specific orders left him incapable of stepping back and contextualizing why the kill order was never issued.

Consequently, Black Noir took matters into his own hands, orchestrating a series of atrocities under Homelander's guise. He believed that by doing so, he would demonstrate Homelander's insubordination and prompt Vought to issue the kill order, allowing him to fulfill his primary objective. Rather than waiting for orders, Black Noir created the circumstances to justify his actions. His singular focus on this goal was so intense that he deemed even heinous acts, such as harming infants, acceptable.

A similar situation can arise in AI deployment. Famously known as the 'Paperclip Problem', this scenario envisions an AI program tasked with a seemingly simple directive: "maximize paperclip production." Without further context, nuance or constraints, the AI relentlessly pursues this goal, systematically consuming all available resources – including those crucial for human survival and well-being – to produce more paperclips.

Much like Black Noir's rigid programming to take out Homelander, this AI lacks the flexibility to adapt or re-evaluate its mission in light of changing circumstances or broader societal considerations. That is, it is unable or unwilling to consider complex and evolving factors. So, like Black Noir, it becomes willing to undertake any action, regardless of the harm it inflicts, to achieve its pre-defined objective.

Accordingly, Black Noir should serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of placing blind faith in AI. This is not to say that AI lacks benefits. In fact, Black Noir was arguably Vought's most effective creation — he was the only individual capable of neutralizing Homelander. However, Vought's failure to implement essential safeguards — such as value alignment, hard constraints to prevent harm to innocent third parties, and clear consequences for unacceptable behavior —proved catastrophic.

For example, guardrails ensuring that hurting others to achieve his objectives would lead to decommissioning were absent. Perhaps most critically, Vought neglected to establish mechanisms for human oversight to monitor and regulate his actions, ensuring he didn’t resort to extreme measures. These same fundamental safeguards should guide the development and application of AI technologies. Without them, as demonstrated by Black Noir in The Boys, things can spiral out of control.