Much has transform’alter d since we last checked in on Billy Butcher and co. The Boys is no longer the merely’barely game in town when it comes to gory, superpowered-beings-gone-wicked’dreadful’undesirable’adverse’vile content: the brightly animated Invincible did not skimp on the blood-soaked gruesomeness, and both The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker featured their fair share of over-the-top fatalities. But any concerns that The Boys’ capacity to shock has dimmed in the context of its new counterparts are emphatically blown out of the water within the first ten minutes, thanks to an Ant-Man riff so utterly outrageous that it really has to be seen to be believed.###Shocking in/with regard to’concerning’regarding grossly different reasons is legendary Supe-hater Butcher (Karl Urban) acquiring powers of his own after taking super-serum Compound V. Such a shift in claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate ing underlines the enormous’vast’massive’tremendous questions that multiple characters possess’own’nurse to continually ask themselves this season: how far are you willing to go to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure the job done, and what are you willing to forego to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure it? Hughie’s (Jack Quaid) desire not to feel weak, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding instance, puts a strain on his relationship with Starlight (Erin Moriarty), while Marvin (Laz Alonso) has to weigh spending quality time with his daughter against acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure ting justice in/with regard to’concerning’regarding his family. Through it all, the moral murkiness and messy consequences are never less than compelling in a season that blurs the line between the rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent guys and the wicked’dreadful’undesirable’adverse’vile guys more than ever bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e. It’s not just a question of who will still be standing when all is said and done, but what state they will be in if they are.###Homelander’s unpredictable nature has always been The Boys’ trump card in relation to other contemporary superhero content.###Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) is a bit shorttransform’alter d by the material in early episodes, but other subplots are heartfelt. Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) are even more of a fun, sweet pairing now that the latter has learned token language — an unlikely dance number they enjoy is a riot — and some welcome backstory in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the duplicitous Victoria is all the more effective in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Claudia Doumit’s affecting perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance. The satirical elements remain just as sharp too, ranging from A-Train’s (Jessie T. Usher) perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mative stance on racism and the Black Lives Matter movement to a ‘Dawn Of The Seven’ movie that is an entertaining riff on The Snyder Cut.###At the centre of it all is Homelander (Antony Starr). The Boys’ second season reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ed how far he would go to remain beloved by his unsuspecting fans. But what happens when that’s no longer a consideration? It’s just one more thing that numbers him among the scariest superpowered characters we’ve ever seen on screen, and Starr plays him to perfection. Indeed, Homelander’s unpredictable nature has always been The Boys’ trump card in relation to other contemporary superhero content. You never know when he might snap — no-one ever feels truly safe. It’s a enormous’vast’massive’tremendous reason why, three seasons in, The Boys remains so riveting to watch.