For many, the biggest villain in The Boys is probably Homelander. But one of the most fearsome villains from the comics is missing in the series by Amazon. For MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes, this is a missed opportunity because the substitute does not do justice to its potential.
I personally am not a big fan of the comics of The Boys. It is almost a miracle that the series has turned out so well as an adaptation. Of course, not everything is bad about the work of comic author Garth Ennis. A big highlight for me while reading was always the character of James Stillwell.
He holds a high position at Vought and makes the decisions for the company. His goal is always to maximize profit and keep the investors happy. In the series, James is adapted into two characters: Stan Edgar and Madelyn Stillwell. However, the comic version has a significantly stronger approach.
Here you can see the trailer for Season 5:
The True Villain in The Boys
James Stillwell is the shadow of Vought in the comics. For CEO Stan Edgar, he takes care of operations and makes decisions for the company. He also regularly interacts with the superhero teams that bring money into the company.
In all his panels, he has a cold and terrifying presence. He never gets angry, which gives his threats and decisions a memorable effect. Even after Homelander completely loses it and threatens him with death, he responds coldly and disrespectfully. He replies to him with complete, cold disgust:
When have you ever done anything even remotely interesting or original? What have you come up with that even the most insignificant representative of this meaningless species could do, even if you were to grant him your power?
James Stillwell to Homelander (Source: Screen Rant)
Stillwell is not afraid of Homelander and does not get nervous when he threatens him with violence. He represents a cold and emotionless company that does not care about anything. Both the comics and the series satirically depict how companies control and market everything. It is about maximizing profit, and Supes are endorsed as long as they serve this purpose.
James Stillwell is more fearsome than Homelander, even though he has no powers. Butcher and his team can defeat the superheroes, but taking down Vought as a whole seems impossible. Even if Stillwell were to die, someone else would simply take his place, and that is scarier than Homelander.
The Substitute from the Series is Not as Effective as the Comic Version
In regards to the series, one could argue that James Stillwell is indeed present. Once in the character of Madelyn Stillwell (played by Elisabeth Shue), who represents the name and almost the job, and once in character in the figure of Stan Edgar (played by Giancarlo Esposito).
Madelyn appears in Seasons 1 and 2 as the vice behind Stan Edgar of Vought. She manipulates Homelander and seems to be the only one who has control over him for a long time. She represents the insidiousness of the company Vought but primarily functions as a character in combination with Homelander’s Oedipus complex. She lacks the coldness that made James so striking. In the end, he frees
himself from her control and kills her.
Then Stan Edgar comes into play. He represents the ruthlessness of Vought and does not seem to fear even Homelander. But Stan Edgar falls subject to Homelander and the Supes. Instead of embodying the power of Vought until the end, Homelander grabs the power, and the representation of Vought disappears.
Here you can see a confrontation between Stan and Homelander:
Sure, the products and marketing are still shown, but the person who embodies the essence of a malicious company is missing. Homelander has his own god complex, and Stan Edgar is reduced to a fugitive who takes care of his family. He becomes a secondary character with less screen time.
This is incredibly unfortunate, especially because The Boys does not hesitate to criticize the capitalism of such a company in seemingly every episode. Without such a representation, Vought is no longer the veil that seemingly controls everything but rather a gag instrument. The potential goes to waste, and with it, a counterpoint to Homelander and Butcher. Not Vought has power over everything, but Homelander. This undermines the satirical critique.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Stan Edgar in the series and the approach of placing Homelander and his ego as the central focus of everything, but Vought is, in my opinion, too much in the background, and Stan Edgar is thus wasted. This is so unfortunate because the series also publicly presents the company outside of the episodes: A Supe from The Boys only spouts nonsense, showing why the series is so good
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