The Boys Fans Slam Showrunner for Openly Betraying Source Material... Again
Eric Kripke admitted to changing a massive plot point from the original comic because he didn’t feel like it, and fans are fuming.
Let’s face it: there’s no such thing as a 100% faithful adaptation. Even the most sophisticatedly close movies and TV shows physically can’t follow the original book or comic word for word, and that’s fine. There are many things an adaptation can change or cut without the end result being an insult to the fan base, really.
Eric Kripke has changed many things in his adaptation of The Boys, and so far, fans have been OK with his approach — but this time, he jumped the line too far.
Eric Kripke Cut a Major Plot Twist Entirely
There are many, many ways to change source material without being disrespectful, indeed… And many reasons to do so are perfectly valid. Whether it’s screen time, plot complications, or adjustment for the new era, fans can understand all that. However, Eric Kripke admitted that he changed one huge The Boys plot twist just because he didn’t like it and felt like removing that part entirely.
“In the comics, [Black Noir] is a clone of Homelander this entire time and is actually the one doing all these horrific things. <...> I’m sure fans are mad I’m not going that way, but that felt not as satisfying to me. I’m like, if I’m going to follow this villain, I want this guy to be the villain. So I was never really into the clone idea. <...> I’m going to sound silly, but cloning feels too magical for the show,” Kripke told Variety.
Oh [the] boys… Where do we even start?
The Boys Fans Are Furious With Showrunner
In no world is “felt not as satisfying to me” a valid reason to remove such a huge plot twist from source material. This removes not just a layer, but an entire skyscraper’s worth of complexity and ambiguity, and all just because one person really wanted Homelander to be the ultimate villain instead of a complex human being.
Fans are fuming.
“Goodness, why do so many writers, directors, & showrunners have this putrid attitude? Unless I created the IP, I feel like I’d owe it to the fans to write a good, faithful adaptation. <...> I just don’t like this idea of, ‘Yeah, I was more satisfied with this idea, so f*ck the fans,’” X (formerly Twitter) user TheEbonyMaw wrote.
We can’t help but agree, and many fans do. This is by far the most frustrating and infuriating reason to dramatically change canon events, and it’s just… How do you come up with so much self-confidence to deliberately butcher source material?
Source: Variety