Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) — and I guess spoilers past this point — died graphically in the Season 3 finale of The Boys, “The Instant White-Hot Wild.” Yet in one of Season 4’s best jokes, Black Noir is back on The Seven, alive, and nobody seemed phased by it. So how is Black Noir alive on The Boys? The answer is pretty simple: that’s not Black Noir.
Or rather, the character is still publicly called Black Noir. And he’s played in real life by the same actor, Nathan Mitchell. But the character’s name is actually Black Noir II. It’s a classic superhero trope, where a superhero dies, and someone picks up the mantle. Usually, that’s someone’s son or someone inspired by the death of their favorite hero. On The Boys, though? The villainous Vought Corporation just recast the role.
While as of Episode 3, “We’ll Keep The Red Flag Flying,” we don’t know exactly who Black Noir II is, we do know he’s an actor who just won’t shut up. Unlike the silent, disturbed original Black Noir, this new version is very concerned with his motivation, and playing the role; even though he breaks character constantly. Not to mention, he’s also narcoleptic — something that might be an issue when he’s supposed to constantly be murdering people.
That said beyond pestering A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) about what the original Black Noir would do in similar situations, we know he’s an actor because he tells Ashley (Colby Minifie) that he studied performing arts at Godolkin University. Yep, the same Godolkin that was the main setting of The Boys spinoff series Gen V.
Did Homelander Kill Black Noir?
Just to be uber-clear here: yes, Homelander did kill Black Noir in the Season 3 finale. Black Noir knew that Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) was Homelander’s father, and admitted he had kept the secret for decades. So Homelander punched Black Noir straight through the midsection, ripping his intestines out.
Black Noir died on the floor of The Seven’s conference room in Vought Tower, picturing his beloved cartoon Buster Beaver characters, one last time.
So, Who Is The New Black Noir?
Given the Godolkin connection, it’s possible Black Noir II is a student we saw on Gen V. He’s almost definitely not Sam (Asa Germann) or Cate (Maddie Phillips), who have both been seen in trailer footage not wearing a Black Noir costume. But it would be neat if this new Black Noir was someone we glimpsed in Season 1 of the college set series.
It’s also possible that Black Noir II is a clone of the original Black Noir. Since he’s played by Nathan Mitchell, and presumably looks the same, that could be a fair explanation. As a back-up for this theory, in the comic books by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it was eventually revealed that Black Noir was secretly an even more evil clone of Homelander. So perhaps the TV show is going in the opposite direction and made him an even less evil clone of Black Noir.
Or, and this is perhaps the most likely possibility: Black Noir II is a narcoleptic former theater student and Supe who got cast in the role of Black Noir and is doing a bad job. That’s it!
Either way, we’ll find out — or not — as the season continues.
The Boys Season 4 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The Boys season 4 will officially premiere on Prime Video on Thursday, June 13 at 3 am ET / 12 am PT. The season will be eight episodes long, with three dropping on premiere day.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Boys Season 4, with expected premiere dates:
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 1 – “Department of Dirty Tricks”
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 2 – “Life Among the Septics”
- Thursday, June 13, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 3 – “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here”
- Thursday, June 20, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 4 – “Wisdom of the Ages”
- Thursday, June 27, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 5 – “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son”
- Thursday, July 4, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 6 – “Dirty Business”
- Thursday, July 11, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 7 – “The Insider”
- Thursday, July 18, 2024: The Boys, Season 4, Episode 8 – “Assassination Run” *Season Finale*
