In this week’s episode of The Boys, we finally meet a highly anticipated character straight from the comics: Laddio, played by Reid Millar.
…Only it’s entirely possible you might have missed that the character was named Laddio due to a throwaway line. You also might not have gathered that Laddio is Robin to Tek Knight’s (Derek Wilson) Batman, since the connection wasn’t explicitly made.
But it’s true, all of it! So let’s get into it. Here’s what you need to know about Laddio from The Boys TV show. We’ll also break down who Laddio is and what his connection is to SwingWing, the comic book’s version of Nightwing. And finally, what to know about Reid Millar, the actor in the red gimp suit.
Who Is Laddio On The Boys Season 4?
Spoilers for this week’s episode past this point. In Season 4, Episode 6 “Dirty Business” we discover that Tek Knight — first introduced on Gen V, but also seen last week on “Beware The Jabberwock, My Son” — has a dungeon in his basement. While the show has gone a different route initially and made him into Daredevil, but with sight, and hosting a true crime show; in the comics Tek Knight was a combo of Batman and Iron Man.
Here, the Batman connection is more explicit. He’s got a butler named Elijah (Tyrone Benskin) who raised him when his parents were killed. He’s got a Tek Cave, just like Batman’s Batcave. Oh, and he’s got a sidekick dressed in red, just like Robin. However, that sidekick is currently chained to a wall when we meet him.
Tek Knight is pretty dismissive of Laddio as he tests Webweaver — who is secretly Hughie (Jack Quaid) in disguise — in order to possibly take him on as his new sidekick. Meanwhile, Laddio strains against his chains on the wall, unable to speak thanks to the ball gag in his mouth.
The only confirmation we get that this character is Laddio is when Tek Knight is captured by The Boys, and the red gimp suit Supe escapes. “Laddio, get help boy!” shouts Tek Knight. But Laddio is ready to help the good guys instead, giving them access to Tek Knight’s financial accounts.
That’s the last we see of Laddio as Elijah chokes Tek Knight to death after learning the Supe will be using his private prisons as internment camps. But here’s hoping he gets out of the gimp suit.
Who Is Laddio In The Boys Comics? And What Does He Have To Do With SwingWing?
As usual, if you think The Boys TV show pushes things too far, you don’t know the comics. In the books by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, back in the day Laddio and Tek Knight ended up having a threesome with Talon, the comic’s version of Catwoman. While Laddio and Tek Knight started to develop feelings for each other, those curdled, and Laddio left to become SwingWing.
It gets worse! SwingWing was sold as an out, gay superhero by Vought, despite not being gay — and in fact being deeply homophobic. Just like in the show, Tek Knight developed a tumor that made him be sexually attracted to all holes. In the books, SwingWing discovered this, and told The Seven, wrecking his chances of joining the team.
Later, SwingWing killed a man who confessed that he loved him, leading to Butcher and Hughie tracking him down. And while Hughie nearly killed him before letting him go, Butcher sabotaged his jet pack, causing SwingWing to get killed by the Staten Island Ferry, something that happens her in NYC on a near daily basis. Just kidding.
Who is Reid Millar, The Actor Who Plays Laddio On The Boys?
Reid Millar has previously appeared in The Roots of Men and a Dying Man Named Steve, two short films released in 2016. How he ended up in The Boys after an eight-year break from acting, wearing a red gimp suit is not for me to say.
However, of note, he is not Reid Miller, a lauded actor who starred as Jadin Bell in Joe Bell opposite Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton in 2020. Totally different guy, despite the similar spelling!
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*
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