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Does he die if he blow up or he come back to life after? Cuz if it's one time thing, how did he know what superpower he got?

[-] Steve@communick.news 108 points 1 week ago

Yah. That's the whole point. V is controlled by an American company, created by a literal Nazi in the 40s and 50s. This supe was specifically made to trick the US into allowing supes into the military. The show got away with it because they're criticizing the same thing you are.

Whoever posted this wasn't actually paying attention when they watched.

[-] ceenote@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago

Yes and no. Vought made a terrorist supervillain for the reasons you described, yes, but they couldn't control what kinds of powers he'd get. The ones who decided he'd blow himself up were the show writers.

[-] Bane_Killgrind@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 1 week ago

Vought has a history of playing into racist stereotypes in the narrative, so they probably overlooked more powerful/capable candidates in whatever experiments they were doing once they got this guy.

[-] ceenote@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Sure, that's possible, but there's no evidence in the show that they did that.

[-] Bane_Killgrind@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week ago

https://the-boys.fandom.com/wiki/Naqib

Yeah you are right he's the only one, I forgot Homelander got them the dose of V

[-] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This feels like a thermian argument. In-universe explanations don't justify racist stereotypes as written by the author. Plus, this is The Boys we're talking about... Kripke had Hughie raped last season because he thought it was funny. Don't give them any credit

[-] Bane_Killgrind@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago

Nice reference

Also I should check more what was in the comics vs the show.

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This supe was specifically made to trick the US into allowing supes into the military. The show got away with it because they’re criticizing the same thing you are.

It's a cheap and lazy critique. "We gave the Muslim the Blow Himself Up power, virtually no lines, no real story arc, as a cheap throw-away useful idiot character to advance a plot that's mostly about white people grappling for power".

The writing isn't particularly original or compelling anymore. It's like they just gave up after season 3. Now every episode just an excuse to have Homelander laserbeam people in the dick. Invincible has gone the same way. They've substituted gross-out visuals for all but the most basic-bitch "Bad Guys Are Bad, Good Guys Are Annoying and Conflicted" story arcs.

[-] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 week ago

Invincible has gone the same way

Yup. It doesn't have to be written well anymore, as long as they have long, brutal fight scenes to keep fans happy. The animators really have a thing for intestines this season. That said, I have to admit that I am one of those fans that's kept happy by those long, brutal fight scenes. Everyone on my couch was cheering while ____________ choked the fuck out of __________.

I think the biggest difference between the two shows for me is that The Boys is despairingly cynical, and Invincible is relatively optimistic. It seems like Robert Kirkman generally likes humanity, and Garth Ennis hates everyone and everything.

[-] Steve@communick.news 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

If I recall, this was season 2. Maybe even season 1.

Edit:
Becides you gave the reason in your own sarcastic quote.
It's a show mostly about white people grappling for power in the US. It's not about war or terrorism in the middle east. And there's nothing wrong with making a show that's not about that. This character and that whole part of the world wasn't important to the story. So wasn't given a full spotlight treatment.

If you think the show should be about sup-terrorists in the middle-east. That's a cool idea. There's plenty of story there. But that's not this story, and that's ok.

[-] frog@feddit.uk 43 points 1 week ago

Buddy, his entire character in the show is created specifically to create fear with the people and the government so a corporation can make more money.

They got away with it because it has similarities with what happened in the past. An example would be finding WMD in Iraq.

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The existential horror of suicide bombing is implicit in the nihilism of the bomber, an individual who believes their only value to society is as a personification of military technology. The show doesn't explore this at all. The character doesn't have any character. He's just a throw-away threat used to explain another Supe's disfigurement.

They got away with it because it has similarities with what happened in the past

Naqib is a lazy caricature of a Syrian guerrilla fighter. He gets something like two jokey lines, then gets decapitated. The writers got away with it because lazy caricatures of Arabs in action media are the standard for western media.

Compare him to Ted Sprague in the TV Show "Heroes", a guy with a legit story arc, a tragic backstory, multiple confrontations with the protagonists, and an ongoing beef with "The Company" (the Vought counterpart in the Heroes setting) that drives the plot forward.

Of course Sprague is a mash up of Ted Kaczynski and Timmothy McVey rather than Cliche Arab. So I guess he deserves a bit more respect.

[-] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

What is this from? I'm just gonna take a stab in the dark and say The Boys?

[-] tomten@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago
[-] slaacaa@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago
[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

Can't believe the TV Show that freely trades on ethnic tropes would do this.

[-] peteypete420@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

Considering how wild this show got, i kinda feel like they could have left the plane scene as a 911 plane.

Dont get me wrong, season 1 was only loosely based on the comics, and by season 2 they went completely their own way. Which is fine. But that added so much I thought, to how awfule supes are.

[-] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Yeah it wasnt a good look. Wasn't there an explosive Irish guy at some point too?

Edit: was I mistaken, or did i just annoy some /b/ larpers

this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2026
124 points (92.5% liked)

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