The Boys season 4 is currently rolling out weekly on Amazon Prime Video and so far, the show has offered up plenty of gags, gore, and biting social commentary. With Queen Maeve having hung up her metaphorical cape and Soldier Boy skipping town, the new chapter has seen a couple of new Supes join The Seven, too: Sister Sage and Firecracker.
Just two fresh faces, you say? "But what about Black Noir's replacement?" Well, turns out, the silent Supe is somehow still on the team, despite his apparent death at the end of season 3. Now, you might be asking yourself, did Noir survive Homelander's attack, or is that someone else posing as the masked hero? And if so, who's playing him this time around?
Well, fear not, as we're here to explain all of that and give you the lowdown on the new Black Noir below...
As you might expect, there are mild spoilers beyond this point, so if you've yet to catch up with The Boys season 4 and you don't want to know anything that happens, turn back now!
What happened to Black Noir?
If you cast your minds back, you'll remember that the original Black Noir was actually disemboweled by Homelander in season 3, episode 8, when the latter discovered Noir knew Soldier Boy was Homelander's father. It was a complete shock, and quite upsetting for a lot of fans too, as we'd just gotten to know more about the seemingly ageless Noir's past – including what Soldier Boy did to him, why he had to wear his mask, and why he'd been mute ever since.
For many people, Noir's death felt underwhelming and sudden, given the fact he was a key character. This, along with the fact that his death was never publicly announced in the show, made us hold onto hope that he might return one day. Turns out, that hope was justified... as he looked to rock up casually in season 4...
Who is the new Black Noir?
When we first meet the new Noir, it's confusing to say the least, as the hero waltzes into The Seven boardroom partway through episode 1 and just... sits down at the table as if he never died at all. The Deep greets him while Homelander gives him a strange, almost guilty look. The next time we see the Deadpool-esque Supe is in Vought's Meet and Greet room where he and two other members of The Seven dispatch a set of unfortunate fans. Disturbed by Homelander's grisly, murderous orders, Noir says, "Yo, what the fuck? That was so fucked up you guys," which marks the first time we've ever heard Noir speak – aside from the flashback of Soldier Boy crushing his skull – and only adds more mystery around the character's comeback.
The mystery is put to bed at the start of episode 2, however, where Noir shows up on the set of A-Train's new movie and asks the speedster for a chat, to which A-Train reminds him that he isn't supposed to be talking at all. Noir says, "Look, playing Noir has been a meaningful challenge, but yesterday was whack as fuck," later adding, "I'm just having trouble with Noir's motivation." This seemingly confirms that the new Noir is not the Supe we knew but an actor, presumably hired by Vought to hide the fact that Homelander murdered a member of his team in cold blood.
Nathan Mitchell, the actor who brought Noir to life in the first three seasons, is credited in those early episodes, which led some fans to theorize that he was still playing him. Their speculation is confirmed in episode 6, titled 'Dirty Business', when new Noir recklessly takes off his mask in The Seven boardroom.
"Hey... dude! Are you fucking nuts? Put your mask back on," Chace Crawford's The Deep growls when he sees him. "Get out of his chair. What are you doing?" he adds, referencing Homelander.
"You know what's funny? I hate sake," Black Noir II hisses back. "But I'm supposed to follow some stupid Black ninja bullshit, which makes no goddamn sense by the way. You ever meet a Black ninja?! I'm done.
"I don't understand Noir," he continues. "You know there was nothing in his closet but literally, like, seven file boxes of shitty Buster Beaver drawings? I can fly, do you know that?" So new Noir is a Supe of his own? Interesting.
"What you're not getting is how horny killing made the old Noir," says Deep. "That was his whole thing. I know this is hard to imagine, but some people laugh at me. But you know what I realized? When I crush someone's nose into the back of their skull, or beat 'em so bad that they'll never walk again, they're not laughing anymore. They show respect. Violence is power." Oh dear.
While it could just be a meta gag, or a way to keep Mitchell around on set, there's always a chance that there's more to Noir's quick death and replacement than meets the eye. In the show, Vought didn't hang about confirming the deaths of Translucent or Supersonic, so it's curious as to why they didn't just make out Noir died valiantly fighting crime or in an accident? We'll be sure to keep you posted on that front.
The Boys season 4 is streaming now on Prime Video right now. For more, check out The Boys season 4 release schedule, the best shows on Prime Video, or the rest of our deep-dive coverage:
- The Boys season 4 takes full advantage of Prime Video's most overlooked feature, and the result is hilarious
- The Boys' anti-Supe virus, explained
- Do I need to watch Gen V before The Boys season 4?
- Homelander's dark past, explained
- Who voices Ambrosius in The Boys season 4? The surprise big-name cameo, explained
- Who is Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing in The Boys season 4?
- Black Noir's surprise return, explained
- Is this surprise A-list appearance in The Boys season 4 the show's best cameo yet?
