Why 'The Boys' Isn't Your Average Superhero Show (Exclusive)

“Every single episode has at least one moment where I’ve said out loud, ‘I’ve never see that on TV before,'” teases Jack Quaid.

They may look like the Justice League on the outside, but the superheroes at the center of "The Boys" are hiding some serious dark sides.

The Amazon Prime Video series — which premieres Friday and is adapted from the graphic novel of the same name — subverts and satirizes the entire genre, making villains out of the so-called "good guys."

One of "The Seven" who isn’t exactly what he seems is Antony Starr’s Homelander, a character cut from the same cloth as Superman or Captain America, at least in appearance. He’s a blonde, buff American-flag wearing Boy Scout, who — along with supes like The Deep and Queen Maeve — works for a company which sells superhero protection like security systems to cities with the deepest pockets.

"Oh boy. My character he’s the hybrid of Captain America, Superman and all the other fantastic, wonderful, apex predator heroes that there are, inverted and turned on their heads," Starr told TooFab at Comic-Con. "He’s really a dark, needy, awful train wreck of a superhero."

"For all the strength and physical attributes, he is the weakest person on the show because everything is driven by neediness or insecurity," he teased. "What can you expect from him? Everything you would not expect from Superman and Captain America or any of the stock standard heroes we know and love."

While Starr is no stranger to a well-choreographed fight scene — just watch his work on Starz’s "Banshee" for proof there — the actor noted it was much easier than he expected to step into Homelander’s boots.

"[It’s] totally different and my body loves me for it. I get to tell other people what to do," he explained. "It’s great, as I get older I wanna do less, ‘Banshee’ was brutal."

"I’m not gonna lie, the suit has its own challenges, it’s a different level of stamina to do 12-15 hours in that a day, but really as far as stunts, I do a lot of laser-ing, I do some flying here or there but I don’t go around punching or kicking people," he continued. "I do a lot of intimidating and threatening as well, it’s a bit more my cup of tea now I’m getting older."

Working to dismantle the heroes at the top are Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher and Jack Quaid’s Hughie, who both have personal vendettas against The Seven.

"Throughout the course of the show, he has to make certain decisions. Some decisions he regrets, some decisions he’s okay with," Quaid told TooFab. "But that’s been one of the most rewarding parts of the show for me, tracking this normal guy in these extraordinary circumstances and tracking him from episode to episode to see how he changes and what that means to him, that’s the best."

Quaid, son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, also told us to expect more than a few OMG moments once the show drops.

"Every single episode has at least one moment where I’ve said out loud, ‘I’ve never see that on TV before, I’ve never see that before, period’" he teased. "I can’t give too much away because I really want it to be a surprise."

"The Boys" premieres Friday on Amazon Prime Video.

View Photo Gallery Getty/AMC The Biggest Shocks and Surprises of Comic-Con 2019

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