PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — "The Boys" on Amazon Prime, in its fourth season next year, is not your typical superhero show. It has spawned two spinoff shows, "The Boys Presents: Diabolical" and "Gen V." It's gory, very dark at times, and the "supes," as they’re called, aren’t always the good guys.
🎧 Listen to 'What The Boys can tell us about society and psychology' | 31m
"The people, humans, who become supes, they don't magically become good people. They don't magically become heroic. They might be racist, they might be homophobic, they might be misogynistic, they might be narcissistic," says clinical psychologist Dr. Lynn Zubernis.
She and counseling psychologist Dr. Matthew Snyder, both professors at West Chester University, co-edited a book called "Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys."
Within the supernatural premise the things that shape these characters are very real: toxic masculinity, personal tragedy, corporate greed, and manipulation by the corporation that manages the supes, Vought International.
"The big villain in all of this is Vought," says Snyder. "You know, who's the big villain in our society? That's the mirror I think that the show is trying to hold up to people."
Spoiler alert
If you haven't watched "The Boys" yet, and you plan to, you might want to save this episode for later. Zubernis and Snyder will get into some spoilers as we dig into these complex characters and talk about how we end up rooting for people who have done some really awful things, and how the show reflects the society we live in.
To hear the full conversation, listen to KYW's In Depth podcast above, or subscribe on the Audacy app or wherever you get your podcasts.