The following is a list of fictional characters from the comic series The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, and subsequent media franchise developed by Eric Kripke, consisting of a live-action adaptation, the web series Seven on 7, the animated anthology series The Boys Presents: Diabolical, and the live-action spin-off series Gen V.
Overview
Key
Main cast
Recurring cast
The Boys
The Boys are a CIA black ops team, initially created by Col. Greg Mallory to observe, record and sometimes liquidate Supes created by the mega conglomerate Vought. Ostensibly assembled to help prevent / avenge the immoral and illegal actions of the largely out of control "supe" community, they also seek to ensure that Vought lacks the stability or the platform to push for use of superhumans in national defense. Over time the team's focus changed due to Butcher's increased inability from one of management / containment to the total elimination of all Supes. As Mallory notes in #55, 14 people were killed by the Boys from 1987 to 1995 and "nearly three times that number" between 1995 and 2002, when Butcher had gained more influence. This coincides with Mallory's belief in Issues #54–55 that in spite of the seductiveness of the concept of special forces teams, the application of them can often go wrong as they try to justify their budgets and create their private conflicts. As a result, Mallory feels that the original concept for the team has gone awry, and would never have created the unit as it currently stands.
The first iteration of the Boys was decommissioned after a disastrous confrontation with the Seven in 2001 that resulted in the deaths of Mallory's grandchildren. The unit was reformed a few years later – indicated in #1 to be soon after the 2004 Presidential election – and have carried on where they left off. Due to the fact that direct confrontation may be needed, all the members have enhanced strength and durability due to injections of Compound V, and all (with the exception of Hughie) show no restraint when on the attack – although they avoid killing when it complicates matters in most cases.
Though they are not as powerful as the corrupt superheroes they fight, they compensate with their blue-collar grit, their willingness to fight dirty, their access to high military grade weaponry and explosives, and their lack of fear to kill if they deem it necessary. Thanks to Butcher, Frenchman and Mother's Milk's military backgrounds, the Boys also gained elite military combat and weapons training to make them even deadlier than were before. They also became master hand-to-hand combat specialists thanks to Mother's Milk's background as a former boxer.
Billy Butcher
Hughie Campbell
Mother's Milk
The Frenchman
First seen in issue #2, The Frenchman is one of the original Boys, and displays a penchant for extreme violence within a few frames of his first appearance. As his name suggests, he is French. His spoken French uses incorrect phrasing, though whether this is an intentional plot point is not yet known. He takes an immediate liking to "Petit Hughie." He and the Female are the 'muscles' of the team, and he is prone to violent outbursts (especially with any insults towards France and the French), although he can control them better than the Female. According to Mother's Milk, however, it is better for the rest of humanity in general if they are in the team rather than in the outside world.
Like Billy and Mother's Milk, the Frenchman possesses military experience, particularly holding knowledge in ballistics, to the extent that Butcher defers to him on that matter. The Frenchman also possesses an incredibly strong sense of smell. When his sense of smell is first shown in the Glorious 5 Year Plan arc, a confused Hughie asks why Terror isn't sniffing around. To which Butcher replies "Frenchie has the better nose for it." Implying that The Frenchman's sense of smell is greater than that of a dog.
The Frenchman appears to be quite shy and caring until someone provokes him, to which he will attack or even kill in a gruesome manner, for example, battering three American businessmen in a coffee shop for calling him a "Goddamn surrender monkey" and a "fucking cheese-eater." In #55, Mallory notes that cruelty to children makes Frenchie "livid," which renders him hard to control when such scenarios are encountered.