The universe of The Boys went from relative obscurity as a niche comic book series to a pop-culture phenomenon after Amazon gave it the big-budget adaptation treatment. An antithesis to the current milieu of adaptations based on the properties of the "Big Two" houses of comics, The Boys is a breath of fresh air in an overcrowded market.
Introducing audiences to a stable of superheroes who are anything but the righteous, benevolent figures of Marvel or DC, across two seasons, we've been treated to plenty of black humor, action, and a lot of blood. After COVID-19 delayed production on the third season, Amazon commissioned a group of talented individuals across the industry to make a series of animated one-ofs in the Boys universe, collectively known as Diabolical.
8) "Boyd in 3D"
The message that social media can be detrimental to an individual's mental health — particularly if they are already prone to doubting themselves — is relatively common in the storytelling of the past couple of years. This theme has been explored across all sorts of media, with shows like Netflix's Black Mirror doing excellent commentary on this issue.
"Boyd in 3D "aims for these lofty heights but falls short in virtually every department. The animation is pretty subpar, relying on montages with the subjects barely moving in the frame. The message of anti-vanity lacks any subtlety and often can leave the viewer feeling patronized as it points out some pretty apparent realities. It also has the least to do with The Boys universe out of the stories. This is a disappointment and rare miss from the usually talented Ilana Glazer.
7) "BFFs"
We've all seen what happens when Compound V is injected into the human bloodstream. Most effective in babies, the basic idea is that it will give you superpowers. However, what if one was to drink Compound V instead of injecting it? Awkafina's short BFFs sets out to answer this question.
While the idea of sentient poop is often played to hilarious results in animation (South Park's iconic Mr. Hanky comes to mind), it is something of a one-trick pony. It is deepened somewhat by the friendship between protagonist Sky (Awkafina) and her bowel movement. The bright, colorful animation style is an interesting contrast to the usually mature universe of its setting. Ultimately, however, BFFs feel like an excuse to see how many poop gags can be fit into a 13-minute run time.
6) "Laser Baby's Day Out"
Very much an homage to Looney Tunes, this offering from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is pretty cleverly executed, even if it doesn't have a whole lot new to say. A dialogue-less affair, we're quickly taken into the world of a hapless lab assistant at Vought, who is assigned a child with unique abilities. After all signs indicate the child won't develop the capacity to control these abilities, they order its destruction.
Of course, our young lab assistant — who dreams of having his own family — isn't having that, and he busts the kid out. A hilarious sequence follows where the baby mercilessly kills hundreds of Vought personnel as they escape together. While indeed a fun watch, it lacks depth beyond the central relationship. That being said, Laser Baby is pretty ridiculously endearing.
5) "Nubian vs. Nubian"
In this riff on relationships and divorce, Aisha Tyler and Don Cheadle star as the titular heroes. After a steamy first encounter, the two heroes are in a rut. As divorce papers are passed between the two parties, their daughter makes a last-ditch effort to keep them together by bringing the villain (John DiMaggio) they first defeated out to fight them again. They rekindle their passion, only for the daughter to regret her attempts at playing Cupid.
While this has its moments, many of the jokes fall flat. In addition, the storyline itself of a near-divorced couple rediscovering their passion through reliving a shared experience isn't exactly a fresh idea. The short has some good performances and impressive animation but is let down a bit by its script.
4) "An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents"
Mileage for this short will vary wildly based on opinions regarding Rick and Morty co-creatorJustin Roiland. Roiland's bizarre sense of humor certainly isn't for everyone. Still, when put into this context (the universe of The Boys), it seems like a step so logical that if anyone here proves they should be given a whole animated series set in this universe, it's Roiland.
The piece itself does exactly what it states in the title. A group of rejected compound V recipients with minor or impractical powers are abandoned by their parents and mostly forgotten by society in general. They decide to take revenge on their families. Roiland's unique animation style and his strange sense of humor are a perfect fit into this bloody, irreverent world.
3) "One Plue One Equals Two"
Was Homelander (Anthony Starr) always as much of a giant manchild as he's presented in the show? We have seen very little of the character's early days as a crimefighter until now. This episode follows Homelander on his very first mission as he attempts to stop some terrorists from blowing up a power station. Of course, having been raised in a lab with minimal idea of how the world works, it is a disaster, and Homelander kills everyone who is a witness.
One of those witnesses happens to be Black Noir, but after Homelander gives chase and eventually confronts the silent hero, he confirms Homelander can trust him with his secret. While not the most profound story on this list, this short does allow us to look at what made Homelander and Black Noir so close, as well as laying the groundwork for the callous, uncaring "hero" his character would become.
2) "I'm Your Pusher"
Like any adaptation of a piece of literature, ever since it first came out, The Boys has had its share of fans of the original books calling out for the show to be more accurate to the source material. This short — written by original series author Garth Ennis — sets out to address these fans, and in the process, creates a short that is closest in tone to the original books.
Most of the live-action adaptation has been building towards The Boys obtaining the resources they need to take on the Supes. Still, in this, we see a Billy Butcher on top of his game, as he "persuades" one of the Supes' drug dealers to modify a particular hero's morning cocktail. The result is straight out of the books, as an OD causes a horrific accident that takes out multiple Supes.
1) "John & Sun-Hee"
Much like Justin Roiland, Andy Samberg'sbrand of humor seems like a perfect fit for the Boys universe. However, unlike Roiland, Samberg uses this opportunity to play against type and show audiences a different side of him as an artist. A phrase not often associated with his work, bring your tissue boxes for this one, folks. It's about to get sad.
John (Randall Duk Kim) is a lifelong janitor for Vought, who can't afford his wife's (Youn Yuh-jung) medical treatments. Instead of giving up, though, he steals compound V from the lab where he works and injects his wife with it in an attempt to save her. Evoking body-horror influences along with the best of Studio Dada Show, this is a smart, sophisticated take on the universe and is easily the most unique and exciting on this list. Like the very best stories in the genre, "John & Sun-Hee" manages to transcend its trappings and tell a beautiful and memorable story.
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