20 Years Before The Boys, Black Noir Beat Homelander In A Fight

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In the world of The Boys, Homelander is undoubtedly the most powerful superhero. The other members of the Seven don’t compare, and very few supes have ever given him a real challenge in a fight – Soldier Boy and Queen Maeve are among the very few who have.

Homelander didn’t have any issues with the first Black Noir for a long time. They worked together for years, but eventually fought in season 3 of The Boys. The conflict stemmed from Black Noir wanting revenge for the deaths of his former teammates, while Homelander wouldn’t allow it after discovering Soldier Boy was actually his father.

Black Noir knew a dangerous secret, and keeping it hidden proved fatal. Homelander punished him with a single, devastating punch that caused a gruesome injury in front of the Seven. It’s shocking how easily Homelander defeated Noir, considering they had a much closer battle twenty years earlier.

Black Noir Proved He Was A Match For A Younger Homelander

The Boys Presents: Diabolical is mostly separate from the main The Boys storyline. However, the eighth episode, “One Plus One Equals Two,” has been officially added to the show’s established history by The Boys creator Eric Kripke.

This story focuses on Homelander’s first official mission as a superhero. He’s paired with the seasoned Black Noir, but the mission goes horribly wrong and results in multiple deaths. Homelander immediately becomes anxious, fearing that Black Noir will use his mistake to climb the ranks at Vought and become the company’s favored hero.

Homelander aggressively attacks Black Noir, but is surprisingly ineffective. Noir immediately throws Homelander off balance with exploding projectiles and smoke bombs, not causing any real damage, but successfully distracting him. While Homelander is much faster, particularly when flying, he struggles to keep up with Noir’s quick and unpredictable movements. Noir effortlessly bounces around, and Homelander is unable to land a single blow, even with his laser vision.

Black Noir realizes that direct attacks won’t hurt Homelander, so he cleverly uses Homelander’s own powers against him. With a sly trick, Noir gets Homelander to blast a nearby tank, causing a chemical explosion right next to him. Homelander is knocked off his feet, while Noir remains completely unharmed.

The Two Caveats To Black Noir Beating A Young Homelander

As a huge fan of The Boys, I’ve always thought about the fight between Homelander and Black Noir. It’s easy to forget that Homelander was pretty inexperienced when they first clashed. Black Noir had been a superhero for years, while Homelander was still figuring things out, even with all his power. Noir definitely used that to his advantage in their fight, which happened decades before the main events of the show. But honestly, if they fought again during the show’s timeline, I think Homelander would be much harder to trick – he’d have learned from his mistakes.

Homelander isn’t the only one with a reason to explain his actions. When they fought at the chemical plant, he truly intended to kill Black Noir, convinced Noir was about to betray him. However, Black Noir was only trying to stall Homelander and show they were allies. If Noir had fought to kill Homelander with the same intensity, Homelander might have been seriously injured.

Homelander & Black Noir’s First Fight Raises Questions Over Noir’s Death In The Boys Season 3

No matter how you look at it, the fight between Homelander and Black Noir wasn’t as simple as many fans of The Boys expected. Although a fight 20 years later would likely be different, that initial battle makes Black Noir’s death seem much more significant.

In season 3 of The Boys, Homelander caught Black Noir off guard. But if he hadn’t, do you think he still would have won the fight?

Although Black Noir might not be able to seriously injure Homelander, the animated series Diabolical showed how skilled Noir is at finding and using an opponent’s vulnerabilities. Had Homelander engaged Black Noir in a full fight during season 3 of The Boys, instead of just landing a surprise attack, Noir likely could have worn Homelander down and escaped.

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2025-12-26 18:08