There are a lot of tricky aspects to adapting a comic book into live-action, but casting might be one of the hardest things to get right. Good casting has a huge impact on the way audiences react to a character. Robert Downey Jr. made Iron Man one of Marvel's most popular heroes, and discussions of M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender never fail to include the poor casting choices made.
One reason Amazon's The Boys is such a great adaptation of Garth Ennis' original book is the incredible cast. The characters who could sometimes feel two-dimensional in the original comic have been given new life in the hands of some very talented actors.
10 Aya Cash Kept Stormfront Consistent
Stormfront's true intentions are slowly revealed over the course of the second season. Initially, she seems like a brash woman who was unwilling to filter her words. However, audiences learned that Stormfront was both a violent killer and a Nazi. It can be difficult to make a character seem cohesive when there are big twists revealed about them, but Aya Cash manages to make Stormfront feel consistent.
Cash established the character's personality in a way that was believable through every step of her arc. Viewers can go back and watch Cash's performance before the reveal and see how her rhetoric and beliefs could fit into this ideology. This is an important aspect of the performance to get right, and Cash nailed it with Stormfront.
9 Chace Crawford Shows Audiences The Dark Side Of The Deep
Chace Crawford did a great job giving viewers' a false first impression of The Deep. The Deep seems like a nice but dopey guy until the character reveals his true colors. Crawford's performance perfectly captures The Deep's obliviousness to the impact that his actions have on others.
The Deep represents how people can do terrible things and still think of themselves as the hero or even the victim. Even during the character's worst moments, Crawford's attitude is never that of a comic book super villain. This performance only serves to make The Deep that much more disturbing as it is clear he is not going to stop doing whatever he wants.
8 Colby Minifie Makes Audiences Feel Ashley's Stress
Anyone who works at Vought knows they have a dangerous job and that someone like Homelander could decide to ruin their life on a whim. Colby Minifie does such a great job capturing this feeling as Ashley and gives fans a real sense of the realities of being in such a precarious situation.
As Ashley has gained more responsibility at Vought, her stress has only gotten worse, leading her to tear out chunks of her hair. Minifie's expression of mixed shock and pain the first time she does this vividly communicates just how much this pressure is weighing on the character.
7 Laz Alonso Sensitively And Realistically Approaches Mother's Milk's OCD
Portraying a character who has OCD can be a tricky thing for an actor to pull off well. Luckily, Laz Alonso does a great job by making it feel real. Alonso put a lot of effort into ensuring his performance accurately represents how his character lives with OCD. Fans online have expressed feeling seen by Alonso's version of Mother's Milk.
Alonso also manages to portray the character's inner turmoil. In scenes where he's forced to hold back what he knows about supes for the sake of his daughter, viewers can see the inner conflict through M.M.'s body language. This serves to make M.M. one of The Boys' most sympathetic characters.
6 Jack Quaid Is Likable As Hughie
At the beginning of The Boys, Hugh Campbell serves as a connecting device for the audience. As he was meant to draw viewers into the show, Hughie needed to be likable and somewhat relatable. Choosing Jack Quaid for the role turned out to be the exact right choice.
Jack Quaid gives Hughie an awkward charm that sells him to the audience. In his first scene, his rapport with Robin is casual, imperfect, and relatable. Even when the circumstances around Hughie escalate, Quaid keeps audiences grounded by reacting realistically when confronted by the violent nature of the supes he once admired.
5 Jensen Ackles Perfectly Portrayed Soldier Boy's Insecure Machismo
When Jensen Ackles was cast to play Soldier Boy, fans of The Boys had a pretty good idea of what to expect after Ackles' long tenure as Dean Winchester in Supernatural. However, once Ackles finally showed up in the third season, he brought more to the character than some might have expected.
Beneath Soldier Boy's tough exterior, it becomes clear that he's overcompensating due to unresolved issues with his father. Instead of the gruff on-the-nose monologues that Supernatural fans might expect, Ackles is given the chance to flex his acting chops by playing Soldier Boy subtly. Audiences watch as Soldier Boy's machismo starts to crack, resulting in a few explosions when the character is unable to contain his new powers or his feelings.
4 Erin Moriarity Sells Starlight's Sincerity
Starlight is a paragon and makes the people around her want to be better. These types of characters can come off as cheesy or cliché, but Erin Moriarty makes Starlight feel very genuine. While the character is prone to giving heartfelt speeches, Moriarty delivers them with such an earnest tone that fans can't help but feel swept up in Starlight's passion for doing what's right.
What adds to Moriarty's performance is the reminder that Starlight is still human, despite her unbending goodness. Fans see her struggle with learning that her mother made her a superhero for fame and fortune, and as she navigates her complicated relationship with Hughie. Because Moriarty does a great job making Starlight feel grounded during these moments of hardship, audiences still feel connected to her when she acts like a larger-than-life superhero.
3 Karl Urban Keeps Audiences On Butcher's Side
Billy Butcher is diabolical. While he fights in service of a good cause, he does so with a rage and intensity that is often reserved for villains. Also, every other word out of his mouth is something vile. In the wrong hands, this character could easily become unlikable. However, Karl Urban manages to keep audiences in Billy's corner despite his many flaws.
Urban's devilish smile and unflappable confidence draw audiences in, and he makes viewers believe that Billy would insult Homelander and other villains directly to their faces. On the rare occasion that Billy drops the act, Urban does an equally good job of being vulnerable. It's the duality Urban brings to the role that helps audiences root for Butcher.
2 Karen Fukuhara Is Great At Non-Verbal Communication
Karen Fukuhara faces the challenge of telling audiences all they need to know about Kimiko with no spoken dialogue. While later seasons show Kimiko communicating through sign language, before this, she had to express her feelings without using words.
Fukuhara effectively communicates Kimiko's thoughts and feelings through a wide range of stories throughout The Boys. In her first appearances, Fukuhara perfectly captures Kimiko's fear and anger as she lashes out at her captors and the Boys. Later, she communicates Kimiko's regret for her violent actions and her aspirations to do good with just facial expressions and body language.
1 Anthony Starr Can Be Terrifying
It's one thing for a villain to scare audiences with rage, but Anthony Starr manages to be scary with nothing more than a stapled-on smile. When Homelander poses for an interview or press photo, his worst impulses can be seen bubbling just beneath the surface. Starr captures the presence this character needs to feel intimidating, and makes every scene he's in so intense.
When Homelander drops the facade of the smiling superhero, Starr delivers an incredible performance. The more volatile Homelander's emotions become, the more impressive Starr's acting is. He quickly shifts between laughing to pure rage. Fans never know what's going to happen when Starr is on the screen, but they know it's going to be memorable.