To say The Boys has been a success for Amazon would be a serious understatement. Since exploding onto screens in 2019, Prime Video’s adaptation of Garth Ennis’s superhero satire graphic novels has grown into far more than a hit show. The Boys has become a flagship property, a cultural talking point, and one of the platform’s defining franchises.

Critically and commercially, The Boys has delivered and then some. A 93% Rotten Tomatoes score reflects how consistently sharp its savage superhero satire has remained. That success has also fueled expansion. From Gen V to the upcoming Vought Rising and beyond, Amazon has transformed The Boys into a full-blown shared universe. However, its best spinoff is often overlooked.

While Gen V pushed the story of The Boys universe into bold new territory and hype for the Jensen Ackles-led Vought Rising continues to build, the franchise’s very first spinoff is strangely forgotten. The Boys Presents: Diabolical remains one of the most inventive entries in the ever-growing cinematic universe, and easily one of Prime Video’s most star-studded originals.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical Is An Underrated Entry In The Franchise

The Animated Anthology Quietly Delivers The Franchise’s Boldest Ideas

Once Vought Rising joins Gen V and the main series, Amazon will have three interconnected shows operating inside The Boys universe. That trio of ultra-violent superhero satire is already ambitious, and it’s set to expand even further with the upcoming spinoff The Boys: Mexico. It’s an exciting roadmap for fans invested in Vought’s twisted empire.

However, that growth comes with an unfortunate side effect. The franchise’s most daring project, 2022’s The Boys Presents: Diabolical, risks being pushed further from the spotlight. While the live-action shows dominate headlines and speculation cycles, the animated anthology that helped expand the universe’s creative boundaries rarely gets the same recognition.

Diabolical takes a radically different approach to storytelling to anything else attached to The Boys. Instead of a serialized narrative, it delivers eight standalone animated episodes, each with its own tone, art style, and perspective on the chaotic world of Compound V. Some installments lean into grotesque body horror, others into pitch-black comedy, and a few land surprisingly emotional character studies.

That flexibility is one of the greatest strengths of this sadly underrated The Boys spinoff. Animation allows Diabolical to go bigger, stranger, and more surreal than live action comfortably can. The result is a playground for experimental storytelling that still feels unmistakably part of The Boys universe.

It also deepens the franchise’s themes. Corporate exploitation, superhero celebrity culture, and collateral damage all remain central, but the anthology format lets creators explore those ideas from unexpected angles. Entire corners of The Boys universe feel richer because of it.

That’s why its low profile feels undeserved. Diabolical isn’t a side note. It’s a creative high point of what Amazon has done with The Boys as an IP that proves how flexible and inventive this franchise can be.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical Has An Absolutely Stacked Cast

A Wild Lineup Of A-Listers Makes The Forgotten Boys Spinoff Even More Impressive

It’s especially surprising that The Boys Presents: Diabolical is so often forgotten when the star-studded pedigree of its cast is taken into consideration. This isn’t a minor animated offshoot with a handful of familiar voices. It’s a project packed with franchise regulars and major Hollywood names who elevate every episode they touch.

Of course, several core The Boys stars reprise their roles, strengthening the show’s ties to the main continuity. Antony Starr returns as Homelander with the same chilling mix of charm and menace, while Chace Crawford once again delivers self-absorbed absurdity as The Deep. Their appearances help Diabolical feel like a meaningful extension of the larger world rather than a novelty experiment.

However, beyond returning favorites, the episode-by-episode cast of The Boys Presents: Diabolical is remarkably stacked. For example, Jason Isaacs of Harry Potter fame brings gravitas and bite to his take on Billy Butcher in the third installment, while the MCU’s iconic Don Cheadle adds sharp comedic timing and presence that instantly stands out as Nubian Prince in episode 6.

Both actors bring the kind of A-list prestige usually reserved for awards-season dramas, but they are far from alone when it comes to Hollywood household names in Diabolical. Awkwafina injects chaotic energy as episode 5’s Sky (and a variety of fecal creatures she creates), Michael Cera leans into offbeat awkwardness as the Great Wide Wonder in episode 3. Each performance feels distinct, playful, and perfectly suited to the anthology’s experimental tone.

They’re not the only instantly recognizable name on the slate, either. Filmmaker Kevin Smith lends his unmistakable voice to the hero “Boobie-Face” in episode 2, while Kieran Culkin delivers razor-sharp character work as OD. Then there’s Frances Conroy, Christian Slater, Kumail Nanjiani, Seth Rogen, and many more. It’s the kind of ensemble most streaming originals would struggle to assemble, yet Diabolical somehow managed.

That kind of casting pedigree matters. The presence of so many recognizable voices instantly raises the show’s profile and gives each episode a sense of event-level importance. Few Prime Video originals, animated or otherwise, can match that level of star power. It also makes it even more perplexing that, against such a cast and the success of The Boys in the years since, Diabolical seems to have become mostly forgotten.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical Is Partially Canon

One Crucial Episode Directly Connects To The Main Series

There is a key reason that The Boys Presents: Diabolical may have slipped through the cracks even for many fans of The Boys, and that is its unusual canon status. The series is proudly experimental, and that freedom comes with looser ties to the main storyline. In fact, all but one episode sit outside official continuity.

For some viewers, that makes the anthology feel optional. Without direct narrative consequences, it’s easy to treat the 8 episodes of The Boys Presents: Diabolical as side experiments rather than essential chapters. However, that perception overlooks one hugely important detail.

The finale of Diabolical, “One Plus One Equals Two,” is officially canon and serves as a direct prequel to The Boys. The episode explores Homelander and Black Noir on an early mission that spirals into a brutal demonstration of Vought’s manufactured heroism.

What begins as a staged rescue quickly descends into chaos. Civilian lives are treated as disposable, the truth is buried, and Homelander’s carefully managed public image takes priority over human cost. The mission becomes a defining moment in Homelander’s evolution from corporate asset to the unstable force of nature with a God-complex fans know him as in The Boys.

Because this episode of Diabolical is canon, it reframes key dynamics across The Boys. It sharpens Homelander’s psychological arc, deepens the significance of his emotional connection to Black Noir, and adds historical weight to Vought’s propaganda machine. Far from being disposable, The Boys Presents: Diabolical contains foundational storytelling for two of the most interesting characters in The Boys.

Release Date

2022 – 2022-00-00

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

Directors

Giancarlo Volpe, Crystal Chesney, Derek Lee Thompson, Madeleine Flores, Steve Ahn, Matthew Bordenave, Jae Kim, Parker Simmons