Black Noir’s New Secret Identity In The Boys Season 4 Explained

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episodes 1-3.

The Boys season 4 replaces two of the Supes in The Seven, but it keeps Black Noir around despite Homelander killing him in season 3 — and his replacement’s true identity makes a lot of sense given the circumstances. The Seven has seen several shake-ups since The Boys debuted in 2019, with several of its former members meeting tragic ends. At the ending of The Boys season 3, Black Noir joins their number, as Homelander discovers his longtime friend has been lying to him about his true connection to Soldier Boy.

Of course, Homelander already needs to replace Queen Maeve and Starlight when The Boys season 4 opens, and Vought needs to maintain some semblance of normalcy as its opponents get louder and more skeptical of the company. With Homelander on trial, the Supe and the company he represents can’t have people knowing the truth about Black Noir’s fate. Since the Supe wears a mask and never speaks, it’s easy enough to put someone else in his costume. And Vought clearly gives a lot of thought to how it can successfully hide what Homelander’s done.

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Vought Has Replaced The Original Black Noir With An Actor

This Is The Company’s Best Shot At Replicating The Supe’s Mannerisms

Viewers knew from The Boys season 4’s trailers that someone would pose as Black Noir in season 4, and the new episodes don’t hesitate to fill them in on the person’s true identity. While the Amazon series doesn’t give up all the details about The Seven’s secret new member, it does reveal that Vought has replaced the original Black Noir with a professional actor. The newcomer admits as much after Homelander has him and the other members of The Seven kill several innocent humans. Vought’s replacement is shaken by this, as he has never done such a thing before.

As for why Vought goes with an actor to replace Black Noir, it likely stems back to the company’s motivation for keeping his death a secret in the first place. Vought can’t afford to have any more departures from The Seven, and it certainly won’t benefit from the public discovering Homelander’s role in Noir’s death. With the company desperate to keep up appearances, hiring an actor seems like the best way to ensure no one discovers the truth. An actor can replicate Black Noir’s mannerisms and put on a facade better than anyone else, and that’s exactly what Vought needs.

The New Black Noir Is Still A Supe (With Similar Powers To The Real Noir)

This Makes Him A Greater Asset To The Seven

Although the new Black Noir is an actor before joining The Seven, he’s still a Supe — and his powers make him an asset to Homelander’s team. With Homelander’s growing vendetta against non-Supes, it’s unlikely he would have hired an ordinary actor to replace Noir. This would have made Vought’s facade more difficult to maintain as well, since Black Noir isn’t shy about his abilities in The Boys’ early seasons. If his replacement is called for a mission in season 4, he’ll be able to put on a convincing performance, both in terms of powers and mannerisms.

It helps that the new Black Noir’s abilities aren’t that different from the old one’s. Judging by The Boys season 4’s first three episodes, the Supe wearing the suit boasts similar strength and speed to the original Noir. He’s not as well-trained as his predecessor, and this will likely be obvious to anyone close enough to observe him carefully. However, given how quiet and aloof the original Noir was, it’s unlikely anyone outside Vought will be able to put the pieces together.

Who Plays The New Black Noir In The Boys Season 4

Although Black Noir has a new identity within the world of The Boys, the same actor plays this new version of the character in season 4. Nathan Mitchell is the one beneath the mask in the new episodes, reprising his role from The Boys seasons 1-3. Given how infrequently Black Noir removes his mask — and how disfigured his face is in the early seasons — there’s no real reason Mitchell would need to be recast for the show’s big Noir twist.

In fact, the actor gets to flex his talents further now, playing with a new take on the original character and doing more with the Supe than before. The original Black Noir never spoke, but Mitchell is able to lend his voice to the role in The Boys season 4. The actor replacing Noir isn’t supposed to be vocal in public, but he’s able to talk to other members of The Seven behind closed doors. This could be what eventually gives him away in The Boys, but only time will tell if Vought can keep its Black Noir secret.

The Boys

The Boys is a superhero/dark comedy satire series created by Eric Kripke based on the comic series of the same name. Set in a “what-if” world that reveres superheroes as celebrities and gods who experience minimal repercussions for their actions. However, one group of vigilantes headed by a vengeance-obsessed man named Billy Butcher will fight back against these super-charged “heroes” to expose them for what they are.

Cast

Elisabeth Shue , Jensen Ackles , Goran Visnjic , Jessie T. Usher , Chace Crawford , Dominique McElligott , Laz Alonso , Nathan Mitchell , Aya Cash , Colby Minifie , Karl Urban , Erin Moriarty , Karen Fukuhara , Jack Quaid , Antony Starr , claudia doumit , Tomer Capon

Release Date

July 26, 2019

Seasons

4

Franchise(s)

The Boys

Writers

Eric Kripke

Directors

Erin Moriarty , Karen Fukuhara , Karl Urban , Jack Quaid , Eric Kripke

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

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