- Black Noir has powers like super strength, enhanced durability, and exceptional combat skills.
- In season 4, Black Noir was replaced with a new character who has different powers altogether.
- In the comics, Black Noir was a clone of Homelander created to kill him if Homelander ever gets out of control.
One of the most admirable characters in The Boys was Black Noir. He was quite impressive since he was shown in the TV series, his powers were rather weak compared to other supes, except The Deep. We first got to meet Black Noir in Season 1 of The Boys where the mystery behind his all-black suit and his silence caught everyone’s attention. However, season one did not have much to do with Black Noir but the next seasons gave us much more insight about him and we got to witness his death as well. Now, he has made a comeback with The Boys Season 4. Let’s talk about the powers and abilities of Black Noir and how they are different from the new Black Noir.
What Are Black Noir’s Powers Exactly?
A lot of us have had this confusion for quite some time. Most of us thought that Black Noir was just a very well-trained combatant, basically a parody of Batman. However as the series unfolded, we came to know that it’s not true. Along with being a lethal combatant, Black Noir has some other powers like super strength, enhanced durability, healing factor, and stealth. However, the thing to note here is that his powers in the series were significantly nerfed compared to the comics. this is why Homelander was able to punch Noir through his chest instantly killing him. In the comics, Black Noir has a totally different arc and origin.
Black Noir’s Powers: Comics vs TV Show
If you go through the comic version of The Boys, you’ll find out there is more than what it seems to the character of Black Noir. In the grand finale of The Boys comic series, it’s revealed that Black Noir is a clone of Homelander created as a failsafe against the most powerful supe. Black Noir had every power Homelander has since he was designed as an alpha version of Homelander to kill him just in case he loses control.
By the end of the comic, Black Noir kills Homelander and walks out with his severed arm. He himself is heavily injured with his guts hanging out. William Butcher, with the military, completely bombards Black Noir with all they have got and once he is weak enough, Butcher walks to him with his crowbar and pops his brains out killing Black Noir as well. Very gory, I know.
Does Black Noir Have Any Weaknesses?
Talking about weaknesses, In the comics, Black Noir does not have any weaknesses as such however, in the live-action version Black Noir has a rather weird weakness. Black Noir is deathly allergic to nuts in The Boys series. Queen Maeve utilizes this weakness to save Starlight when Black Noir tries to stop her from escaping. Queen Maeve shoves a bar of Almond Joy in Black Noir’s mouth causing him to collapse instantly. Other than this Black Noir is not shown to have any other weakness.
Homelander killed Black Noir in The Boys Season 3. But, in The Boys Season 4, he made a comeback. In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Eric Kripke revealed that The Black Noir we see in season 4 is not the same character but a new character altogether. He stated-
“It’s definitely not the last we’ve seen of Black Noir as a hero. It’s just that the guy who was inside (the Noir Costume) in season 3, he’s gone. But we have Nathan playing a really interesting and hilarious character who wears the suit next season.”- Eric Kripke
New Black Noir Powers and Weaknesses
Now that we know all about the new Black Noir played by Nathan Mitchell, let’s talk about how he is different from the original one. First off, the original Black Noir was mute and this new character is not. Also, This new character has all the powers the original Black Noir had but he is way stronger than him. The new Black Noir can fly and is invincible as well. Even though he does not have a weakness like having a nut allergy he has a rather weird weakness of his own.
The new Black Noir is a Narcoleptic which means that he has no control over his sleep cycle. He can fall asleep anytime including the times when he is engaged in a fight. This is exactly what happened when he was fighting with Butcher. Now since this new character as Black Noir is still alive, he is going to reappear in The Boys Season 5 set to release in 2026. Till then, stay tuned!
