Warning! Contains spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 6.
Summary
The Boysseason 4 has been pushing many boundaries with its humor and gore, but it might have gone a little too far with its unbelievably grim Zendaya joke. After starting off a little slowly in its opening episodes,The Boysseason 4 has been featuring one memorable episode after another, with each raising the bar in terms of shock value. The season’s episode 6 does something similar by walking through several bizarre moments, including the one whereFirecracker wins Homelander’s heartin the strangest way possible.
Like its predecessors,The Boysseason 4 also continues to lampoon Marvel and DC by portraying some of the most hilarious parodies of their superhero characters. Episode 6 even takes a jab at Batman by showing how Tek-Knight’s version of the Batcave is a weird underground dungeon where he and Ashley Barrett fulfill their wildest BDSM fantasies with Webweaver (a Spider-Man parody). However, in all of these provocative moments,The Boysseason 4 almost crosses a line with a Zendaya joke.
The Boys Season 4, Episode 6 Ending: Butcher-Kessler Twist Explained By Eric Kripke & Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Eric Kripke and Jeffrey Dean Morgan break down the unnerving truth behind Billy Butcher and Kessler’s connection in The Boys season 4.
The Boys Season 4’s Zendaya Joke Is Hilarious (But Very Near-The-Knuckle)
The Boys Season 4 Plays With Fire With Its Zendaya Spider-Man Reference
InThe Boysseason 4, episode 6,Hughie (Jack Quaid), disguised as Webweaver, ends up in Tek-Knight’s “Batcave,” where Ashley Barrett gets off while tickling his feet. When Hughie screams in agony, and Ashley consequently stops the tickling, Tek-Knight reminds her that Webweaver has his own little “safe” word that he will use if he wants her to stop. Tek-Knight later even hints that the safe word is something he “loves most.” Although Hughie never guesses the safe word, Tek-Knight’s Butler eventually reveals it is “Zendaya.”
Since Webweaver is supposed to be a mockery of Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Zendaya has played MJ in MCU’sSpider-Manmovies,the joke is undoubtedly hilarious. However, the fact that “Zendaya” is Webweaver’s BDSM safe word when he is in Tek-Knight’s strange dungeon almost borders on being too edgy and inappropriate.The Boysseason 4’s episode 6 plays it off quite well by presenting it as a quick throwaway line. However, since the joke nearly flirts with the line of tastefulness, the show must make up for it in a creative way.
Zendaya Needs A Cameo In The Boys Season 5 To Make Up For S4’s Joke
A Zendaya Cameo Could Add Another Layer To The Joke
The Zendaya joke’s subtle execution prevents it from being disrespectful, butThe Boysseason 5 could still do some damage control by perhaps featuring a cameo by Zendaya or giving her a better shoutout. A cameo would be great because it would assure viewers that the actress has been in on it andeven add a layer of meta-humor to the joke. However, even if getting Zendaya involved inThe Boysseason 5 is not possible, the show could drop a better and more explicit reference to her long line of work instead of only drawing a reference to herSpider-Manrole in passing.
The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
