Since launching in 2019, The Boys has since become a hit series for Amazon Prime Video.
The show – a satirical, often gory take on the world of superheroes – has been adapted from comic books by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.
Let’s take a look at what the cast been up to in the years leading up to forming a one-of-a-kind onscreen vigilante group.
Karl Urban
The Boys‘ leading man, Kiwi actor Karl Urban, had already been an established star when the show began.
He plays former SAS operative Billy Butcher, who has been leader of The Boys throughout most of the show’s run. By the show’s beginning, Butcher is distrustful towards ‘supes’ (super-powered people), but his hatred is reserved for Homelander (played by fellow New Zealander Antony Starr).
Prior to Butcher entering Urban’s orbit, the now-52-year-old had three popular film franchises on his resumé.
The Wellington native portrayed Éomer in the second and third instalments of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. His stint spanned from The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).
Urban also had a central role in the Star Trek reboot film series. The actor played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, a part originated by DeForest Kelly. This franchise saw him star alongside Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and future The Boys co-star Simon Pegg, among others.
He also starred as Commander Vaako in two films of the Riddick franchise, starring Vin Diesel.
Meanwhile, some of Urban’s other notable film projects include Doom, The Bourne Supremacy, Dredd and Thor Ragnorok. Adding to his extensive sci-fi/fantasy credits, Urban additionally cameoed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Before The Boys, Urban’s television work included the lead role in short-lived FOX sci-fi drama Almost Human. This series followed John Kennex (Urban) a police detective in 2048 reluctantly paired with an android partner (Michael Ealy).
The show ran for a single 13-episode season in 2013-2014 before being cancelled.
Much earlier, Urban had a recurring role on enduring New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street from 1993-1994.
Jack Quaid
As the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, young star Jack Quaid likely had a lot of expectations to live up to.
For The Boys, Jack plays the pivotal role of Hughie Campbell who is essentially the audience’s “eyes and ears” in season 1. Hughie, a well-meaning tech nerd, did not come from the world of supes and vigilantes.
Speedster A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) unintentionally ended Hughie and Robin’s romance when he ran right through her. Literally.
Fun fact: Hughie (known as “Wee Hughie”) in the comics was designed to look like actor Simon Pegg. When the TV show came to fruition, Pegg signed on to play Hugh Campbell Sr, Hughie’s father.
However, Quaid’s first major Hollywood role was a far cry from lovable Hughie. The actor earned the ire of YA moviegoers thanks to his role as “Marvel” in The Hunger Games (2012).
Marvel, a District 1 tribute, was most notable for killing popular character Rue (Amandla Stenberg) – a fact Quaid was still “apologising” for a decade later.
Other films before The Boys include Logan Lucky, Rampage and Plus One. Cheating slightly, but since his role on the hit Prime Video show, Quaid’s landed movie roles in Oppenheimer and Scream.
Quaid was also a series regular on short-lived HBO drama Vinyl. He starred opposite the likes of Olivia Wilde, Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano and Juno Temple. Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter co-created the crime drama.
Concurrently with playing Hughie, the actor also works in the world of animation voiceover.
Quaid portrays Brad Boimler (on Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Clark Kent/Superman (on My Adventures with Superman.)
Erin Moriarty
Fans of The Boys know Erin Moriarty as Annie January – the “supe” who has also gone by Starlight. The character has evolved considerably over four seasons.
Before landing The Boys, Moriarty had another superhero project under her belt – but of a quite different variety.
She starred as “Hope Schlottman” in season one of Marvel Comics-inspired Jessica Jones. Hope was a New York University student who formed a bond with the title character, portrayed by Krysten Ritter. The cast also featured David Tennant, Eka Darville and Mike Colter, among others.
Moriarty’s film roles included The Kings of Summer (2013), After the Dark (2014) and Captain Fantastic (2016).
In a BriefTake interview promoting The Boys season 1, Moriarty described her character as “badass” and “a cool superhero”.
She also discussed being cast early on and properly digesting the source material.
“It was a combination of really sitting down with the material and doing my homework on it.
“Luckily, I had the luxury of six months to have the material to digest and to work on it, because I got cast in it quite a long time before we even started filming.”
Laz Alonso
Born Lazaro Alonso, this Washington DC-born actor already had a solid filmography before being cast on The Boys as MM.
In the TV show, MM has his comic-book moniker of Mother’s Milk but it comes from his government name, Marvin T. Milk.
MM has typically been considered The Boys’ second-in-command, but took on a leadership role during season four.
Whereas in the comics, the character’s “real name” is Baron Wallis – the nickname references him consuming his mother’s Compound V-enhancing “mother’s milk” to stay alive.
One of Alonso’s most notable credits was James Cameron’s acclaimed film Avatar (2009), where he played a significant supporting role as the Na’vi warrior Tsu’tey.
At the beginning of the story, Tsu’tey is betrothed to Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and is heir to the chieftainship of the tribe.
Meanwhile, the star-studded cast also included Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez.
Alonso’s other film projects have included Jarhead (2005), This Christmas (2007), Miracle at St. Anna (2008) and Detroit (2017).
The 50-year-old actor had a supporting role in 2009’s Fast & Furious, opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.
In addition, Alonso has worked extensively in television, with guest appearances on NCIS, Entourage, CSI: Miami and Bones, among others. He also recurred as Detective Gil Puente in seasons two and three of Southland.
Series regular roles before The Boys include Charlie Duchamp in Breakout Kings (season one), as well as FBI agent Will Moreno in Deception (2013).
Tomer Capone
Tomer Capone also had several credits before The Boys although these were largely in his native Israel.
His character, Frenchie, is one of the original members of The Boys alongside Billy Butcher and MM.
The show has explored Frenchie’s connection with Kimiko (known as The Female in the comics). He was also romantically paired with a male character, Colin (Elliot Knight) during the fourth season.
The 39-year-old’s career dates back to 2012, while he had been a series regular on five shows before being cast as Frenchie.
These included Hostages (2013-2016), Fauda (2015), Taagad (2016), Fullmoon (2017-2018) and When Heroes Fly (2018).
A 2023 article by N12 named Capone as “the most successful Israeli actor in the world right now” – other than Gal Gadot, thanks to starring on The Boys.
Since playing Frenchie, Capone later starred in science-fiction thriller film Slingshot (2024), alongside Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, David Morrissey and Emily Beecham.
Karen Fukuhara
Among The Boys, Karen Fukuhara’s character Kimiko is (mostly) silent but very deadly.
Fukuhara shares career similarities with co-stars Jack Quaid and Erin Moriarty.
Like the latter, she had previously entered the superhero world. Three years before The Boys, Fukuhara made her film debut with Suicide Squad (2016), her big screen debut.
She portrayed DC Comics superheroine Katana – real name Tatsu Yamashiro. Her all-star castmates included Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis and Cara Delevingne.
Further films range from Brad Pitt action comedy Bullet Train (2022) to animated fantasy The Boy and the Heron (2023).
Additionally, Fukuhara has worked extensively as a voice actress, most notably in Cartoon Network’s Craig of the Creek. She has recurred on the show since 2018 and also had a role in Craig Before the Creek (2023), a film based on the series.
Fans might also have heard the actress’ vocal talents as the title character in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. The protagonist Kipo (Fukuhara) is depicted as enthusiastic and curiou.
Follow writer Conor O’Brien Twitter/X
A lifelong TV and Film buff, Conor founded Courageous Nerd in 2019. He has conducted hundreds of interviews for the site, as well as written comprehensive feature articles on a variety of topics. You can find him on X: @conorrcn.
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