THE BOYS Creator Eric Kripke Reveals His Wild Original Pitch: “DEADPOOL Meets INGLORIOUS BASTERDS Meets THE RAID”
When The Boys first exploded onto Prime Video in 2019, it felt like a grenade tossed directly into the superhero genre. At a time when caped heroes dominated pop culture, the series offered something completely different with corrupt superheroes, brutal violence, dark comedy, and a healthy dose of cynicism aimed squarely at superheores.
Now, series creator Eric Kripke has shared the original pitch that convinced Amazon to take a chance on the adaptation, and it turns out the show's rebellious spirit was there from the very beginning.
Kripke recently took fans back to 2015 by posting what he described as the show's original “mission statement,” the document that laid the foundation for adapting Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic series. Looking back on the journey, Kripke reflected on how far the project has come:
“Since then, hundreds of actors, thousands of crew, and millions of viewers embraced this insane idea. I'm grateful beyond words, and proud that all these years later, we stayed true to this mission statement.”
What makes the pitch especially fascinating is just how unapologetic it was. According to reports, it opened with the attention-grabbing declaration, “F*ck superheroes,” before describing the project as “Deadpool meets Inglorious Basterds meets The Raid.”
That mash-up paints a pretty incredible picture. While The Boys certainly retained the irreverent humor, graphic violence, and anti-superhero attitude promised in that early concept, fans can only imagine what a version leaning even harder into those influences might have looked like.
Back in 2015, superhero movies were at the peak of their cultural dominance. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was building toward Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and audiences couldn't get enough of larger-than-life heroes saving the world.
Pitching a series designed to tear apart those conventions was a risky move. Fortunately for fans, Kripke believed in the concept enough to push forward.
The gamble paid off. Over five seasons, The Boys built a massive following thanks to its chaotic mix of shocking violence, outrageous humor, social commentary, and unforgettable characters.
The series delivered everything from exploding heads and disturbing super-powered disasters to some of television's most jaw-dropping moments, ultimately ending with Homelander securing a devastating victory.
Of course, not every viewer was satisfied with the show's final stretch. Some fans criticized the later episodes for lacking focus and relying too heavily on filler storylines.
Kripke addressed those reactions in an interview with TVLine, saying: “Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course, and I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but it was the story I wanted to tell. You just have to put it into perspective of it being a reasonably small, vocal audience when the vast majority seem to be happily tuning in.”
Whether fans loved the series finale or not, it's hard to argue with the impact The Boys has had on the superhero landscape. What began as a pitch described as “Deadpool meets Inglorious Basterds meets The Raid” evolved into one of television's craziest and most talked-about genre series.
The franchise isn't finished yet, either. The next chapter in the growing universe, now officially known as the VCU, will be Vought Rising. The 1950s-set prequel stars Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront, giving fans another chance to explore the twisted history of Vought and the dangerous Supes who helped shape it.
Looking back at Kripke's original pitch, we see that the DNA of The Boys never changed. The show may have evolved over the years, but the mission remained exactly what it was from day one, to take everything audiences think they know about superheroes and turn it completely upside down.