Although only two episodes of The Boys season 5 have been released so far, fans have noticed that we haven't heard Black Noir speak yet and have some wild theories on why that may be.
You may be wondering, hasn't Black Noir always been silent? Well, the original Black Noir wasn't able to speak due to brain damage from a war-related accident, which we saw in a flashback in season 3. However, after Homelander found out that Black Noir knew that Soldier Boy was his biological father and had been keeping it a secret, Homelander murdered Noir. In season 4, Noir's death was covered up, and an actor took on the role of the Supe, but the only issue was that he couldn't stop talking.
Now that the new Noir is, all of a sudden, silent, not even speaking to The Deep when the two are alone, fans want to know what has happened to the mysterious Supe since we last saw him. "The reason Black Noir II hasn’t talked is that he actually got replaced with a Homelander Clone, Similar to the Comics," said one fan on Twitter. However, many have pointed out that the Noir in the comics is completely different and is even more evil than Homelander, which we know in the show, he is not.
Others seem to think that Gen V's Sam Riordan could be hiding under the Black Noir mask. At the end of Gen V season 1, Sam sided with Homelander, but by the end of season 2, the Supe saw sense and joined the resistance. Could Homelander have brought him back to the dark side? "That would actually make a lot of sense. The mystery, the silence, the combat skills," pointed out one fan, but another added, "If it was Sam, he would have beat the shit out of Starlight in that media room."
The theory that most fans seem to agree on is that Homelander has perhaps silenced the new Noir in a bout of rage, which is not unlikely for the totalitarian. "I’m thinking it’s the Noir from last season, but maybe Homelander ripped off his vocal cords," suggested one fan, and another replied, "It’s probably him fully playing the role that Homelander gave him, scared shitless that he will get killed if he steps out of line."
Noir is one of the few Supes closest to Homelander, as well as The Deep, Sister Sage, and Firecracker, so the Deadpool-like figure will no doubt play a huge role this season. However, his identity remains a mystery until his mask comes off.
The Boys season 5 continues weekly on Prime Video. See our The Boys season 5 release schedule for exact timings, and check out our guide to the best Prime Video shows.
